If a person has a mortgage on their home, chances are good they also have mortgage insurance. The idea is that if they should become seriously ill or die before paying off the mortgage, the coverage will kick in and pay it off for them. It’s meant to offer peace of mind and to reassure people that their families will be able to stay in their home if anything should happen.

The reality falls a little short of that. In this Marketplace investigation, we meet two families who bought the coverage and thought they were protected, only to have their claims denied when they became sick or died. In each case, the insurer said the applicant had lied on their initial application form. It turns out a routine test at the doctor could be reason to deny a claim, if the insured individual doesn't mention it. Even having a cuff inflated on your bicep can count as being tested for high blood pressure.

As Erica Johnson reports, the bank staffers selling mortgage insurance are unlicenced and rarely trained to explain the details and legalities of those insurance products. The result is people who pay premiums and think they are covered, only to realize later that they are not.