What is a Mortgage Protection Plan?
This plan is designed to provide you with a guaranteed benefit payable on death. The sum assured will decrease over the term of the plan and is normally used in connection with a Capital Repayment Mortgage, where the balance of your outstanding mortgage will decrease over the term. When a claim is made the benefit is paid as a lump sum, which is intended to repay the outstanding mortgage. However the plan does not have to be linked to a mortgage and, if required can be a way to provide a reducing level of cover. The guaranteed benefits of the plan will decrease at a predetermined rate and should be sufficient to always pay off any outstanding loan as long as mortgage rates do not exceed the predetermined rate (usually 6 -10%)
The plan can be set up on a single or joint life basis, usually with your spouse or partner.
Potential Optional Benefits
Terminal Illness Cover
This is often included at no extra cost and would pay out the benefits of the plan if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness during the term of the plan. Terminal Illness is defined as advanced or rapidly progressing incurable illness where, in the opinion of an attending consultant and the insurance companies chief Medical Officer, the life expectancy is no greater than 12 months. After a claim your plan will cease.
Critical Illness Cover
This benefit is usually taken as an optional benefit to a Mortgage Protection or Family Protection plan. Critical Illness Cover would provide a lump sum benefit on diagnosis of a Critical Illness covered by the policy. The amount of benefit paid would be the same amount as your basic death benefit. After any claim the plan would cease. Apart from the main Critical Illnesses, for example HEART ATTACK, CANCER, STROKE, cover can also be included that may be pertinent to your sporting activities for example TRAUMATIC HEAD INJURY or TOTAL PERMANENT DISABLEMENT.
Not to be confused with Terminal Illness Cover which is usually a free benefit on a Life Insurance policy that simply pays out the death benefit early if you are diagnosed not to survive longer than 12 months.
“More than 1 in 3 people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime.”
Source: Cancer Research UK website.