They are willing to risk the chance that you have forgotten about, or even lied about, your health or driving history. The agent and insurer will “take your word for it” for the time being. Your auto insurance agent may have issued you ID cards right off of his or her printer and instructed you to put them in the glove box until the permanent cards arrive in the mail with your policy ( instant proof of insurance). Temporary auto liability ID cards are a great example of a binder. Not surprisingly, this is referred to as binding authority. It can be a prepared document that demonstrates the basics of coverage, or even a verbal, “You’re covered” from an insurance agent with the authority to do so (this is very rare). Secured with SHA-256 Encryption What else should you know about an insurance binder?Īn insurance binder is a temporary oral or written contract that provides proof of insurance at any given time.

That lapse in time between purchasing the policy and when it’s actually delivered is where the insurance binder comes into play. This is the time frame in which they “underwrite” the policy. The exact timelines for cancellation and even the underwriting process vary based on state law.įor this reason, insurance policies are typically delivered to us as many as 1-4 weeks after they became effective. They can’t just cancel your policy at will with no notice. The insurers must give you a specified period of time to find new coverage if they decide not to continue your policy. Unless something changes, up to the point of the change, the proof of insurance is the same for their purposes. Mortgage lenders treat homeowners insurance binders the same as a fully executed policy. As long as you didn’t misrepresent yourself during the application process, you’re likely okay. So if your claim during this period was bigger or fell into written exclusions, coverage would be executed accordingly.

This temporary proof of coverage is still based on payment. Most states allow a 60-day window for an insurer to underwrite a policy and verify they are interested in maintaining coverage. If something happens before they make a final decision, though, it would be covered as outlined in the insurance binder. This could result in an increase in your insurance premium or even in your insurance company cancelling the policy in extreme cases. You may have a guarantee of coverage “for the time being.” You see, insurance companies can issue a policy, and then go back and check the “facts” we provided. What goes into the process of writing an insurance policy?

What else should you know about an insurance binder?.

What goes into the process of writing an insurance policy?.

Car insurance binder example