Insurance Tips for Newlyweds

INSURANCE MATTERSINSURANCE MATTERS

February 2026 March 2023A Newsletter for Delawareans

What you need to consider when combining your insurance coverages.

If you or your significant other picked Valentine's Day to pop the question, there's plenty of work ahead to plan your life together. Among the wedding plans and post-wedding plans, don't forget to talk about the insurance implications of combining your households. From your car insurance to your health insurance, getting married can affect all of your coverages. To help understand these changes, the Delaware Department of Insurance ("DOI") offers these tips to help soon-to-be-wed couples. For some couples, one of the first decisions to make is where to live - whether to stay in one of your current residences or find a new home together. Either way, you're going to have to decide if you'll stay with one of your current insurance companies, or find a new one. There are several things to consider:

• Compare the premiums. Remember, location, size and construction
  type are considered when calculating your insurance premium. Essentially, if one home is larger or in a different area, the insurance may be significantly different.

• Premium rates on a home that's been insured for a long period
  may have more discounts (e.g. claim-free or multi-line). Check your current policies for these types of discounts.

• Whether or not you're moving, get quotes from both of your
  insurance companies and from other insurance companies, but make sure the quotes are for the same coverages so you're making a fair comparison.

• If you or your partner has valuable artwork, collectibles, or jewelry -
  you may need a personal property rider on your policy to provide adequate protection against theft, accident or natural disaster.To find out more about combining In This Issueinsurance coverages continue to

• What you Need to Consider when Combining your page 2 insurance Coverages

• What to Know About an Insurance Endorsement or

Rider

• Ask the Commissioner

Trinidad Navarro Insurance Commissioner Delaware Department of Insurance 1351 West North Street, Suite 101 Dover, DE 19904What You Need to Consider When

Combining Your Insurance Coverages

Canceling a Policy

If you decide to cancel one or Auto Insurance Life Insuranceboth of your current homeowners or renter's policies, cancel your coverage effective the first With auto insurance, married couples have A life change - like marriage - can be a

the option of combining their insurance good time to consider life insurance. It's never day you're no longer physically policies. However, if you decide to combine easy to talk about these things during such a living in the home. That way if your coverage, be aware that all licensed happy time, but life insurance helps secure you're moving out in stages, drivers in your household are then generally your family's financial future. It also helps

your insurance continues for used to rate all of the vehicles covered. ensure that your estate will be allocated to the

Newlyweds may find they are eligible for beneficiaries you have chosen.any possessions you leave there. new discounts. Some insurance companies If you're selling a home with a consider married couples a lower risk and If you already have life insurance, you'll mortgage, your lien holder may may lower your rates. In addition, if you probably need to update your beneficiary

require you to maintain insurance combine your auto policies or add auto information to include your spouse. Contact

coverage with the same company as your your insurance agent or company for the coverage until the home is sold. homeowners or renter's policies, you may necessary forms. If you have questions about Check with your mortgage be eligible for additional volume or multi-line choosing a beneficiary, consult with an estate company for its requirements.discounts. attorney. Or, if this isn't your first marriage, you may need to consult an attorney to see In Delaware, insurance companies can if there are any legal restrictions to changing Most insurance companies use credit information to determine your beneficiary information.will require you to submit a auto insurance rates, but with significant Blended Families and cancellation request in writing. restrictions under Delaware law (18 Del. C. Ch. 83). Insurers cannot use credit scores Check your policy or talk with your Health Insuranceto solely determine rates or renewals, and agent to see how much notice you they must not use prohibited factors like are required to give the company income, gender, or race. However, not If your newly combined household includes and where to send the request.all auto insurers use credit scoring in their children and you need to provide insurance underwriting. Talk to your agent to find out if coverage for them, review your options. If you your carrier does or does not consider credit have group health insurance through your Leaving a home vacant while scoring. You may wish to shop around. employer, you can add new dependents you're moving can change your Health Insurance to the policy outside of the annual open insurance risk. Vacant homes enrollment period. Contact your employer's can be targets for vandalism or benefit administrator for the specific When deciding what to do about your requirements and enrollment forms.break-ins and there's a higher health insurance, start by evaluating your risk for unforeseen damage (e.g. current and future health care needs. If you have an individual health insurance burst water pipes, fire). Insurers Review the provisions of the policies you plan, proof of insurability may be required are choosing between with those needs in can impose coverage limitations to add the child(ren) to your policy. Make mind. Remember to check for any policy sure to review any limitations of coverage once a home is vacant for a exclusions or other limitations on pre-existing for pre-existing conditions before enrolling certain number of days. Check medical conditions. your child(ren). You will need Social Security with your agent if you will be numbers to add dependents to your individual If you have group health insurance, you leaving a house vacant for an or group health insurance coverage. And are allowed to add your spouse to the plan be aware that the insurance company may extended time, because you outside annual open enrollment because require you to provide documentation proving might be able to purchase a marriage is considered a qualifying major life the relationship between you and the child supplemental endorsement that event. Contact your benefits administrator before providing coverage.to find out what you need to do. However, provides coverage while the home be aware - some insurance companies is vacant.require formal notification of marriage within a certain number of days.

What to KnoW about an Insurance endorsement or rider

How an insurance endorsement/rider works. An

insurance endorsement/rider is an amendment to an existing insurance contract that changes the terms of the original policy. An endorsement/rider can be issued at the time of purchase, mid-term or at renewal time. Insurance premiums may be affected and adjusted as a result. You can have an endorsement/rider on your homeowners and renters policy, life insurance and auto insurance policies. It can include adding or deleting people and locations to your current insurance policy. Endorsements/riders are important because they address issues or items not in the original contract or policy.

• Additional Coverage - An endorsement that adds
  or includes coverage that would otherwise be excluded.What is an Insurance Endorsement • Exclusions - Some endorsements exclude coverage for certain types of claims.or Rider?

• Modification of Coverage - An endorsement can
  expand the scope of existing coverage. You've just purchased a beautiful, expensive piece of jewelry that you want to protect if lost, damaged THREE THINGS TO REMEMBERor stolen; so you ask your insurance agent to add a provision to your home insurance policy. As a small • An endorsement/rider alters the policy and business owner, you add a provision to your insurance becomes part of your legal insurance agreement, policy that would exclude or eliminate coverage for and it remains in force until the contract expires. The a particular type of risk to your company. exception would be if the endorsement/rider has a specific or limited term to which the endorsement Both of these examples require making a change to is valid. It may renew under the same terms and your current, existing insurance policy; you can do conditions of the rest of your policy. that with an endorsement. An endorsement, also • Always keep a copy of the new document after making the policy change that shows or specifies the known as a rider, adds, deletes, excludes or changes new endorsement.insurance coverage. An endorsement/rider can also

• When an endorsement reduces or increases be used to increase standard limits of coverage and
  coverage, that can have an impact on your take precedence over the original agreement or premium.policy.The DOI Corner

We would like to congratulate and welcome the following employees to our DOI Team!

DOI Welcomes DOI Welcomes

Tori Lantz Amanda Vawter Insurance Financial Analyst II Market Conduct Examiner

DOI PromotionsJennifer Clapper

Life and Health Insurance Forms and Information Analyst

Jennifer MurrayKennadie CookMarket Conduct ExaminerC/S Management Analyst IIIASK THE COMMISSIONERASK THE COMMISSIONER

If My Car Breaks Down, Will Insurance Cover My Rental Car?

The answer depends on why your car is in the shop and what coverage you selected when you purchased your policy. In most cases, standard auto insurance does not cover a rental car if your vehicle simply breaks down due to mechanical failure or normal wear and tear. Insurance is designed to cover sudden and accidental losses, not routine maintenance issues or mechanical problems. However, if your vehicle is being repaired because of a covered claim, such as an accident or damage from a storm, theft, or vandalism, and you purchased optional rental reimbursement coverage, your insurance policy may help pay for a rental car. Rental reimbursement is Trinidad Navarro an add-on coverage that pays up to a daily and total Delaware Insurance Commissioner dollar limit while your vehicle is being repaired due to a covered loss. Delaware law does not require rental reimbursement coverage, which means it is important to review your policy carefully and speak with your agent about what protections you have in place. For a relatively low cost, rental reimbursement can provide valuable peace of mind.

Main Office The consumer comes first.1351 W North St Suite 101 Our office is here to help if you have

questions about or problems with Dover, DE 19904 your insurance coverage or insurance company.Georgetown Office Questions about insurance or complaints 28 The Circle, Suite 1about an insurance company or insurance Georgetown, DE 19947agent can be made to the Consumer Our MissionServices Division by phone, by fax, by letter, by email or with an online complaint Wilmington Office Protecting Delawareans form.Rockwood Office Park through regulation and

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