Back to Basics – What Is the Surplus Lines Market?
With today’s hard market, more agents place business with the surplus lines market. This article provides a basic overview of the importance of the surplus lines market, and some pitfalls…
Liability Coverages
The Challenges of the Canine Liability Exposures and the Standalone Canine Liability Policy
In a recent article we wrote on the problems of canine liability, agents asked where they could obtain a standalone canine liability policy. Our guest writer, insurance agent Debbie Turner,…
Understanding Dog Bite Liability and Coverage Issues
Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to DogsBite.org, from 2005 to 2017, 433 Americans…
What to Tell Your Clients About Halloween and Trick-or-Treaters
Halloween pranks can cause injury or damage. Even if no pranks are pulled, a trick-or-treater could suffer injury on the insured’s premises. What should we tell our clients about Halloween…
Kids at College: Does ISO’s Age Limitation Really Apply?
Based on the dictionary meaning of “resident,” is there really an age limitation on kids away at college? Paragraph 5.a.(1) states that an insured is a relative who is a…
Vacation Coverage – Or the Lack of Coverage: A Far-Out Tale of an Eventful Vacation
What coverage does your insured have when they travel for vacation? More importantly, what coverage don’t they have? Although there is worldwide protection for the insured’s stuff, what are the…
Homeowners’ Insurance and Firearms
Once again, we find ourselves in the deeply political and emotional debate about guns, the second amendment, gun control, and safety. This discussion requires us to clear up some misconceptions…
When Sweet Fifi Bites
More than one-third of homeowners’ insurance liability claims are attributable to dog bites according to a 2016 Insurance Information Institute (III) report. III reported that the average cost of a…
HO Coverage for Damage Caused by Falling Tree
What happens if an insured’s tree falls and damages property or injures someone on a neighbor’s premises? If the occurrence is caused by an “Act of God,” is the insured…
Personal Lines Host Liquor Liability Revisited
A guest leaves your party where they consumed too much alcohol, has an accident, and you’re sued. Is this an HO or PAP exposure, or both? If it’s a PAP…
