Tag: Broker

12 terms to familiarize yourself with before your next renewal.

Twelve tips for the next time you purchase Small Business Insurance.

Insured

The person, group, or organization whose life or property is covered by an insurance policy.

Insurer

Insurance company that issues a particular insurance policy to an insured. In case of a very large risk, several insurance companies may combine to issue one policy.

Named Insured

Any person, firm, or organization, or any of its members specifically designated by name as an insured(s) in an insurance policy.  .

Learn these terms to help your business at your next commercial insurance renewal.

Premium

The price or amount paid for insurance.

Claim

A formal request to an insurance company asking for a payment based on the terms of the insurance policy.

Carrier

A company that offers and underwrites insurance policies.

Insurance Carrier

Policy

A document detailing the terms and conditions of a contract of insurance.

Underwriter

The person who decides whether to provide insurance and under what terms.

Agent/Broker/Producer

A person licensed by a state and employed by an insurance company to sell insurance policies on the company’s behalf.

Find out if you really need Umbrella Insurance Coverage at www.myinsurancequestion.com

Umbrella Coverage

Umbrella coverage protects your business when your existing liability insurance policy limits can’t cover all the expenses of a claim.

Hired and Non-owned Auto

A coverage that is commonly added or endorsed onto a commercial auto insurance policy. This endorsement adds additional coverages for the insured in the event there becomes a liability issue for an automobile accident involving a vehicle they don’t directly insure (rentals or employee owned cars).

Experience Modification Rating

An employers’ Experience Modification Rating refers the factor calculated from actual loss experience. It is used to adjust the businesses premiums (higher or lower) based on the businesses loss experience relative to the average underlying manual premiums for workers compensation coverage. The Modifier (Mod) compares the insured experience to the average class experience.

 

Additional Terms to consider familiarizing yourself with before your nest renewal

Waiver of Subrogation

A Waiver of Subrogation is a contractual provision whereby an insured waives the right of their insurance carrier to seek redress or seek compensation for losses from a negligent third party.

Certificate of Insurance

A certificate of insurance is a document that is used to provide info on specific insurance coverage and provide verification insurance is in place at the time of issuance. The certificate contains the types and limits of coverage, the carrier, policy number, named insured, and the policies’ effective dates.

Certificate Holder

The certificate holder is the person, business, or nonprofit organization who is provided with a certificate of insurance to prove coverage is in place at the time of issuance. The certificate holder will be notified if at any time the policy is cancelled before the listed policy effective date.

Additional Insured

The Additional Insured is the person or organization who is not automatically included as an insured on an insurance policy, but who is included under the policy at the request of the named insured.

 

Q&A with Tim Davis

Q&A with Insurance Expert Tim Davis

 

What are the most significant Weather Related Risks for Small Businesses?

 

What’s the biggest mistake small business owners make when it comes to safeguarding their businesses from weather-related interruptions and why is that a problem?

The biggest mistake small business owners make is failing to buy business interruption coverage. This coverage is not a stand-alone policy, but is typically included on a business owners’ package (or BOP) policy. The Hartford has some of the best coverage available on their business interruption coverage as a part of their BOP policy, but several other carriers offer great coverage as well.

How can we know if we need flood insurance in addition to business interruption coverage?

Flood insurance will not only provide coverage to replace the damage to your building, but the business interruption coverage won’t respond for flood-related losses if you don’t have flood insurance in place.

What’s a common misconception about business insurance related to weather issues and what’s the truth? 

As highlighted above, business interruption coverage won’t apply to all weather-related issues. Whatever peril (or risk) caused the business interruption must be a covered peril on the BOP policy. If an earthquake caused the damage and interrupted your business, but you didn’t have earthquake coverage on your policy, then coverage for the earthquake damage wouldn’t exist.

Another common myth centers around off-premises power failure. If a weather-related event causes power to fail at a location away from your business (like a blackout or a transformer a mile away gets struck by lightning) … business interruption coverage won’t apply. With most policies, the weather-related cause of the power failure must happen at your business.

Do we need special coverage to protect from wildfires, or will traditional property & casualty cover us? Why or why not? 

A wild fire would be a covered cause of loss on many commercial property policies, but it is not guaranteed.  I would recommend reading over your policy – identify covered causes of loss as well as exclusions in the policy.

What kind of protection do we need related to employees and customers who might be injured on our premises during a weather event?

Your standard workers compensation insurance (for employees) and general liability insurance (for your customers) policies should suffice. These two policies should be enough to protect your business from incidents that occur on your premises.

What documents should we be sure to store safely to make the claims process go faster after a weather disaster strikes? Please describe each document and why it’s important.

Financial records will be the most helpful piece of information to provide to simplify the claims process. Carriers will evaluate the income losses your company sustained based off the company’s past sales history and reasonable projections of your company’s profits and losses for the time your company suffered from the weather-related interruption.  Policy information – including agent and carrier contact information.  Also, it is good to take pictures of the equipment in a building – including serial numbers.  This helps with replacement parts and valuation.

What phone numbers should we keep on hand in the event of a weather emergency and why? 

Make sure you have either your insurance agent’s number on hand, or (even better) the claims reporting phone number for the insurance carrier on your business owners’ package policy.  I would also consider having phone numbers for emergency response/clean up companies.  In the event of a major weather event, it is smart to have a few companies to choose from – maybe even consider a company from a neighboring community so that they are less likely to be impacted by the same weather event.

What’s the first thing we should do if our business is impacted by a weather event and why? 

Life safety is the very first concern – make sure that all employees and guests at your premises are accounted for and safe.  Then, secure your building and business personal property.   If you can help prevent further damage by taking additional steps, those extra expenses can be covered in some policies.

What else should small business owners know about preparing for and responding to a weather disaster? 

A proper BOP policy with business interruption coverage will provide a real sense of relief in the aftermath of a disaster. Loss of business income is the #1 reason that most businesses do not open after a serious loss. This coverage will help provide coverage for the actual income loss sustained; the net income (net profit or loss before income taxes) that would have been earned over that period; and provides costs for things like payroll so you can keep your employees while your company rebuilds.  Be prepared – think ahead – develop a contingency plan.  If something happens, have a plan already in place and make sure that everyone in the business is aware of what steps to take.

What other questions should I ask my agent about this coverage?

Check the time period you have for extended business income. Thirty days is standard coverage, but some carriers can offer up to 12 months by endorsement. Also ask your agent if you need contingent business interruption coverage — this pays out when your company is unable to operate because of an event like a natural disaster that damages the business of one of your suppliers or customers, which causes your company to lose income.