Fact CheckedWhether you’re Googling Scotiabank Life Insurance Reviews or Scotiabank Life Insurance, your results are the same!
You’re brought to Scotiabank’s life insurance products.
Banks are increasingly involved in the life insurance business. If you have been reading our life insurance company reviews, you’ll see that BMO, Manulife, and RBC are major players.
I wasn’t aware until recently that Scotiabank offers life insurance products.
It should be noted that all Scotiabank term insurance products are underwritten by Empire Life.
So let’s discover them together right now!
Scotia Life Insurance History
Scotiabank has a long and venerable history. It was founded in 1832 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, hence the name. In 1900, they moved their headquarters to Toronto!
Scotiabank is a global company with divisions in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. It’s the third-largest bank in Canada and is ranked #40 on the list of the largest world banks.
In 2009, Scotia Bank expanded into insurance marketing through its subsidiary, Scotiabank Financial, because banks are prohibited from selling insurance through their branches.
Financial Rating
DBRS gives Scotiabank an AA Financial rating which is a superior score.
Scotia Life Insurance Products
Before we dive in, for those of you who are unfamiliar – there are two main types of life insurance:
- Term Life Insurance: This is the coverage most people are familiar with. It’s temporary protection that gives your loved ones security during periods of vulnerability.
- Permanent Insurance (Scotia does not offer except for conversion): The process is similar to term insurance, but there is typically a cash value component, and you get life coverage. This means your beneficiary is guaranteed a payout if you pay the premiums. Permanent life insurance is EXPENSIVE and complicated. It works a charm for some situations, such as final expenses, creating trusts for children with special needs, or if you have a sizable estate—BUT for most people, term fits the bill.
1. Scotiabank Term 10, 15, 20, 25 & 30-year Life Insurance
Term Life Insurance
- Coverage: $50K – $ 1 million in increments of $25K
- Coverage renews yearly until age 70 without a medical exam (coverage ends at age 70)
- A medical exam may not be required if you are younger than 50 and applying for $250K of coverage or less
- Living benefit: 50% of coverage amount up to $50K if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and expected to die in 12 months.
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- No benefits paid if you commit suicide before the 2-year policy anniversary.
Accidental Death Insurance
- Ages 18 – 74
- $5K of complimentary accidental death insurance for up to 5 full years (available for children)
- Tax-free $350K lump sum if you die of a covered accident
- Living benefits paid to you if you’re in the hospital for 365 consecutive days immediately after the accident
- Guaranteed acceptance
- Guaranteed level premiums and half price for spouse
- No medical questions
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Critical injury benefit when you enroll for at least $25K of accidental death insurance (available for children)
Term is right for most situations, BUT never rule out permanent:
“But in particular, for wealthy families in their 30s or 40s, whole life insurance can be worthwhile as an estate planning tool because you can create an insurance trust that pays estate taxes out of the policy’s proceeds and then pass the trust onto heirs.”
Is whole life insurance a good investment? A look at the pros and cons, Money Under 30
2. Scotia Mortgage Protection
Almost all financial institutions that underwrite mortgages in Canada offer their mortgage protection to consumers. Scotiabank is no different; its coverage is branded as Scotia Mortgage Protection.
If you have your mortgage through Scotiabank, you were likely offered mortgage life insurance with your closing documents. Many consumers accept this coverage without thought or think that it is mandatory.
Products like Scotia Mortgage Protection purchased through your lender are designed to protect them and NOT you.
Please read my post here about the limitations of purchasing mortgage insurance through a bank.
So, what’s the best way to protect your Scotiabank mortgage?
Instead of purchasing Scotia Mortage Protection, which Sun Life underwrites, you can buy individual term life insurance policies with another carrier.
3. Scotia Guaranteed Issue Life Insurance
Like mortgage protection, most financial institutions offer their own guaranteed-Issue life insurance. Consumers purchase this permanent life insurance product with a limited face amount (usually $25,000) to cover final expenses. Scotialife guaranteed life insurance is such a product.
In most cases, no questions are required to apply, and you qualify regardless of your health issues. So, for example, if you had heart bypass surgery two months ago, guess what? You qualify. Sounds good on paper.
The challenge with these types of products is that they always come with a 2-year waiting period, and there is little to no underwriting involved upfront. This means when a claim is made, the underwriting is done post-claim. Long story short, that means there’s a higher potential for claim denials. Not to mention, this coverage is expensive compared with other plans!
There is a place for this type of product. If you have a life-threatening health issue, guaranteed Issue may be the only life insurance you qualify for. Once you’ve survived past the 2-year waiting period, you’re covered regardless of the cause of death. Either way, other carriers offer guaranteed issue products with a higher level of underwriting and better guarantees.
If you are healthy or have mild to moderate health issues, you will qualify for something more affordable with better guarantees. Not to mention, you won’t have to deal with a 2-year waiting period. Read more about no medical life insurance here.
4. Scotiabank Critical Illness Insurance
Children360 Critical Illness Insurance
- Coverage from $25K – $100K available in increments of $25K
- Affordable group rates
- Automatic renewal without a medical exam every year until you are 70 (coverage ends at that point)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Scotia Life Insurance Rates
Because Scotiabank Life Insurance is only available for its customers, its rates aren’t easy to find. I don’t have any way to assess it against other companies.
Although Scotiabank sells Term, Sun Life underwrites it, and the coverage you purchase through them expires at age 70. There is no conversion to a permanent product because they don’t have one.
Scotiabank Life Insurance Reviews – Pros
1. Scotiabank Is Financially Stable
Knowing their financials are solid, if you decide to purchase Scotia life insurance, that is good.
Scotiabank Life Insurance Reviews – Cons
1. Only Available to Scotiabank Customers
This isn’t a product you can buy if you aren’t a Scotiabank customer.
2. You Have to Use a Scotiabank Agent
You can’t easily compare their rates even if you’re a Scotiabank customer. They only offer their product, and no one will tell you if you can do better elsewhere. Also, you may end up speaking with a Scotia bank associate for information who is not a licensed agent.
3. No Permanent Life Insurance Product!
Scotiabank offers very limited options: simple term coverage, critical illness, and mortgage life insurance. They do not offer permanent insurance except for its guaranteed issue. We bet you can do much better elsewhere.
4. Coverage is Branded Scotiabank, But Empire Life Underwrites It
A lot of life insurance companies do this, especially if they have a large product offering. But for me, this is a con. Why not just buy an individual policy from Empire Life? You’ll have more choices.
….but before you do that, give Policy Architects a call. We can help!
Is Scotia Life Insurance Right For YOU?
You say Scotiabank Life Insurance, but I say Scotia Bank Life Insurance. Either way, it’s a very limited product.
First, the only way to get it is to have an account at Scotiabank.
Many other companies will better meet your needs if you are looking for term insurance.
Get in touch with Policy Architects Today! We rigorously research and review insurance companies, products, and strategies in detail to help you make a confident buying decision!
