Should you die with a balance still owing, the bank, which owns
the policy, will receive the balance of the payments in one lump
sum. In this case, the survivors of the mortgage holder now
own the house outright.
This is a group life insurance which you get by simply by
ticking a box. However, the downside of this is that you are
grouped together with people of varying ages and states of
health; in other words, a typical group insurance policy. If
you are older and not in great health, this may be the way to
go, though you should certainly confirm that you can’t get a
better rate. It is very very easy just to agree and tick a box
simply on the grounds that it takes no effort to do so. But
that little tick can cost you hundreds of dollars more than you
need to spend.
By far the majority of buyers should go to a broker who will
look after their interests, not the interests of the bank. You
need someone experienced to advise you on what you need and then
to shop for that particular type of life insurance for you. You
then have a list of companies and prices from which to make a
choice.
You now have the mortgage insurance for the amount owing on your
mortgage, and because you own it, not the bank, your survivors
can decide what to do with the capital if you die. They could
just continue the payments, pay off some of the capital owing or
pay it off completely, their choice!
Doing it this way enables you to consider other reasons to take
this mortgage insurance. Perhaps you also have a cottage or
second home for which you also need mortgage insurance.
It is important to remember that “mortgage insurance” is term
life insurance,
purchased for the purpose of paying off the mortgage. It is for
this reason only that it is called mortgage insurance.