Published in Mint on 25th September 2017. Written by Abhishek Bondia
How is the surrender value of a policy calculated? I have an endowment plan that I bought about 15 years back. I had paid premiums for 3 years and then stopped. The premium amount was about Rs8,000 per annum. Can I surrender now and recover some of that money? What would be the process to do so?
—Sanket Kathuria
The surrender value of an endowment policy is calculated uniquely for each plan. Such plans have a pre-defined surrender value table, linked to the number of years of premium paid. Charges in an endowment plan are generally high in the early years and surrender value low. You can surrender the plan now but be prepared for a low surrender value.
My mother died a year back. Recently, I came across a life insurance policy that my father (deceased) had bought in my mother’s name. But I could find only one document. Can I approach the insurer for more details? What information would I need to be able to find out who the nominee was and the benefits due?
—Gayathri Rangarajan
If you have the policy number, you can use that along with the know-your-customer (KYC) details of your mother to seek the policy details from the insurance company. Most insurers will be able to provide this information via their customer service helpline. Else, you could visit the issuing branch to get these details.
For death claims, the original policy document is required along with the death certificate, and proof of the nominee’s relationship with the insured. If the original policy bond is not available, you will have to file for duplicate policy issuance. The process would include filing an FIR if the document is suspected to be stolen. Some insurers will also accept an indemnity bond or declaration from you to issue a duplicate policy.
Is it useful to have a premium waiver facility in a life insurance policy? I am 50 years old and would like life cover for only another 10 years. Does it make sense to pay extra to get this facility?
—Chirag Sethi
The waiver of premium feature is useful if you intend the life policy to mature at a certain date and have a specific use of the matured amount. So, child plans use this feature often, because the corpus continues to build up even if the parent dies. Sometimes, a waiver of premium can also become effective if you are diagnosed with a critical illness. I generally find waiver of premium a good rider or product feature to have.
How can I balance the need to take a higher sum assured when my income increases and manage premiums in a reasonable range at an early age, as I want to minimize expenses?
—Susheel Khatri
There are life insurance plans available that offer higher sum assured with age. The increase may be pre-defined, say, 5-10% annually. However, generally such plans don’t tend to be the cheapest term insurance. An alternate way could be to buy separate plans at every 5-year interval. This could help adjust for rising income levels and allow you to buy the most cost-effective cover then. The downside with this approach is that if a medical condition were to arise, the insurer may not offer new plans or may offer rates that are higher than the standard rates.
Do the recent initial public offerings (IPOs) of insurance companies have any bearing on my policy? As a policyholder, will I get any benefit?
—Usha Kulkarni
The IPOs don’t have any negative bearing on policyholders. Funds invested with life insurers are not connected with the IPO of the insurer. As a policyholder of a listed company, there are also no special benefits. The principal advantage is that the governance of the insurer will become more transparent, which is a good outcome.
Why are term insurance premiums charged by life insurers so widely different? Are there some unique benefits or clauses I should look for?
—Vishal Kaushik
Premium rates offered by insurers are dependent on their reinsurer arrangements, profitability expectations, operating and selling costs, and assessment of risk. The insurer’s business strategy also makes a difference because some insurers proactively recommend term insurance as a lead product whereas others don’t.
Term insurance exclusions are standard across all insurers. The only exclusion allowed by the regulator in term insurance is suicide for the first year. You don’t have to worry about exclusions under life insurance. Some insurers have started to give in-built additional covers. For example, one insurer offers early sum assured payment in case the insured is diagnosed with a terminal illness. These add-ons make a difference to the premium amount.