When developing risk management programs, we consider all factors that threaten to erode the productivity and profitability of our clients. Insurance premiums are one of the largest costs, but deductibles, uncovered losses, and many other factors can add to the total cost of risk. By working with you to identify these costs, we can plan and implement strategies to help you reduce them.
Commercial business insurance is not a commodity, but many businesses purchase it as if it were by using a quoting process. It may seem counter-intuitive, but when price drives the commercial insurance decision, it typically ends up costing the business more than it should. Instead of price, risk and minimizing it should drive commercial insurance purchase decisions.
Odds are you have used such ride-sharing apps like Uber, Lyft, or Sidecar on a vacation, business trip, or getting to or from a sporting event, but did you ever think of the insurance implications? Ride-sharing businesses are different than taxi or livery businesses and not subject to the same insurance regulations (yet). A ride-sharing company connects passengers to drivers via a smart phone app usually on short notice but they can be arranged in advance. While you might expect that your personal auto policy is not designed to cover a side business as an Uber driver, you might not have thought about your employees and their use of your vehicle for the same.
Learning that an employee was involved in an accident on company time is alarming. Even more troubling is when you find out the at-fault driver doesn’t have coverage or is underinsured. While most states require drivers to maintain auto insurance, according to recent study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC), one in eight motorists remain uninsured. Uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) are coverage options added to your commercial auto policy for transferring risk in such unfortunate circumstances.
Everybody redlines contracts. But will your strikethroughs and handwritten notes stand up in a court proceeding, even if initialed and agreed to by all parties? A Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled on what can happen as the result of a dispute over stricken contract clauses in a case related to interest on unpaid balances. The results may surprise you.
When filing a claim, how can you get it resolved more quickly? Dealing with an insurance claims adjuster to get your claim taken care of is often frustrating and time consuming. Here are some tips to help you get the quickest response to any of your needs from your insurance adjuster.
Understanding the total financial impact of on-the-job injuries requires employers to look beyond the initial cost of each claim. In the insurance industry, these hidden claims dollars are referred to as the “iceberg effect,” and a recent OSHA study has shown these costs can be very substantial. These indirect costs include everything from setting up a claim, doing associated paperwork, losing productivity, training temporary employees, and much more.
When choosing insurance for your business, and an agent to represent you to the insurer, most businesses have a checklist of major things they look for in this critical relationship: industry expertise, community presence, and national resources. A business needing commercial insurance will of course want to check all of these boxes when getting insurance coverage. Most businesses, however, feel they have to make tradeoffs and end up with just one or perhaps two of these relationship attributes.
Did you know that bonds are required to help guarantee performance, payment, and maintenance terms on a project to the owner/obligee? When bonds are in place, everything should run smoothly in the event of the dreaded bond claim right? Wrong. Typically, bond claims can take many weeks, if not months, for a resolution, regardless of the outcome.
Commercial General Liability policies were not designed, nor do they include coverage, for Professional Liability. There is a perception that contractors do not need professional liability coverage, but this isn’t a safe assumption. We are accustomed to seeing Professional Liability exclusions for architects, engineers, surveyors, and other professionals. It’s easy to understand why many assume this exclusion does not apply to a contractor.
