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
Report developed by or supplied by a credit agency to an insurer dealing with the financial standing and character of an insurance applicant. These factors are carefully weighted by the ...
Procedure in which a home office interviewer (who may or may not have underwriting experience) interviews applicants on the telephone. The questions asked the applicant are automated and ...
Type of disability income insurance that provides income payments to the wage earner when income is interrupted or terminated because of illness, sickness, or accident and can continue to ...
Policies that have their future cash values closely correlated with a high lapse ratio of the insurance company's book of business. In theory, gains resulting from these lapses will result ...
Clause in legal contracts that excuses a given party to the contract from liability for unintentional negligent acts and/or omissions. ...
Form of inland marine insurance under which an insured is indemnified for damage or destruction of his or her on-premises property if it is due to radioactive material stored or used within ...
Eligible rollover distribution that is paid directly from an employee's employee benefit insurance plan to the employee's individual retirement account (IRA) or to another plan maintained ...
Frequency with which employees resign, are fired, or retire from a company, usually computed as the percentage, of an organization's employees at the beginning of a calendar year. The ...
Arrangement in which individuals serve as trustees of their own living trust and name another party (successor trustee) to manage the assets if they should become incapacitated. In this ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.