by Tom Addison


When buying a home through a secured loan, it is most advisable to carefully consider the different ways in which you can protect yourself and your family against adverse changes in your circumstances. There are numerous different types of mortgage insurance policy available, including policies which will pay off the mortgage loan in full in the event of death or serious illness, and policies which will protect family income and lifestyle against illness and unemployment.

As most people will realize, mortgage loans are secured against property, and therefore that property - which is usually a family's main residence - can be at risk of foreclosure or repossession if the borrower defaults on the loan agreement.

Often lenders will be reasonable if a person is temporarily unable to make repayments, granting a temporary "payment holiday", but a long term inability to pay can lead to the home being repossessed, leading to homelessness for the owner and their family.

Most borrowers will therefore wish to investigate the different types of insurance product which can be purchased. These policies are designed to protect against those changes in circumstances which might make it difficult to make the required repayments.

Life and critical illness policies are usually designed to fully repay the loan in the event of a valid claim. Life insurance is of course designed to pay out only on the death of the insured party - this may cover both lives if a home is jointly owned, say by a married couple. Critical illness policies are usually an additional option available when a life policy is purchased - they will pay out in full for most common serious illnesses, including for example cancers, heart, liver and kidney disease etc.

Other mortgage insurance policies (income protection/mortgage protection) are not designed to pay off the loan in full, but to provide a replacement income in the event of illness, accident and (in some cases) unemployment.




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