Neil Cook of Delite has highlighted some of experiences a specialist broker is receiving this century from people or their family who have criminal convictions
How a simple re-mortgage can lead to homelessness
In late December 2005, just before Christmas, they received a call from a lady who was very distraught and tearful. The client informed Delite that, in arranging a re-mortgage, she had disclosed her husband’s conviction as required. Due to this fact, she was now unable to secure the required buildings insurance from the mortgage provider or any other insurance provider she could find. Without the insurance they faced being thrown out onto the street.
The client said that she was “at her wits end” and doubted anyone could help. The client was asked to complete and return a proposal form. The form arrived with the broker the next morning. A Delite representative spent a ‘frantic hour’ trying track down their underwriter who was enjoying the festivities. The representative rang the client back and as soon as she was informed of a positive result she ‘burst in to tears of joy’. The lady passed the broker on to her husband, who had to assure him five times that cover was ready and waiting for them. The cover was ultimately arranged and Christmas on the streets was avoided.
Reformed offenders not the guilty ones
An older gentleman who had been very senior in the financial services industry called as he urgently needed to arrange household insurance. On release he had raised this issue with his probation officer. At each meeting he raised the question, "Can you recommend any one who will offer insurance to an ex-offender”
Finally, after several weeks of being uninsured, the client’s Probation Officer brushed him off saying, "Well why tell them at all?” Explaining that this would constitute fraud, and focused on doing his best to rehabilitate, the client did not take this advice but kept trying until he found Delite Insurance. Denied this basic information, an ex-offender with lower skills and less knowledge could have been forgiven for simply taking the ‘professional’
Keeping business on track
A businessman who ran a go-karting company contacted Delite after seeing the website. He had previously not been aware of the need to disclose his conviction, which had occurred some 14 years ago when he was a young man. Now a different person, and keen to do the right thing, he searched for quotes for the necessary insurances. He received quotes which ranged hugely, up to £5000, before securing cover through a listed broker for just over £700.
The benefits of good advice
For many people insurance supermarkets offer a cheap and convenient way to arrange insurance. However, for anyone with specific needs, including reformed offenders, the results of these automatic searches are often severely limited. Even the relatively ‘human touch’ of a call centre is likely to end in frustration.
In one case, the broker was able to provide buildings cover at a lower cost even AFTER disclosure. This was achieved simply by proper completion of the proposal form. This highlighted that the client had been using the ‘up to’ figures used by his bank, rather than the true costs of rebuild. For example, he would have asked for quotes based on a house rebuild cost of £350,000, rather than the true cost of £80,000, simply because his bank happened to have a blanket amount for all customers.
Public protection
Faced with discrimination in the employment market, a former offender turned to self-employment in order to pay the bills. He quickly discovered that his small window-cleaning business needed Public Liability Insurance, since something as simple as someone tripping over a bucket could result in litigation. (Typical claims might be around £5000 but as the UK becomes more litigious claims of £50,000-£500,000 are becoming more common). He also found that holding appropriate Public Liability cover is a requirement for even tendering for most contracts. He also found that it helps to assure potential customers of the professionalism of his company.
Innocent employees can be punished
When the Owner/Director of a multi million pound company was sent to prison, the jobs of all his employees were put at risk. The apparent impossibility of securing the insurances required to continue trading took the business to the precipice of collapse. In these situations, insurance has to be secured quickly in order to prevent a cash flow disaster. It also has to available at a reasonable rate, in order for the business to be sustainable. Through working with the broker , the Director was able to save the jobs of his entire workforce. He went on to begin offering work to other former offenders, creating a virtuous circle where a vicious one would have otherwise quickly developed. More information can be found at the jml insurance website www.jml-insurance.co.uk
