According to data collated by the Halifax home insurance division people in the UK have a bicycle stolen at a rate of just over one every minute.
The actual rate is one every sixty-five seconds, worsening from one every seventy-one seconds last year. The data also shows that London is the most dangerous place to own a bicycle, perhaps unsurprising as the bike is a popular form of transport in major cities like this. A Halifax spokesman suggested a simple way to cut the rate of bike theft would be to use a simple U shaped lock when the bike is left unattended.
The Halifax insurance spokesman also suggested looking at garden security, since many bicycles are kept in garden sheds or just in the back garden itself. Simple security is not expensive and could mean a home insurance claim is not needed.
The Abbey National is warning homeowners who use oil for heating to make sure it is insured as thefts of the valuable resource are on the increase.
A spokesman for the Abbey National confirmed that police forces from around the country are seeing a rise in oil thefts, with domestic dwellings being specifically targeted. Homeowners are being asked to check their home insurance policy documents as around 10 percent of policies do not cover heating oil.
This issue has grown in importance as the cost of oil has risen so much. Abbey National figures show that the price of oil has pretty much doubled since January, making it an interesting potential opportunity for potential thieves.
Halifax home insurance customers will be happy today as they find out that they will receive GBP50 as a thank you for their loyalty to the company.
Each year that customers stay with the Halifax and have a claim free year they will receive GBP50, the award to be ongoing. The decision was made to introduce the payment after feedback from customers showed that they would like to their loyalty recognised. In addition to the payment customers will also be pleased to see that they can save up to GBP125 just by switching their buildings and contents insurance to the Halifax.
The head of marketing felt that this loyalty payment was perceived much more positively than the usual incentives and promotions offered by some other insurers.