I like rules. When I open a board game, I immediately read the instructions. I’m sure my affinity for the rules lead to my decision to become an attorney. In a conversation with a guidance counselor, I may have said: “You mean my job would be to argue about what the...
Smash, grab and go: Insurance implications on surging retail theft
As the rise in retail theft continues to plague businesses nationwide, the impact on the retail landscape is clear. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique set of circumstances that have contributed to the surge in retail thefts—affecting both large and small...
Are you selling umbrellas with holes in ’em?: If your clients get wet, you could too!
We (independent agents) are raised to sell umbrella liability insurance policies, but why? We are told to sell umbrellas because people can get sued for an auto accident or a slip-and-fall, and other outrageous scenarios. Basically, when you make a mistake and cause...
Cybersecurity in the insurance industry
As the insurance sector continues to embrace technological advancements, it finds itself at the crossroads of leveraging digital solutions and confronting associated cyberthreats. Insurance agencies and companies hold vast amounts of sensitive information, from...
This Halloween, don’t get scared: get coverage!
Halloween is almost here, and with it, everything that makes the holiday so special. There’s the chilly fall air, and it seems as though there’s the grinning jack-o-lanterns posted at every door. Elaborate decorations and haunted houses are a fixture of Hallows’ Eve,...
Water you mean I’m not covered? Navigate the flood insurance knowledge gap
The summer of ’23 has brought disastrous weather events in almost every region of the country. The Northeast faced record-breaking flooding. Vermont received two months’ worth of rain—more than nine inches—in just a few days. More than 4,000 homes were damaged by...
Hard market and adverse actions
When the market hardens, insurance carriers often will attempt to reduce their expenses and exposures in a variety of ways. Sometimes, those ways are overt like nonrenewing policies or filing for rate increases. Other times, the cost-cutting moves can be more covert...
UBI off to a slow start
In 1998, a new technology was introduced that promised to have major implications for many industries, chief among them the insurance industry. This technology allowed systems to monitor and collect data about a user’s behavior in real time. Today, many of us use...
N.Y.: DFS publishes updated cyber security regulation for comment, PIA offers analysis
The New York State Department of Financial Services published a revised proposed second amendment to 23 NYCRR 500—colloquially referred to as New York’s cyber security regulation. The publication of the revised second amendment comes over six months after the...
Wildfire and business interruption coverage
For decades, wildfires have been synonymous with California, as the Golden State has experienced some of the most devastating wildfires in our nation’s history. However, in recent years, wildfires have extended past California and now threaten other regions within the...