How long does a homeowners insurance refund take to process?

Can I wait to report damage to insurance company till car payed off?

• My car was parked on a busy street in icy conditions and when I returned to it, it had clearly been hit but no one left a note, etc. It will probably be very expensive to fix...although it is only cosmetic damage and it isn't horrible. In fact, from a distance, you don't notice it much. Anyway....my husband passed away recently and my finances have been limited. I have full coverage on the car (It is a 2004 ford escape)....because I am still making payments on it. We have a $1000 deductible, which I cannot afford right now. Besides, my brother-in-law tells me he can spruce up the damage and make it look better..and of course won't charge me much for that. So....here was my plan. Please tell me if I'm doing anything illegal here or just tell me if my plan will work: So...I'm expecting a large enough tax refund that I can pay the car off in March if I choose to do so. Once that is all complete...and before I drop my full coverage to just liability, I was going to report the damage....and go through the process of getting estimate, etc...and then not have the car fixed and just take a check. With that check, I was going to pay off some other bills I'm very behind on (mainly hospital bills). That plan will help me get my finances in order and get out from under debt. But I'm not sure if I'm thinking clearly on this! Someone please tell me if this plan is an option. Thank you!

• Answer:

  you MUST report it to the police and the insurance company within a stated period of time. Since you don't know hhow it happend, it might be covered by YOUR "uninsured/under insured" insurance.