New Web Tool Helps Consumers Keep Track of Insurance In An Emergency

If an earthquake struck right now, you would wish you hadn’t left home without it. But all too often, homeowners discover that they don’t have basic insurance information at their fingertips.

In recognition of National Preparedness Month, the Insurance Information Network of California today unveiled “Insurance 411,” a free Web tool designed to help consumers keep track of their insurance policies in the event of an emergency. The site, located at
www.insurance-411.org, allows users to enter critical insurance information, such as the names of their insurance companies, policy numbers and claims center telephone numbers, and confidentially print them as a wallet-sized card.

Web users need only enter, print and cut the form to size, and then carry it with them in the event that they suddenly need their insurance information.
IINC developed Insurance 411 after receiving numerous calls for assistance from consumers who in some cases did not even know the name of their insurance company, said IINC Executive Director Candysse Miller.

“We often hear from people who have lost their homes in a fire or other catastrophe who can’t find their insurance information,” Miller said. “While we still recommend that you keep a copy of your insurance policies in a secure location outside the home, like a safe deposit box, the Insurance 411 card provides the basic info you need in an insurance emergency.”

The process is simple: Copy key information from your insurance policy, such as the policy number, agent’s name and phone number, enter it into the Insurance 411 card formatter, click “Create Card” and print. Insurance 411 is printed pre-formatted the size of a credit card. When you are finished with the formatter, simply close your Web browser to delete the information. The data that is entered is completely private, and cannot be accessed or shared by IINC.

Miller likens the card to the insurance information card drivers are required to carry in California, only for all household insurance policies.

“It’s a simple concept and an even simpler process – and we hope that it will encourage Californians to keep a record of their insurance policies,” Miller said.

IINC is a non-profit and non-lobbying insurance association dedicated to helping consumers understand insurance and the issues that affect it. For more information, visit the IINC Web site at www.iinc.org.