Mortgage Protection - A Safety Net

Private insurance is seen as a safety net if problems arise due to the risk of unemployment, debts, repossession and the possibility of illness.If someone has a 100,000 pound mortgage, an increase of ten to twelve pounds a month would provide cover for the insured for the interest per month paid on the mortgage, should they run into problems.

With personal debt now totaling over a trillion pounds, the Government is pushing these new initiatives on private insurance.Bankruptcy is increasing and home owners are coming under pressure if they miss repayments on their mortgages.The possibility of repossession is worrying and frightening.

It's ironic when you realize that the taxpayer has coughed up some 8 billion pounds in benefits over the last 10 years in mortgage interest payments to support the unemployed.The treasury is now trying to off-load this onto to the responsibility of public and mortgage lenders.

Insisting that compulsory Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI) should be enforced would not be a popular move as it increases costs when buying a house, and some experts are of the opinion that the Government should impose that expense onto the lenders, to come from their profits.It is no secret that building societies and banks make massive profits on selling MPPI and premiums are currently around 800 million to 1 billion yearly despite only just under a quarter of buyers having made the purchase.With the profit on this being 250 to 500 million pounds, you can follow the Governments way of thinking.

What the Government realizes is that 75 per cent of homeowners are left without protection if they fall on hard times.It's true that the benefits system is in place and gives support via Income Support for Mortgage Interest, but there are limitations on claimants.

The advice from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), the voice for banks and building societies, is for first-time buyers to take out insurance to protect their homes.However, they are strongly against making MPPI a compulsory product, especially if it increases the buyer's outgoings.

The CML believe that if the industry has to absorb this cost then the outcome will be that mortgages will go up as this money will have to come from somewhere.Even if it is not seen as a separate premium, it will be built in and will increase the overall cost.In their opinion margins have been squeezed for some time now and it is making it impossible for firms to absorb this extra too.

The CML think that people should be free to make their own choices and arrangements with regard to this insurance, which may not be appropriate for everyone.It could be that people may have sufficient protection from other insurance, or through their employers or possibly substantial savings.In this case it would be unreasonable to enforce someone over insure.

Iain MacQueen-Sims, credit and debt expert of Omnichek, does not agree with the CML His opinion is that by making MPPI compulsory it would create a safety net and that it shouldn't add to homeowners costs.The lenders can easily fund it without any price increases and they should show some loyalty to a market where they do very well out of their customers.

A draft of the European Directive on the mortgage market is in favour of compulsory MPPI in all member states as a standard procedure.A spokesman for the Department of Work and Pensions has stated that "anyone taking out a mortgage should think hard about protecting their income."

About the Author

Interested in getting a quote on Mortgage insurance?

Please Visit Understand-Mortgages for more information and other resources.Our sister site Brokers Online offers cutting edge articles and information about Mortgage Insurance and other financial products.

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What is an Internet Auction

Are you interested in learning more about internet auctions?This article is designed to provide you with the details on how online auctions work and how to avoid getting caught up in the excitement.Specifics may vary from auction to auction; however, the following information includes helpful and important guidelines from which everyone can benefit.

Internet auctions are like an online marketplace.You can "walk in," scan the goods for sale, choose a few items you'd like to buy and then bid on them.Some internet auctions features sellers who are businesses that offer merchandise and accept payment for their goods, which are usually shipped from a warehouse or other location.Other internet auctions are private party only sellers where items are auctioned directly to consumers and shipped directly from the seller's location.

To participate in an online auction as a bidder, you must register.Registration requires you to set up an account where you will either receiver a bidder number or a unique user name.You will also be required to choose a method of payment, and often times, prove that you will be able to pay.Registration must be completed before you participate in an internet auction.

Sellers must also register to sell in an online auction.Then, they can list the items they have for sale and, in most cases, set a time limit and a reserve price (the lowest price they will accept for an item.Sellers also agree to pay a fee every time they conduct an auction, and sometimes a commission fee once they sell.

When the bidding closes at the scheduled time and the reserve price has been met, the highest bidder wins the auction.If no one bids at or above the reserve price, the auction closes without a winner and is usually relisted.At the end of a successful auction, the buyer and seller communicate - usually by email - to arrange for payment and delivery.

Sounds pretty simple right?Not always!The internet is filled with people who are looking to make a quick buck - no matter what.Online auctions are no different.They can often be the target of fraud.However, internet auctions can be a lot of fun and a relatively safe way to do business if you know what you're doing.

Here are some tips that will help you avoid internet auction issues:

- Become familiar with the auction site.

Never assume that the rules of one auction site apply to another.

- Know and understand what form of payment the seller accepts.If the seller accepts only cashier's checks or money orders, decide whether you're willing to risk sending your payment before you receive the product.

- Protect your privacy.Never provide your Social Security number, driver's license number, credit card number, or bank account information until you have checked out the seller and the online payment or escrow service, if you're using one, to ensure legitimacy.

- Learn about the protections (if any) the auction site offers buyers.Some sites provide free insurance or guarantees for items that are undelivered, not authentic or not what the seller claimed.

- Read the entire description of the item, including the fine print.Look for words like "refurbished," "close out," "discontinued," or "B-grade" - especially when shopping for computer or electronic equipment - to get a better idea of the condition of the item being auctioned.

- Find out everything you can about the seller.Avoid doing business with sellers you know nothing about, especially those who try to lure you off the auction site with promises of a better deal.Some auction sites post feedback ratings of sellers based on comments by other buyers.Check them out.These comments and ratings may give you some idea of how you'll be treated.

- Establish the highest price you're willing to pay and stick to it.This can help ensure that you get a fair price and protect you from snipers.Don't bid on an item you don't intend to buy.If you're the highest bidder, you're obligated to follow through with the transaction.Some auction sites bar "non-paying" bidders, also known as "deadbeats," from future bidding.

About the Author

Deb Weidenhamer is President of Auction Systems, the Southwest's most active auction and appraisal company.

Visit us online at Auction Systems, or call 800-801-8880 for more information.

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Search Engine Optimization Terms FAQ

The world of Search Engine Optimization is full of jargon that may at first be a bit confusing to the beginner.The terms involved aren't difficult to understand; they are simply unfamiliar.Here are some answers to common questions about SEO.

What is a back link?In Search Engine Optimization, links that point toward a certain page from another page are called back links.Back links are important in SEO, since they weigh heavily in a site's search engine ranking.Basically, if someone at SomeonesSite.com links to a page on YourSite.com, this would be a back link for you but not for them.By the same token, when you link to their site, it is a back link for them but not for you.In this case, it would be what is called an outbound link for you.

What is a landing page?A landing page is any page where readers arrive after clicking a link from another website.When used in Internet marketing, it usually refers to a page people are sent when clicking an advertisement.Landing pages are usually written a little differently than content pages, as they serve a different purpose.They are designed to draw viewers into their site, and are usually the page with the highest search engine optimization on the site.

What is a squeeze page?A squeeze page is a certain type of landing page whose purpose is to "squeeze" prospects' names and email address from them.This then puts them on a marketing list, where they will receive information as well as sales pitches.Usually, some type of free report or other bonus is offered in exchange for signing up to a list.They also are pages that have high search engine optimization, as this often leads to a higher conversion rate.

What is a conversion rate?A conversion rate refers to the percentage of people who complete a specified action, such as buying your product or opting in to your mailing list.It is, in effect, what you hope to increase by search engine optimization.For example, if one hundred people visit your sales page, and three of them choose to buy, you have a 3% conversion rate (which in many niches is pretty good).

A conversion rate doesn't have to be about sales, though.It can refer to people signing up for a free sample, a trial membership, or taking any other action you want them to take.When the desired action is to sign up for a list, conversion rate is referred to as "opt-in rate."

What is split testing?

Split testing is the process of comparing two or more versions of a Web page to see which one has the better search engine optimization.This is most often accomplished by use of software such as Google's page editor.While an entire website may benefit from split testing, it is usually recommended to only test the landing page and any pages where a conversion can happen.This is due to the time and cost commitment involved with split testing.

Such are some of the primary terms that you will encounter in search engine optimization.It should be easier to speak the native language.

About the Author

I started my first internet business in 1999.

Since then, I have generated over 2,000,000 leads and sold over 160,000 customers in 119 countries.Referred to as the "Big Dog" of internet marketing.www.ShawnCasey.com

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Would You Feel Good About Making Money While You Help Change Someone's Life at the Same Time?

Millions and millions of American struggle with debt.It is believed that the average American household has eight credit cards that are all maxed out.You can't help pay down everybody's credit card.You might have your own you have to deal with.You can't deny that there is huge credit repair business opportunity hiding behind the dark clouds.There is a lot of reporting going on.Millions of people charging on credit cards, defaulting on credit cards, applying for new credit cards and companies inquiring into their history.You can help keep the credit bureaus honest and start a credit repair business.

A credit repair business opportunity is one that you can realize in the comfort of your own home.You can give advice to people on how to get out of debt using the same techniques that you used to keep yourself out of the hole or pull yourself up by your bootstraps.Your credit repair business would also dispute erroneous information reported by the credit bureaus.Your customers will love you for bumping their FICO scores up a tiny bit just by getting bad information removed.Happy customers give referrals to friends and family.And before you know it, your credit repair business could skyrocket.

Running your credit repair business out of your home eliminates overhead.You get to keep more of your money.Your overhead will only consist of finding credit repair software to automate your business and occasionally outsourcing tasks during your busiest times.Organization is a big factor in order to be success in a credit repair business.The credit repair software you choose will keep customer accounts organized and vital information safe.You don't have to scratch your head to figure out what to write to dispute errors on your customer's credit report.Good credit repair software will allow you to store previously used letters as templates, edit those letters as you please, or use tons of available templates already packaged with the software.

The credit repair software is your back office solution that will keep your credit repair business organized, make it easy to manage information and track every transaction that you performed.A web-based credit repair software is probably the best bet.You never know when referrals from happy customers will turn into a work overload.Web-based software gives you the capabilities to get help on your workload from anywhere in the world.You can live in Hawaii and get help from a virtual assistant or a freelance customer service specialist in London or India to help you with your work load.It's tons cheaper than hiring a full-time staff and a lot better for business than performing poorly for all these once happily referred clients.A web-based credit repair software allows you to give temporary or permanent access to your files to your virtual assistant or the company you outsource your workload to.

If you've made a good choice in credit repair software.You don't have to worry about hackers and breaches in security.The credit repair software should come equipped with firewall protection, intrusion detection, hacker monitoring and SSL encryption.Once you have finished using the services of your virtual assistant, if you've chosen the right credit repair software, you can remove their access to your system, protecting your business and your customer's information.Cashing in on the credit repair business opportunity is only a great credit software decision away from changing your life.

About the Author

Mike Citron is a nationally recognized credit and finance expert.

Mike consults with companies of all sizes on proper Credit Repair Business

structure and ethics.
As director of sales and marketing for the industries premier Professional Credit Repair Software

Mike gets a first hand look at 1000's of credit repair businesses around the globe.

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