Personal Lines

Although it seems reasonable that the carrier’s duty to defend ends when no insurable allegations remain in the suit – this is not necessarily always true. Some courts have a…

Attorney Randy Maniloff introduces us to the difference between “the” insured and “an” or “any” insured in the insurance policy. Many ignore these little words (“the,” “an” or “any”) in…

Valued policy laws require the insurance carrier to pay the face amount of the policy if the structure is a “total loss.” In these situations, it does not matter if…

Proprietary coverage forms are not always better than Insurance Services Office (ISO) forms. Careful comparison is required to confirm the insured is not harmed by non-ISO language. A recent Illinois…

Generally, an insurer’s duty to defend flows from the facts alleged in the lawsuit. When the pleadings alleged damage or injury that is covered by the policy, the insurance carrier…

Not to be overly dramatic, but ordinance or law is a very real personal lines exposure – often overlooked during the personal lines risk management and insurance planning process. Agents…

Underinsurance is still a problem. According to CoreLogic approximately 60 percent of homes are underinsured by 20 percent on average. Obviously, this leads to devastating results for the insured, and…

Every state and the District of Columbia grants insurance carriers an “underwriting period.” Insurance carriers are granted broad authority to cancel a newly-written policy during this statutorily-limited period.

An insured’s offer to purchase insurance is made in the form of the application, supposedly completed by the insured. Acceptance flows from the insurance carrier in the form of a…

Were you affected by the Equifax breach? There is a 1 in 2 chance you were. Even if you weren’t, there are certain steps you can take to fight identity…