Summary:
UK loan protection can be found cheaply but you have to go with a specialist in payment protection insurance (PPI) if you want the cheapest premiums along with the advice needed to ensure that a policy is suitable for your needs. Payment protection or ASU insurance as the product is also sold under is taken out if you want to ensure that you would have the money each month to continue meeting your loan repayments and not get into debt should you become unable to work due to r...
UK loan protection can be found cheaply but you have to go with a specialist in payment protection insurance (PPI) if you want the cheapest premiums along with the advice needed to ensure that a policy is suitable for your needs. Payment protection or ASU insurance as the product is also sold under is taken out if you want to ensure that you would have the money each month to continue meeting your loan repayments and not get into debt should you become unable to work due to redundancy, long term sickness or accident.
However UK loan protection hasn't been without its faults which stem from an investigation in 2005 when the Office of Fair Trading received a super complaint from the Citizens Advice. The Financial Services Authority fined several high street names for wide spread mis-selling of the product due to sloppy sales practices and a lack of information given to many consumers at the point of sale.
Currently the whole protection insurance sector is in the hands of the Competition Commission who are conducting a review which is set to reach conclusion in February 2009. The mis-selling also ranged from not making the consumer aware of the exclusions which are in all policies, such as if you are self-employed, retired or only in part time work to charging way over the odds for the cover.
When bought correctly from a standalone specialist, UK loan protection insurance can give you a tax free income each and every month you are out of work for up to 12 months and with some policies, for up to 24 months. The cover would begin to provide you with a tax free income once you have been out of work for a set period of time which can be between one to three months' of being out of work and can give great peace of mind and security until you get back on your feet.
While UK loan protection insurance can be taken out alongside the loan and indeed is usually offered at the time of taking out borrowing, historically this is the dearest option for taking what can be invaluable protection. The premiums for loan protection can be very expensive when taken with the loan and it can almost double the cost of the loan. If you want the cover then it is essential that you decline it from a high street lender and shop around for it independently. High street lenders rely on high premiums to make up for offering cheap loans however the specialist standalone provider on the other hand puts the consumers best interest ahead of huge profits and can save you hundreds of pounds while providing quality UK loan insurance that is a far superior product.
If you want the protection and security that UK loan protection insurance can give then stick with the standalone specialist provider to make sure you don't fall prey to mis-selling of the cover. Mis-selling of payment protection has been wide spread and the majority of problems stemmed from a lack of information being given at the time of selling the product. All specialists will have the consumer's best interest at heart and make the cover available for the cheapest premiums while giving you excellent free honest advice.