What are the requirements to be fulfilled for settling maturity claims of LIC?

The insurance company always attempts to settle maturity claims on or before the due date as long as their requirements are met within the stipulated time. The requirements that you as the policyholder must take care of are:

• The policy document must be submitted unless it is in the insurer's custody as security for a loan.
• Age proof such as the municipal birth certificate or the school leaving certificate need to be submitted in case the age was not admitted when the policy was issued and the sum assured, or the paid-up value is above Rs.15000/-. Where the sum assured or the paid-up value is Rs.15000/- or less, age proof is normally waived.
• If any assignment or reassignment was executed by a separate deed, such deed or deeds must also be submitted.
• Finally, the Form of Discharge should be returned duly signed by the policyholder over a Re. 1/- revenue stamp and duly witnessed.
  
  
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What is the procedure for applying for a housing loan against my LIC policy?

You must submit an application in the prescribed form available for Rs.5/- only along with

• A non-refundable processing fee of Rs.100/- if the loan amount applied for is Rs.1 lakh. Any sum higher than Rs.1 lakh requires a processing fee of Rs.250/-
• A true copy of the building plan sanctioned by the local authority and certified by a qualified architect or civil engineer.
• If employed, your employers' certificate in the prescribed proforma, both for yourself and your guarantors. In case you and your guarantors are self-employed then certified copies of your income tax returns or assessment orders with statements of income over the last three years are necessary.
• An attested copy of the title deed or agreement for sale along with a detailed title investigation report mentioning the root or abstract of title in chain for a minimum period of 15 years given by the solicitor or advocate of the builder or the society.
• An allotment letter, where the housing cooperative society is already registered indicating the details of the flat or house and its estimated cost.
• Detailed item-wise estimate about the cost of construction from a qualified architect in case of a house. In respect of loans for flats, receipt of the sub-registrar about lodging of the agreement, copies of the receipts made to the builder or society.
  
  
  
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What is Assignment of an LIC policy?

If your intention is that your policy monies should go to a particular person only then you need to assign the policy in that person's favour. Thereafter the insurer will pay the policy monies ONLY to the assignee who becomes its owner, irrespective of whether he or she is your legal heir.

Thanks to assignments, the proceeds of a policy can be protected against the claims of any of the policyholder's creditors. Assignment is a legal instrument and the insurer cannot be held responsible for its legal liability. The insurer will nevertheless register the assignment in its books.

Can motor policies be issued for a longer term than a year?

No policy can be issued for a period of more than one year ordinarily. However, for motor cycles and scooters only, the Act Policy in Form A, which is the minimum compulsory insurance required by law, may be issued on a long term basis. Such policies once issued remain valid up to the cancellation of the registration of the vehicle by the Regional Transport Authority (R T A).

This insurance is particularly useful for owners of comparatively older vehicles, for whom the Comprehensive Cover becomes a little too expensive considering the age and market value of the vehicle. The premium for such insurance is charged in accordance with the Long Term Act Policy Premium Schedule.

Can motor vehicles be insured against fire and theft risks only?

Yes.

Private Cars, motor cycles, scooters and commercial vehicles can be insured against Fire & Theft Risks only, provided they are laid up in the garage and not in active use. The insurance company under such cover shall only be liable to indemnify the insured against loss or damage by:

• Fire
• Explosion
• Self-Ignition or Lightning
• Burglary
• Housebreaking or Theft and Riot
• Strike
• Malicious and Terrorism Damage

In case of vehicles that are in use, Fire & Theft Risks only can be covered with the Act Liability Risks.

Does a third party claim affect the bonus/ malus rate under the comprehensive motor insurance policy?

The Bonus/Malus concept is applicable only to the Own Damage Section of the Comprehensive Policy.

The discount or loading is accordingly allowed or charged on the Own Damage portion of the premium. The Act Liability or Third Party premium is absolute. There is no scope for adjustment. As such, an accident giving rise to a Third Party claim, whatever the amount, does not affect the application of Bonus/Malus at the time of renewal of the policy.

Are accessories and extra fittings of the vehicle covered under the comprehensive motor insurance policy?

Accessories are generally those parts which are directly supplied by the manufacturer along with the vehicle. But they are not essential for the running of the vehicle. The engine of a vehicle is essential for its running and obviously not an accessory. A spare tyre, is however an accessory. Loss or damage to accessories are covered only if they are on the vehicle.

In case the accessories are detached from the vehicle and kept in a garage and are destroyed by fire, they are not covered. Radios, tape recorders, air conditioners and other electrical or electronic items are fitted by vehicle-owners. These cannot be considered as accessories. These items qualify as extra fittings and the owner has to specifically describe and mention separate values towards them at the time of insurance.

Only on payment of the requisite additional premium, can they be covered. However, if such items are built-in and supplied by the manufacturer, will be treated as accessories and need not be separately insured.

What happens if at any point of time there are in existence two policies for insurance of a vehicle?

This situation is one of Double Insurance. In such cases, one of the policies is cancelled, provided there are no claims reported in either of the policies.

Refund is granted on a pro rata basis for the period both the policies are in force concurrently. If one policy is applicable during the period 1.1.2000 to 31.12.2000, while the other is from 1.3.2000 to 28.2.2001. In case the first policy is cancelled on 1.4.2000, refund is made on pro rata basis for the period 2.4.2000 to 31.12.2000. In case the second policy is cancelled on 1.4.2000, then the refund is made for the period 2.4.2000 to 28.2.2001.

However if there is a claim on 1.4.2000, clearly both the policies will cover it. In such cases, the Contribution Condition of the policy is invoked, which states that each of the policies will bear its rateable proportion of the claim.

What if a fund sells a scheme to another fund?

If the fund plans to sell a scheme to another fund the asset management company has to take the permission of 75 percent of unit holders or allow them to redeem without any exit load. This does not mean that the investor has nothing to worry about.

You need to find out whether the scheme is going to be managed by a different mutual fund and whether it suits your objective. Also find out the past performance of similar schemes. Note that such a change may have a bearing on the future financial performance of that fund. In case you are not comfortable with the various changes associated with the fund ship out.

What if a fund decides to end its operations?

In such a case the trustees have to send a notice to the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) explaining the reason for winding up. The notice also has to be published in two national dailies and a vernacular newspaper belonging to the region where the fund is formed.

What is a growth stock?

A popular investment style whereby fund managers identify companies showing promise of above-average earnings through capital appreciation. Stocks are held primarily for price appreciation as opposed to dividend income. Thus the fund managers of the growth stocks are willing to pay a premium to acquire a stock if they feel it has the further growth prospects. Growth investing is an alternative to value investing.

What is passive investing?

This is the investment style espoused by index fund managers who simply invest by benchmarking their portfolio to a common stock market index like the BSE-30 or the SP CNX-50. The fund manager only invests in stocks in the index stocks in exactly the same weightage. The attempt is to simply replicate the benchmark index, as closely as possible and therefore it is called passive investing.

What are Gilt schemes?

Gilt schemes invest in government bonds, money market securities or some combination of these. They have medium to long-term maturities, typically of over one year and have moderate returns. Since the issuer is the central or state Governments, these funds have reduced risk of default and hence offer better protection of principal.