General Insurance FAQ
Insurance varies by situational events, companies, states, and countries. Please keep in mind the answers that follow are as general as possible to address the most common questions we receive.
Insurance varies by situational events, companies, states, and countries. Please keep in mind the answers that follow are as general as possible to address the most common questions we receive.
The comments and answers herein are opinion only and should be taken as generic advice. For legal advice, speak with a lawyer or your insurance agent, or carrier representative.
This information is for illustrative purposes only and is not a contract. It is intended to provide a general overview of the programs described. Please remember only the insurance policy can give actual terms, coverage, amounts, conditions, and exclusions. Program availability and coverages are subject to individual underwriting criteria.
The deductible is the portion of the claim you chose to pay before insurance kicks in. Higher deductibles typically provide lower insurance premiums and vice versa. The deductible is either paid to the insurance company or just removed from the payout sent to you or the repair facility; it varies by carrier.
Using a local independent agent allows you to provide information to one agent and have them shop with multiple carriers on your behalf. Be cautious if shopping for yourself online through direct channels because you are now your own insurance agent and you are purchasing without any professional guidance on correct limits and coverage for your specific situation which provides limited recourse if you find your coverage inadequate after a loss.
The primary reason is that insurance carriers are incurring more claims and expenses on an overall basis, and perhaps more than they are earning from premiums. An increase in losses and claims drive the need for increased pricing across the board for insurance providers. Insurers have experienced a significant gap between the policy pricing they projected using prior loss data and their current claims payouts. This gap contributes to the current hard market, which means that overall cost of claims for insurers has risen, and there is less competition. This makes insurance coverage more expensive.
A hard market means insurance companies are making it more expensive and more difficult to insure families and businesses. They have more restrictions on policies and higher rates (premiums and deductibles). Insurance companies are also insured. This is called reinsurance. Reinsurers have raise prices as well in a hard market. Due to lower investment returns, frequent or more severe losses, and other economic influences, investors may see insurance as a less desirable investment, making less capital available in the insurance market. This makes pricing increase as the cost of capital rises. In hard market conditions, insurance companies often adhere to stricter standards. As a result:
• insurance rates and premium often rise
• the amount of capital investors are willing to provide decreases
• the number of insurance providers in the market decreases (less supply)
• coverage restrictions or exclusions are more likely
• insurance companies may non-renew policies that are less favorable
• the insurer may require more information for your policy.
A record-setting string of natural disasters, claims/losses, inflation, and residual effects of the economic downturn and supply chain issues have been the main causes for hardened market conditions over the last 5 years.
Catastrophic losses – Floods, hurricanes, wildfires and similar disasters are increasingly common and devastating. Several years in a row of costly disasters like these have compounded losses for insurers and reinsurers, driving up the cost of insurance.
Claims costs – Claims are increasing in both frequency and severity year after year. The increase in payouts, including adjustment expenses, significantly raises the cost of a claim, and drives up the cost of insurance premiums.
Underwriting standards – Insurers are struggling to overcome underwriting losses, which has made insurance companies and investors more cautious, and many are becoming more conservative in the risks they will insure.
Investment returns – Nearly every insurance provider uses the funds it receives from premiums to invest in other markets. However, reduced interest rates can negatively impact profitability, which pushes insurance companies to reduce their appetite for risk.
Reinsurance – Reinsurance is insurance coverage for insurance companies. Insurance providers often buy reinsurance for risks they can’t or don’t wish to retain fully. However, reinsurance is becoming more expensive to obtain, which is causing insurance providers to increase their rates.
There is no magic calendar. Hard Insurance markets vary in length and severity and go through a cycle. As premiums rise and/or losses decrease over time, insurance companies begin to see improved profit margins. Investment income improves, investors start seeing similar positive results, and insurance once again starts looking like a stronger investment, which attracts more capital. The market becomes more competitive as the capital supply starts to catch up with the demand causing premiums and restrictions to loosen.
As independent insurance agency, our staff are knowledgeable insurance professionals. We are a valuable and trusted resource. We can help you navigate the current market conditions. We have long-standing relationships with insurers and are well-positioned to find the proper coverage for your risks and to advocate on your behalf. We also can provide information on available coverage options for your risks and recommend risk management resources to mitigate your exposure. We can help you improve your insurability, so you have more choices.
Some clients have taken that option, but you may need to check on other requirements, such as bank financing covenants, contractual requirements with clients and suppliers, and local regulations on what insurance protection is required for you and your business. While reducing insurance coverage may be an alternative, you should evaluate that against what losses you can absorb without creating financial hardship for yourself/your business.
Although budgets may well be challenged by increasing premiums, it is important not to lose sight of the big picture: saving a relatively modest amount now by reducing coverage may negatively affect your property or business far more should a loss occur. Continue assessing your risk profile and link the purchase of insurance to it. Also, review your policies for the sums insured, and for coverage limits, to ensure your business or property is appropriately protected should a claim event occur.
An insurance carrier is also known as an insurance company. They are the insurer taking on the risk, and they create the product (the insurance policy). An insurance agency sells the product to the consumer. But there are more differences as well. The carrier creates the policy, decides what the policy will cover and what it won’t cover. They determine the limit of how much will be paid out if there is a claim. They take on the responsibility of the policyholder’s risk, and they pay out the claims. Insurance carriers are strictly regulated by the government to make sure they have the funds to cover the risks they take on.
An insurance agency sells the policies created by the insurance carriers. There are two kinds of insurance agencies.
Captive/exclusive insurance agents:
Independent insurance agents:
There is no one carrier that is right for everybody. Each company has their own ‘appetite’ and preferred demographic, territory, and other rating factors (such as multi-policy, multi-car, etc). In addition to this, insurance carriers are constantly tweaking their formulas based on the latest statistical data. Typically, if you shopped around and got the best rate from Company A – they will probably remain the best rate for you the following year barring some major changes. However, over time it may be worth to ask your agent to check some other options for you to make sure you are still getting the best coverage at the best rate.
This depends on your loss ratio, recent claims, and all claims you have had in the past, as well as the state of the current insurance market. Consult your agent.
Liability limits needed vary by consumer as you are attempting to protect any assets you have in the event you cause damages to another person. Typically, the response is a minimum of $100,000 for each person for Bodily Injury and $300,000 aggregate with an additional $100,000 in property damage. However, it boils down to you and what you can afford. If you are unsure of what you need, we recommend speaking with a Wells Insurance Client Advisor who can review your situation and make adequate proposals.
Full coverage is a layman’s term that has no true meaning to describing coverage in the industry. It misleads the average person by giving them the impression that everything and anything that happens will be taken care of by the insurance company. What most people mean when they say “full coverage” is that they have Comprehensive and Collision coverage.
Comprehensive Coverage – Coverage that protects you against damages that are not related to a collision. (i.e. theft, vandalism, fire, falling objects, flooding, hitting an animal, etc.)
Collision Coverage – Coverage that typically pays to fix or replace your vehicle hits another car or a stationary object like a bridge or tree.
$30,000 per person for bodily injury liability, $60,000 per accident for bodily injury liability, $25,000 for property damage per accident.
Anyone who operates your automobile is covered under your insurance, as long as they have a valid drivers’ license. Any at-fault accidents they cause will affect your premium.
Tickets, accidents, and claims will generally cause your rates to increase at renewal. Also, due to inflation prices tend to rise over the long term and insurance companies are continually tweaking their prices to provide fairer and more competitive rates. If a certain class of customers is causing more losses than they are paying in premium than they will likely see a rate increase, while a class which is causing less losses will likely see a rate decrease or a flat renewal. Remember, you can always shop around to compare rates with other companies.
It is important to note that insurance companies make almost no profit from premium, but from long-term safe investments of their premium take. This means they must carefully guard risks they take on as they measure their current pool of clients (risks).
Uninsured motorist coverage covers damages in the event that someone without insurance runs into you. Underinsured motorist coverage covers damages over the limit of the individuals insurance that runs into you.
Bodily injury liability covers injuries to you and other drivers covered under your policy cause to others. Medical payments covers medical expenses you and your passengers may incur, regardless of fault.
Most states have a mandatory waiting period that adjuster must follow before processing a claim without their customer’s recorded statement. This is probably the most frustrating scenario when dealing with an insurance claim and each insurance company handles this situation differently. If you have comprehensive/collision coverage on your vehicle at the time of the loss, you can use your own policy to start the repair process, but the cost will be subject to your deductible. If your insurance company is successful in subrogating your claim (getting reimbursed by the at fault party’s insurance carrier) your deductible and any rental car costs will be reimbursed to you.
If you did not leave enough room to safely stop, then the accident would be your fault. In rare cases involving merges or lane changes, you may not be at-fault, but this is very difficult to prove. If you carry collision coverage your insurer will fix your car, however you will be responsible for your collision deductible.
No-fault refers to a system wherein your insurance company will cover your accident related injuries regardless of your degree of fault, not a system in which fault has no place. Most territories using such a system place limitations on your ability to sue for accident related damages, however these usually don’t apply to property damage or more serious injuries, so you still need adequate liability coverage to protect your assets.
You are entitled to the real market value of your vehicle. If you aren’t sure you can check NADA online and enter your vehicle’s information to get an estimate.
Your vehicle did not have brand new parts on it at the time of loss, the insurance company is required to put you whole, not benefit you in excess to your prior status. You can opt for OEM parts and pay the difference out of pocket with most repair shops.
Upkeep and general maintenance do not typically increase the value of your vehicle.
You can’t. However, many insurance companies (and loan/lease companies) offer what is called GAP coverage for an additional premium. This will cover the different between your loan amount and your insurance payout.
Make sure your claims adjuster has the proper trim level of your vehicle (eg Honda Accord EX/DX/LX) as well as the mileage and any other features or options that may be on your specific vehicle. If you feel that your offer isn’t accurate, provide your adjustor with comparable offers on vehicles in your area of the same year/make/model with similar mileage and overall condition and features.
Homeowner: You need homeowners insurance (sometimes called HO-3 or HO-5, HO-6 if you have a condo). This protects you when your home is damaged by helping pay for repair costs and reimbursing you for place to stay if it is uninhabitable. It will also provide protection if you (or your children/dog) injure other persons or their property by paying to settle lawsuits (or potential lawsuits) and providing a lawyer to defend you.
Landlord: You need a landlord insurance policy (sometimes called a dwelling fire policy for reasons that are lost to history or a DP-3 or DP-6). This protects you when your home is damaged by helping pay for repair costs and reimbursing you for rent you lose while the property is uninhabitable. It will also provide protection if there is any sort of accident on your property by paying to settle lawsuits (or potential lawsuits) and providing a lawyer to defend you.
Tenant / Renter: You need renters insurance (sometimes called HO-4). This protects you when your apartment burns down, floods, or gets blown away by helping replace your personal items (both on or away from your home) and reimbursing you for place to stay until you can find a new apartment). It will also provide protection if you (or your children/dog) injure other persons or their property by paying to settle lawsuits (or potential lawsuits) and providing a lawyer to defend you.
ACV : The items lost in a covered peril (fire, theft, etc) are devalued based on age or depreciation, essentially the “actual cash value” of the item at the time of the loss. For damaged structures repair or replacement cost is deprecated based on the age of the structure (or component thereof) versus its original useful life span, with adjustments based on current condition.
RCV: The items lost in a covered peril (fire, theft, etc) are replaced with similar like and kind without devaluation applied. Repair or replacement of damaged structures with like kind and quality of materials and workmanship is fully reimbursed.
Your home insurance is used to rebuild your home in the event of a covered loss, eg; fire, it is not used to pay off the loan on the home. If you were to suffer a loss you would continue to pay on your mortgage / loan while the insurance carrier repaired/rebuilt your house.
Homeowners insurance does not cover damages due to flood (rising water), but does cover some particular water damage. If the damage was due to a covered peril, for instance if a pipe burst and flooded the house, the water damage would generally be covered. Covered perils are stated in the policy. The owner is required to take steps to prevent further damage to the structure. Water damage due to neglect, or wind-driven rain may not be covered in this type of policy.
Some carriers offer wind coverage with your homeowner’s coverage, but others do not. Some carriers offer standalone wind coverage that you can layer on to your current homeowners policy. The state also offers coverage through the North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA), also known as the coastal property insurance pool. If you have a mortgage on your property, it is likely that you are required to have a wind policy by your lender. It is strongly recommended that in coastal areas like ours, that you obtain wind coverage, due to our hurricane history.
When a named storm is imminent, insurance companies stop issuing new policies, may not take new applications or increase current coverage amounts. The reason is a rule that the North Carolina Joint Underwriters Association’s has called the “Hurricane Restriction Rule“.
The rule states: No new or increased coverage shall be bound or application for new or increased coverage be accepted after 12:01AM the following day when the center of a designated named storm is located within Longitudes 65º West and 85º West, and Latitudes 20º North and 37º North. The term “designated named storm” is a windstorm designated as a hurricane or tropical storm by the National Weather Service.
These coordinates form a “Box” and encompass an area from Norfolk, Virginia at the top down to the Dominican Republic at the bottom and a width that spans from Apalachicola, Florida on the left to Bermuda on the right.
Think long-term with your insurance coverage, and don’t wait until the last minute to obtain wind and hail insurance.
Co-insurance may well be one of the most confusing and misunderstood terms in insurance. Co-insurance is the percentage of value that the policyholder is required to insure If you insure your property for less than that amount your insurance company imposes a “coinsurance penalty” once a claim is filed. The value is determined at the time of the loss and if the amount of insurance is found to under the stated coinsurance percentage then a penalty is applied reducing the claim payment.
Here’s how it works:
Let’s say you have a building that you believe would cost $100,000 to replace and a coinsurance penalty in your policy of 80 percent. You insure the building for $80,000 thinking you have fulfilled the coinsurance clause. A fire loss causes $60,000 worth of damage so you submit a claim. Your insurance company subsequently determines that the replacement cost of the building is actually $150,000. To determine how much to pay on the claim, the insurer divides the amount of insurance you purchased ($80,000) by the amount you should have purchased (80% of $150,000 or $120,000). The result (two-thirds, or $40,000) is the amount of your claim the insurer will pay.
If the building had been insured for at least $120,000, the insurer would have reimbursed you for the full amount of the loss. Coinsurance can be tricky and potentially cost you a ton of money if you under insure your property.
Many insurance contracts will limit coverage for items not directly damaged by a loss (ie. matching undamaged cabinets after a loss). This is done in order to keep premiums affordable and if you are concerned about this happening to you, you should seek out a carrier which agrees to cover this type of repair.
Term life insurance is great for covering set risks, 30 year mortgage can be covered by a 30 year term policy. You can then supplement this by adding a much smaller whole life policy because your end of life expenses should be lower once retired and debts like home, auto, etc have been paid off.
Enough to make sure your dependents live a similar lifestyle to what they do now. Prioritize children first, unborn (planned) kids second, mortgage, spouse and even parents. You don’t want your family to work through mourning your loss while still making sure to make ends meet.
Is the life insurance provided from your employer portable (if you stop working there does it follow you)? If it is, then refer to previous, if not then you need to find a private insurance plan that meets the previous points.
Under the ACA, benefit sets have become much more standardized. If there’s been a qualifying life event or if it’s open enrollment, start your search on the Exchanges. If you are employed, you may be better off enrolling in your employer’s group insurance plan, if they offer one. In general, if you are healthy you might want to look for higher deductibles with cheaper premiums.
Generally, no, unless services you need aren’t covered by one, say by an HMO with no available in-network providers, (or one policy is free or very cheap). If you do have two policies, tell both companies so they don’t find out eventually and retroactively deny claims and make a mess for all involved. You get no say in who pays first.
Health insurance is similar to auto insurance in that you are transferring risk from yourself to the insurance company. In this case, you are volunteering to pay a nominal amount of insurance while passing on the risk of large claims (heart surgery, brain surgery, life threatening illness, life threatening injury) to the insurance carrier.
Deductible: dollar amount you must meet before the insurance pays anything
Copay and coinsurance: cost sharing, where coinsurance is a percentage of a charge and copay is a flat rate.
OOP max is a combination of all the deductibles + coinsurance + copay for the year, limited by the ACA to $6850 per year for an individual. How the OOP max is met varies wildly. You could have a $6850 deductible and no coinsuarance or copay, or no deductible and 20% coinsurance up to the max.
General Liability insurance has two policy triggers, Bodily Injury or Property Damage to a 3rd party. It is common for policyholders analyzing a General Liability form to only consider the limits. (i.e. $1 million per occurrence/$2 million aggregate). But to truly understand how your General Liability insurance should be structured, a thorough understanding of your business should be acquired by your agent, and that understanding should be applied to the underlying forms schedule. That will ultimately determine how the limits are accessed. Additionally, General Liability includes defense costs for any actual or alleged claim that triggers a covered cause of loss, with defense typically being outside of the limits (Thus in theory, defense costs are unlimited subject to the duty to defend clause).
Workers Compensation premium on the face is derived quite simply. A four digit class code is assigned via the company operations first, then it may be further drilled down to the employee job duty level if there truly is a separation of duties (Example, a clerical employee working for a manufacturer would be classed in the manufacturing code if at any time they step into the manufacturing facility/area. Only if confined to an office with a separate exit would they be appropriately rated as a clerical employee). The four digit class code comes with a manual rate as determined by NCCI, a rate setting bureau for Arizona and 38 other states in the U.S. Payroll reported for each class code is divided by 100 and then multiplied by that rate, resulting in a manual premium. Manual premium is then subject to a few state associated fees and potentially an Experience Modification Score. An E-Mod (also known as Ex-Mod or X-Mod) starts at a 1.0, anything in excess of that 1.0 is a debit multiplier while anything lower than a 1.0 is a credit multiplier.
An experience modification is a term referring to workers compensation. The experience modification number is regulated by the National Council of Compensation Insurers (NCCI), and has the ability to adjust annual premium dollars, based on previous losses. The experience modification industry average rating is 1.0. Any number below 1 indicates a company’s losses are below industry average, and may qualify for a lower premium. Any number above 1 indicates above average losses, and the company may have a slightly higher premium.
Errors & Omissions adds Financial Loss to a 3rd party as a covered cause of loss. Any time a company gives a deliverable or widget that if erroneous in product or consultation (actual or alleged) can potentially cause financial loss to a 3rd party, Errors & Omissions should be considered. Boilerplate limits for E&O are 1 million in the occurrence and the aggregate. As with General Liability, how limits are accessed are ultimately determined by the forms schedule so again a thorough understanding of the business operations is necessary. Unlike General Liability, defense costs on the E&O side are typically inside the limits, thus they erode the potential for settlement. Errors and Omissions is also known as Professional Liability.
There can be under a Cyber Liability Policy, which can include limits for Data Breach, Privacy Expense and even Voluntary Acts (This most often applies to phishing, where an employee will voluntarily hand over information to a malicious third party after being mislead). If your company holds any amount of data or has any data pass through their server, this type of policy should be considered. Data Breach and Privacy Expense can provide coverage for the Federal Statutory minimum of 3rd party credit monitoring for those whose records have been breached along with costs for public relations to restore brand image. Again, forms will speak how the limits are accessed.
Boat Insurance is designed to help protect you, your passengers, and other boaters from the potentially high cost of accident-related damages or injuries. It is a contract between you and your insurance provider in which you pay a premium in exchange for a set of coverage options that you choose. If you finance or lease your vessel, your lender may require specific insurance coverages and limits.
Your vessel is not automatically covered under your homeowners policy. If you cause an accident, or get into one with an uninsured vessel, you may be held responsible to cover related expenses, such as repairs, property damage, medical bills and more.
A specialized Boat Insurance policy covers your boat or personal watercraft, as well as its motor against potential loss due to:
Your policy also extends to protect extra equipment attached to your boat such as anchors, oars, canopies, life preservers, and fuel tanks. Coverage for fishing equipment and personal property is also available.
If Named Operator Policy, your boat insurance coverage provides protection to any operator listed on your policy. If Permissive Operator Policy, coverage protects anyone permitted to operate your vessel. Your policy may offer some protection for operators not listed on your policy who you occasionally allow to use your vessel, such as:
A Condition and Value Survey (CVS) is a report which details the current condition of a boat and estimates its value. The surveyor will complete a thorough visual inspection and non-destructive testing of the boat you intend to purchase. It gives the insurer an accurate in-depth assessment of the condition of the vessel in order to properly insure it. Boats 10 years and older with a length of 27 feet or more would be recommended to have a CVS survey completed, allowing for a wider range in carrier options.
For more info, click here to check out our short video on this topic.
It depends. Some policies are “permissive use” while others are “named operator.” “Permissive use” allows for the boat to be used by someone with your permission. “Named operator” requires all operators to be approved by insurer underwriters and named on the policy in order for any coverage to apply. Commercial and charter boat/yacht policies always require a named operator for commercial or charter use and may require them for pleasure use, also. Pleasure-boat/yacht policies can be permissive-use or named-operator policies. Injury to the operator (unless you have pertinent crew coverage) is typically not covered, and the operator’s own liability exposure may or may not be covered, depending on the policy and the circumstances.
For more info, click here to check out our short video on this topic.
Any violation of a regulation, manufacturer’s specification, or other comparable construct would be a violation of the terms of the typical insurance policy, potentially resulting in unpaid claims and insurability issues.
Actual Cash Value means that your carrier would pay out the replacement cost minus depreciation. Agreed Value means that coverage is provided for a pre-determined amount. Unlike auto insurance, most boats/yachts are written on an Agreed Value basis vs ACV.
For more info, click here to check out our short video on this topic.
Umbrella insurance is a separate, personal liability policy that can provide an additional layer of protection beyond what your boat insurance policy may provide. After a serious incident involving your vessel, the cost of damages for which you may be personally liable can quickly surpass the limits of your boat insurance policy. In these situations, umbrella insurance can give additional protection and is a crucial complement to any insurance portfolio, especially if you have a lot of assets to safeguard.
Liability insurance can help pay for medical expenses or legal costs if you are at fault in a boating accident. Coverage options include bodily injury payments, damage to another’s property, medical payments, guest passenger liability, and more.
Carriers are asking more and more that unexperienced operators have a Training Captain if jumping more than 10’ in size of previous vessel(s) owned. It is important to take into consideration the need to hire a captain for training when evaluating the costs of your boat purchase beyond the price of the boat.
You may be eligible for discounts based on factors such as:
Length is the most significant difference as a boat is defined as being 26 feet or shorter and a yacht would be defined as being 27 feet or longer. Due to the size differences, there are some requirements that underwriter will look for when quoting yachts vs boats:
Many factors affect your cost for boat insurance – the state in where you store and dock your boat, as well as the “navigation territory,” or the seas in which you utilize your boat. Your policy premium may be higher if you keep or moor your boat in an area that is more prone to catastrophic weather disasters. There is also the possibility of a windstorm deductible. Specific coverages and restrictions may be required by some states or marinas, which could affect your premium. Boats used inland typically have a lower rate than boats used on coastal waters.
It is necessary to think about where you will realistically take your boat. Wider navigation usually costs more, but you can keep it tight and do trip endorsements at less cost.
For more info, click here to check out our short video on this topic.
A boat is a significant investment that should be safeguarded all year. Fire, theft, weather, and natural disasters can all cause damage to your boat at any time and in any location. Your boat will be vulnerable to these risks all year if you do not have sufficient coverage. If a lay-up credit is applied, coverage only exists while in storage. Coverage may be void if used during a lay-up period.
Insurance policies generally require, at a minimum, that you take the precautions that a “reasonable and prudent” person would take to protect your property. Some may understand the extent of action implied by the words to include everything from securing your vessel as best you can where it is to relocating it to a shipyard, inland, or out of the storm’s destructive path. Carriers may ask that you create a storm plan detailing how you plan to mitigate a loss in the event of an approaching storm.
For more info, click here to check out our short video on “hauling out for named storms”
And click here to learn why getting insured prior to hurricane season is important.
Extended policy benefits like On-Water Towing and Roadside Assistance are available when traveling with your boat.
Wells offers coverage for a number of marine vessels:
Coverage options for Commercial Marine Insurance involve the following:
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From personal and commercial insurance to employee benefits packages and marine insurance we’ve got you covered. Select a product and let us help you find the best coverage at a great value.