Research shows that more people have a satellite TV package than life insurance.

According to the insurer Aviva, more people have mobile phone insurance than critical illness cover, and more people have a satellite TV package than have life insurance. Now you’d expect a company that sells life insurance etc to say that we should buy it, but I think the research raises some interesting points. While I’m not of the ‘you should insure everything’ school of thought, I do think that life insurance can be useful as is insurance that pays part of your salary if you can’t work because you’re ill.

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Every year thousands of people are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Many people who have insurance may not realise they have terminal illness cover.

It’s estimated that almost half of all adults have life insurance and many have critical illness cover (which is designed to pay out a lump sum if you have a serious illness). But the vast majority of these policies have another benefit – terminal illness cover. It’s something you hope you’ll never have to claim on, but if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness it could pay out a lump sum.

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Barclays bank says that it will settle thousands of complaints from people who thought they were mis-sold payment protection insurance.

After months of the banks collectively digging in their heels about payment protection insurance claims (and going to the High Court, no less), Barclays bank says it will settle all claims from people who think they were mis-sold payment protection insurance and who made a claim before April 20th (the date that the banks lost their case over how they should compensate people). Meanwhile the city regulator, the FSA has given several of the big banks longer to deal with PPI complaints.

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