Definition of "Twisting"
Most generally, twisting in insurance is regarded as an unfair trade policy or practice. Twisting means a life insurance policy holder’s misrepresentation on behalf of an insurance broker or agent. Through manipulative persuasion, the latter intends to convince their client to cancel and buy a new insurance policy at their company. On the other hand, churning in finance implies that the switch to a new policy occurs at the same company. Yet, it still doesn’t serve the client’s interests.
The definition of twisting in layman’s terms
Think of twisting as a “bait and switch” tactic. As the word indicates, we deal with a distorted aspect of reality or a dishonest strategy to achieve one’s objectives. An agent strives to sway you to move your insurance over to them by nullifying your existing policy and transferring the new one to their agency. However, they will resort to misinformation, fraud, and lies. In fact, the recent insurance coverage barely differs from the former.
These crooked agents’ attitude is questionable and highly unethical. To combat misinformation, institutions adapted the following preventive measures. Once a customer intends to change their life insurance, it’s standard procedure to fill out a form stating and acknowledging the pros and cons of why they chose that particular new policy.
Measures against twisting
First and foremost, twisting is illegal. For this reason, most US states adapted laws outlining full disclosure of applicable comparative information on existing insurance policies. These laws may notify the insurance company that issued the existing policy to allow it to respond to the agent’s proposal. The Insurance Fraud Prevention Act offers protection for clients against financial wrongdoings. In addition, they require agents to provide transparency when trying to persuade their customers to switch policies.
Conclusion
The insurance industry can have certain pitfalls in store, just like the miscellaneous labyrinth of real estate finance. Don’t fall victim to twisting! Before leaving your present insurance company in favor of a brand new policy at another firm, learn about its advantages, benefits, and disadvantages!
Popular Insurance Terms
Financial guarantee policy that insures against loss of principal invested in a mutual fund. ...
Coverage for exposures that exhibit a possibility of financial loss. ...
Coverage for a loss incurred by the insured resulting from an infringement of the insured's patent or coverage for a claim made against the insured resulting from infringement by the ...
Investment strategy that advocates the transfer of amounts from one category of investment to another category according to a perception of how each of these categories of investments will ...
Appreciation in the unsold assets' value. When assets are sold, their capital gain (loss) is shown on the insurance company's income statement; any unrealized gain or loss is not included ...
Record of debit or industrial insurance policies. ...
Income paid under a disability policy that is not covered under workers compensation benefits. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the insured's income prior to the disability, but ...
1957 federal law setting a limit on the liability of operators of nuclear facilities. The law, an amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, authorized establishment of private insurance ...
Federal statute relating to drug abuse policies that requires all employers with federal contracts at least equal to $25,000 to certify, as a condition of receiving a federal contract, that ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.