Does it matter whose name is listed on my insurance policy? Yes! - Hometown Insurance Agency (2024)

By Hometown Insurance | in Business Insurance FAQ's | on April 27, 2018

Does it matter whose name is listed on my insurance policy? Yes! - Hometown Insurance Agency (1)By James Small

Your insurance contract is very specific in its definition of a Named Insured!

As agents, our role is to review your coverage, review the covered risk and assess the people or entities covered by the policy. Every day we get questions from our insureds regarding whose name should be or could be listed on the policy. The rule of thumb is that any person or entity with a financial interest in a business or a property should be listed as a named insured. The named insured is the person or entity covered by that policy.

Why is this important you ask? If there is a claim, the check will come in the name of those listed as named insured/s. If you or your business is not a named insured, you will not receive the money and could potentially lose out on any coverage a policy provides such as legal assistance or protection against potential lawsuits.

Business entities that close out one business name should not remove that defunct business name or the protection of insurance may not be available because a claim can be filed at any time. The opposite is true for homeowners policies: if someone passes away, it is often best to remove them from the deed and then from the policy so that the insurance covers the right person.

Your finance company, lienholder or mortgagee should be listed on your policy but will not be a named insured, they will be listed as additional insured or loss payee as they do hold an interest in your home or business. These entities are then notified when your insurance cancels, renews or changes in any way and they can be listed as an additional party on claim checks. This way they can ensure the claim monies are being used to rebuild a home or for appropriate business use.

Hometown Insurance is here to help you with your insurance education and needs. Call us if you would like to review any of your insurance policies: home, auto, business, life & health! We are appointed with many of the major insurance companies and do the shopping for you!

Call your Hometown licensed agent today at 1-800-568-SAVE (7283) or email service@hometowninsurance.com !

What Do You Think?

Comments (1)

  1. Lisa says:

    My name is on the deed of the home I live in , but the insurance policy is under my sister’s name , she is also on the deed, but does not live in the home, how does effect the policy?

Does it matter whose name is listed on my insurance policy? Yes! - Hometown Insurance Agency (2024)

FAQs

Does it matter whose name is on an insurance policy? ›

If there is a claim, the check will come in the name of those listed as named insured/s. If you or your business is not a named insured, you will not receive the money and could potentially lose out on any coverage a policy provides such as legal assistance or protection against potential lawsuits.

Whose name should be on a homeowners insurance policy? ›

Homeowners insurance is there to protect the property and your wallet from facing serious damage after a covered incident. However, for this policy to even be effective, the policy must have the name of the current owners, whether it is yours or your children's. There is such a thing as an 'additional insured.

Does it matter who is listed first on auto insurance? ›

In many instances, the insurance company will only run an insurance score based on credit on the name who is listed first on the policy. This insurance score will help determine what your overall rates will be.

Who is the person who is covered by named in an insurance policy? ›

A named insured, however, is unique in that they are specifically mentioned in the policy. Usually, the named insured is the only person or entity covered by every section of the policy. Sometimes the named insured is the policyholder, or the person who purchased the policy.

Does it matter who is the policy holder? ›

Policyholders affect how much the car insurance costs and, in most cases, the policyholder is the only person who can make changes to the policy. The policyholder is also the person that is responsible for making sure premium payments are up-to-date.

Does the insurance policyholder have to be the owner? ›

Generally, whoever is the titled owner of a car needs to be the one to insure it. Car insurance companies want to make sure the primary policyholder has what's called insurable interest in the car they're insuring.

Does it matter who is listed as the primary driver? ›

It matters who the primary driver is on insurance because the primary driver is the person who drives the car the most. Insurance companies use their driving record, age, location, and other factors to calculate premiums and coverage. So the primary driver can affect insurance rates.

Does it matter whose name the car is in for insurance? ›

In most states, the names on a vehicle's registration and your proof of insurance don't have to be the same from a legal perspective. However, an insurer can decide not to insure a person whose name is not on the vehicle's registration.

Who should be listed as a named insured? ›

The Named Insured is the person (or people) or business (or businesses) actually named in the policy. There can be more than one named insured, and you can usually find these on the first page. In most cases, the business will be the only named insured, but the owners or subsidiaries can also be Named Insureds.

What is chosen by the person whose name is on the insurance policy? ›

Think of the named insured as the owner of an insurance policy: they pay for it, they choose which coverages they want in it, and they're allowed to change or cancel it. However, most insurance policies also extend coverage to certain people whose names don't appear on the policy.

What happens to an insurance policy when the owner dies? ›

Depending on the insurance company, they may agree to leave the policy in the deceased homeowner's name until probate is complete, or else require the estate executor to take out a new home insurance policy on the house in their own name.

Who is the person in whose name the insurance policy is written? ›

Policyholder. The person or entity specifically identified as the named insured in an insurance policy. This person is also referred to as the named insured.

Does it matter who is the named insured? ›

In most cases, the business will be the only named insured, but the owners or subsidiaries can also be Named Insureds. In terms of cover, Named Insureds have the broadest protection and indemnity under the policy.

Can the insurance be in a different name than the car? ›

Does your car insurance and registration have to be under the same name? Insuring and registering your car under different names is allowed in most states. But in those states that allow it, insurers still might not underwrite a policy to a name different than that of the registered vehicle owner.

What happens if a driver is not listed on an insurance policy? ›

Excluded coverage: If a driver in your household has been explicitly excluded from coverage, they will not be protected by the insurance policy in case of an accident. This means that if the excluded driver is involved in a wreck, the insurance company is not obligated to cover any damages.

Does it matter who the primary driver is? ›

An insurer must know your policy's primary driver because this will impact your premium. In fact, the primary driver and their circ*mstances will significantly impact how much you pay for car insurance, even if you have multiple secondary drivers added to your policy.

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