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Auto Insurance Terms

If you've ever shopped for insurance, you know that insurance agents seem to speak a language of their own. We want to help. We've prepared this list of insurance terms and definitions to help and we've broken them out by auto insurance terms and homeowners insurance terms.

When property is damaged in an accident, you or another party may be held responsible for paying to repair the damage. This could be damage to a fence, vehicle or home. Insurance can cover the costs associated with replacing or repairing damaged property.

If you, your passengers or others are injured in a covered accident, medical costs will be charged to the responsible party. There are additional insurance coverages that can cover medical costs for you, your passengers and other parties in a covered accident.

After an incident, your potential for a lawsuit increases because you may be sued by other involved parties. Your insurance protects your assets if anyone tries to sue you after an accident.

If you are found to be at fault for an accident that causes injury or fatality to another person, Bodily Injury Liability Coverage will pay the costs of medical care, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other expenses. These costs can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Without this coverage, you could have your home, bank accounts and other assets seized to pay the bills.

Just like it sounds, Collision Coverage pays for damage to your covered vehicle caused by a collision or rollover regardless of who is at fault in the accident.

Do you ever use your vehicle for business? When you use your car for work, your coverage requirements are different, and your personal auto policy may not cover you if using your car for work. Commercial vehicle insurance is designed to provide the coverage needed when your car is used for business.

Collisions aren't the only potential cause of damage to your vehicle. Comprehensive Coverage (also known as Other Than Collision Coverage) pays for damage caused by fire, theft, vandalism or weather.

This optional commercial vehicle coverage protects you if you are in a rental car for business or if you have an employee who uses his or her personal car while performing job duties for your business.

After any type of accident, you could be liable for the costs of other parties' bodily injury or property damage. Liability Coverage protects your personal assets.

This covers the cost of medical treatment or funeral expenses for you, your passengers, or others that result from an accident. Unlike bodily injury coverage, Medical Payments Coverage kicks in no matter who is at fault in the accident.

This pays for medical care, lost wages and more for anyone who is injured in a covered accident, regardless of who is at fault. This coverage is only available in certain states.

If your vehicle damages someone else's property in an accident, whether it is their vehicle, home, fence or other structure, Property Damage Liability Coverage helps pays for the repair or replacement of the other person's property up to your policy limits.

Not everyone has enough insurance coverage (or any coverage at all). If you are in an accident caused by someone with insufficient coverage, this will cover you and your passengers for medical expenses, lost wages and other losses related to the accident.

Homeowners, Renters and Condo Insurance Terms

If your home is damaged by a fire, flood or other cause, you may be forced to live somewhere else temporarily. Loss of Use Coverage will pay your excess living expenses associated with a covered claim until you can move back into your home.

If you live in a condominium, the Master Policy protects any buildings or facilities that don't belong to condominium owners.

Many insurance companies offer coverage specifically for certain scenarios. Named Perils cover events listed on the policy, such as an aircraft crash, electrical damage, fire, freezing, vandalism or even volcanic eruption.

The cost to repair or replace property can be affected by depreciation. Replacement Cost Coverage pays to repair or replace covered property to its original standard without deducting any depreciation.

If you have specific high-value items to cover, such as jewelry, art, wine, computers, high-end audio/video gear or power tools, you can get Scheduled Property Coverage to protect these items. The cost of this coverage will vary depending on the type and value of these items.