A Criminal Record Can Prevent You From Getting Life Insurance

In a recent letter to financial expert Dave Ramsey, Dana wrote about her rather surprising experience when applying for life insurance; her husband was denied - not because he had life threatening medical conditions, or unhealthy lifestyle habits, but because a national criminal background check report showed he had a criminal record.

That old criminal record was enough to prevent him from being covered by major, national life insurance carriers. Why? Because life insurance carriers are concerned about risk, and an individual with a criminal record shows a greater disregard for his/her well-being and riskier decision making processes. In cases where a carrier denies coverage due to a criminal history, the denial is based on the number and types of criminal records on file, as well as how much time has passed since the last offense and the time of the application.

This is just one of the many ways the results of a national criminal background check can affect your future life.

Can I Run a Background Check on Myself?

If you have a criminal record, it might be worth it to run a national criminal background check on yourself. The information contained there has an impact on whether or not you can get a job, the types of jobs you can get, or - as noted above - something seemingly unrelated, like life insurance. It's a good idea to verify that the information found on your criminal background is accurate. Mistakes are entirely possible. Those mistakes should be corrected ASAP.

Often, our clients come to us after using a "free" background search company, or a large online background check firm, who couldn't produce the results they needed, or, worse, provided completely inaccurate results. When we do national criminal background checks for our clients, we work closely with them to make sure the records we turn up are as accurate as possible. We can help to sift through the records of those with similar names and show you what potential employees - or life insurance underwriters - may see when they run a complete background check using the information you provide.

Expunge the Records That Turn Up in a Complete Background Check Report

If you do find errors or discrepancies on your report, we can help you to get them taken care of. In many cases, old criminal records, misdemeanors and even some felony counts can be expunged from your criminal record as long as you have completed your probation. It all depends on the type of offense it was. Our complete background check services can be extended to help you move through the proper channels to expunge embarrassing and outdated records.

Taking the time to clean up your criminal record can be an empowering move, and can help you down the road when you apply for new jobs, volunteer to coach your child's sports team, or apply for a term life insurance policy!

Mike Garroutte, owner of Linked Investigations, is a California private investigator. His national criminal background search services will provide the most accurate information available. Contact us today to discuss your needs, and to learn more about how complete background checks work, and whether or not they can be of benefit to you.