| Keep homes safe with wind inspections
Tami Torres is program administrator of the My Safe Florida Home program, which has mounted a new publicity initiative to let Florida homeowners know they're eligible to receive free wind inspections. The inspectors can let homeowners know whether they're eligible for discounts on their property insurance, and make recommendations for improvements to harden homes and make them eligible for additional discounts. In coastal areas of the state, homeowners even may be eligible for a $5,000 grant to help with the cost of hardening their homes. Torres spoke with Sentinel staff writer Anika Myers Palm.
Question: Even though you're trying to get more people through this publicity initiative now, has the drumbeat of calls seeking wind inspections from My Safe Florida Home remained steady?
Answer: On April 23, 2007 [when we relented], what we found was fewer people were applying.
Take charge of your health care
Jason and Jean Jeffords of Bedford, N.H. pay about $240 a month for their health insurance, which they get through the small company that Jason works for. It's a pretty comprehensive package of benefits. Hospital stays? Check. Trips to the E.R.? Check. There is just one (very big) twist: Their insurance won't pay for most of their medical care until they've met their $10,000 deductible for the year. Fortunately, Jason's employer will offset that cost by depositing $5,800 this year into his health savings account, or HSA, a special tax-free savings vehicle available to people with certain high-deductible insurance plans. (The company also promises to pick up the other $4,200, if needed.) The Jeffords, who say they spend about $2,000 a year on care so far, love the deal.
PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. Forms Homeownership Preservation Team
PMI Mortgage Insurance Co., a subsidiary of The PMI Group, Inc. (NYSE: PMI - News), today announced the formation of a homeownership preservation team led by John Jelavich, PMI's newly appointed Vice President of Homeownership Preservation Initiatives. .
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