This week I’m presenting, as part of a conference panel, a session on underinsurance of residential and commercial properties, with a focus on pre-loss valuation as it impacts underwriting and policy limits. What has been your experience in this area? Is underinsurance as widespread as it appears to be? Are there many instances of OVERinsurance? Inquiring minds want to know.
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In a recent court case, the insurer failed to carefully consider the case law cited by the claimant’s attorney and, as a result, was found have denied a claim in bad faith. In my book “When Words Collide: Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes,” I explain why pertinent information from any source, especially case law, should be considered.
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Recently I read an article that cited a GEICO annual report that effectively expressed the philosophy that: (1) most consumers know what they need in an auto policy and (2) agents are “unnecessary and expensive” links in the distribution mechanism. Is this true? Can consumers distinguish the coverage subtleties between insurance policies and are agents largely unnecessary and expensive?
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Homeowners policies generally provide very broad worldwide liability coverage. However, among the exclusions are those pertaining to occurrences that take place on certain premises. These exclusions often have exceptions that grant coverage if the premises is an “insured location.” One common type of “insured location” is often vacant non-farm land. The question is, what is (or isn’t) “vacant” land?
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Many insurance policies cover a lot of loss exposures, but none cover EVERY loss exposure. Sometimes this is hard for a consumer or business owner to understand. Why did someone pay a lot of money for insurance that doesn’t cover what happened? This article is about a recent email I received from a consumer and how I explained the lack of coverage.
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If you are an agent, especially if you’re an agency owner or manager, I highly recommend subscribing to consultant Chris Burand’s monthly Insurance Agency Adviser newsletter. To illustrate the reason for this recommendation, all you have to do is skim his most recent newsletter….
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You’re injured when struck by a motor vehicle. Your auto policy covers you as a pedestrian for medical payments and possibly un(der)insured motorists and/or PIP coverage. Does “pedestrian” status limit you to coverage only if you’re on foot? What about being in a wheel chair? Skateboard? Roller skates? Bicycle? What if you’re sitting down or standing but not walking? Are you a pedestrian?
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Virtually all property and cyber policies include “war” and often “governmental action” exclusions. Given the current warnings about real and potential cyber attacks by one or more governments against allies and supporters of Ukraine, would these policies respond or not?
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BONUS! Purchasers of this book get a free PDF download of my book “QuoteNotes: The Ultimate Quotational Reference System and Authoring Tool for Professional Speakers and Writers” endorsed by Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy. This is an indexed and cross-referenced compilation of my 1,500 favorite quotes and includes a section on how to use quotations in your speaking and writing.
To get BOTH books at a discounted price, click the book cover or CLICK HERE.