You can protect yourself from
companies in bad financial shape by asking questions when you are shopping for insurance.
Call the Mississippi Insurance Department to make sure that the company is licensed to do
business in your state. If not, don’t buy insurance from that company. If you
purchase insurance coverage from companies not legally doing business in Mississippi, you
will not be protected by the Guaranty Fund should the company fail. Check the ratings
issued by the different rating companies that conduct financial analyses of insurance
companies and grade them. (The Mississippi Insurance Department is unable to recommend or
provide ratings of individual companies.) Ratings issued by the various agencies are
available at most public libraries, or you may call the numbers listed on the Insurance Company Rating Services Page.
