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Moon and Adrion Insurance Blog
Hail damage to residential roofing systems Apr 11, 2011
Hail events present unique challenges for both our agency partners and State Auto's claims professionals. In many instances those "challenges" are centered on the differences of opinion as to what is and what is not hail damage to the roofing systems.
There is much mis-information throughout the industry when it comes to what constitutes true hail damage. Some of this confusion is a result of individuals simply not having much experience in properly identifying hail damage, but the bigger reason for misidentification of hail damage is from the lack of professional training of the inspectors.
State Auto's claims department training is two-fold. The classroom piece of the training is conducted through an intense certification program by Haag Engineering: http://www.certifiedroofinspector.com/
Haag Engineering is the premier engineering company in the arena of hail and wind damage to roofing systems. Its engineers are considered experts in the aforementioned discipline.
Haag requires that inspectors must have at least one hundred residential roof inspections under their belts before they can even attend the class. Once the inspector attends the 20-hour class and passes a four hour exam, they are Haag Certified. Haag requires a "recertification" each year for the next four years. On the fifth year the inspector must then attend the 20-hour class once more and pass the four hour exam again.
Beyond the Haag Certification, State Auto has teamed our cat adjusters with seasoned staff on all events to mentor and elevate their knowledge to an even higher level. State Auto's seasoned staff has as much as thirty-three years working hail and wind claims throughout the U.S.
By the end of 2011 all staff cat team adjusters, all general adjuster's and all regional property adjusters will have the formal training to obtain the Haag certification.
The combination of the formalized training through Haag Engineering and our mentoring will give State Auto's agency partners one of the premier groups of claims professionals in the industry. At State Auto Claims, our intense focus on all we do is paving the way for State Auto to become the insurance company of choice.
There is much mis-information throughout the industry when it comes to what constitutes true hail damage. Some of this confusion is a result of individuals simply not having much experience in properly identifying hail damage, but the bigger reason for misidentification of hail damage is from the lack of professional training of the inspectors.
State Auto's claims department training is two-fold. The classroom piece of the training is conducted through an intense certification program by Haag Engineering: http://www.certifiedroofinspector.com/
Haag Engineering is the premier engineering company in the arena of hail and wind damage to roofing systems. Its engineers are considered experts in the aforementioned discipline.
Haag requires that inspectors must have at least one hundred residential roof inspections under their belts before they can even attend the class. Once the inspector attends the 20-hour class and passes a four hour exam, they are Haag Certified. Haag requires a "recertification" each year for the next four years. On the fifth year the inspector must then attend the 20-hour class once more and pass the four hour exam again.
Beyond the Haag Certification, State Auto has teamed our cat adjusters with seasoned staff on all events to mentor and elevate their knowledge to an even higher level. State Auto's seasoned staff has as much as thirty-three years working hail and wind claims throughout the U.S.
By the end of 2011 all staff cat team adjusters, all general adjuster's and all regional property adjusters will have the formal training to obtain the Haag certification.
The combination of the formalized training through Haag Engineering and our mentoring will give State Auto's agency partners one of the premier groups of claims professionals in the industry. At State Auto Claims, our intense focus on all we do is paving the way for State Auto to become the insurance company of choice.
Monitor Your Teen's Driving Oct 13, 2010
Automobile accidents are easily the leading cause of death for teenagers across America, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For both genders, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 have the highest average annual crash and traffic violation rates of any other age group. NHTSA data also show that unaccompanied 16- and 17-year-olds crash nine times more often than adults.
Research indicates that young novice drivers tend to underestimate the crash risk in hazardous situations. Teen drivers also tend to take more risks while driving, partly due to their overconfidence in their driving abilities. One way for parents to reduce their teen's chances of being involved in an auto accident is to use technology to monitor their driving characteristics and provide appropriate feedback.
A number of "black box" products are now available on the marketplace to facilitate monitoring drivers. These small devices (often the size of a pager and starting at around $280) can be simply installed into the auto your teen drives by plugging them into the Vehicle Data Link Connector (on 1996 and new vehicles). They can detect and record your teen's speed, aggressive driving such as "jack-rabbit" takeoffs, failure to wear a seat belt, unsafe backing techniques, driving locations, monthly mileage, and driving times. Thus, if your teen's curfew is at midnight and they get home at 1:00 a.m., you will know it.
With some of these products, you can simply pop the memory card out of the "black box" and plug it into your PC to display the reports and graphs. You can then review the results with your teenager, providing a great educational opportunity based on solid, technology-driven evidence. Research indicates that this type of monitoring and coaching pays off big dividends in the form of safer teen driving. Numerous companies offer these products in the marketplace, with some of the more sophisticated ones costing upwards of $1,000. A few insurers offer discounts for families who utilize these devices.
Get more personal lines insurance and risk management tips and ideas from IRMI.
Copyright 2010 International Risk Management Institute, Inc. *****
Research indicates that young novice drivers tend to underestimate the crash risk in hazardous situations. Teen drivers also tend to take more risks while driving, partly due to their overconfidence in their driving abilities. One way for parents to reduce their teen's chances of being involved in an auto accident is to use technology to monitor their driving characteristics and provide appropriate feedback.
A number of "black box" products are now available on the marketplace to facilitate monitoring drivers. These small devices (often the size of a pager and starting at around $280) can be simply installed into the auto your teen drives by plugging them into the Vehicle Data Link Connector (on 1996 and new vehicles). They can detect and record your teen's speed, aggressive driving such as "jack-rabbit" takeoffs, failure to wear a seat belt, unsafe backing techniques, driving locations, monthly mileage, and driving times. Thus, if your teen's curfew is at midnight and they get home at 1:00 a.m., you will know it.
With some of these products, you can simply pop the memory card out of the "black box" and plug it into your PC to display the reports and graphs. You can then review the results with your teenager, providing a great educational opportunity based on solid, technology-driven evidence. Research indicates that this type of monitoring and coaching pays off big dividends in the form of safer teen driving. Numerous companies offer these products in the marketplace, with some of the more sophisticated ones costing upwards of $1,000. A few insurers offer discounts for families who utilize these devices.
Get more personal lines insurance and risk management tips and ideas from IRMI.
Copyright 2010 International Risk Management Institute, Inc. *****
Condominium Coverage Checkup Sep 9, 2010
Arranging the proper insurance for your condominium is more difficult than a standard one-family dwelling since your condo coverage has to be properly coordinated with your condominium association's master policy. For this reason, it is a good idea to periodically have a quick condominium coverage checkup with your agent. The following are some ways for us to improve the insurance protection for your condominium unit to avoid any large coverage gaps.
Request a copy of the association's "declaration" document and provide it to your agent. This document will indicate what coverages you as the unit-owner are responsible for individually insuring.
Work with your agent to evaluate the property insurance limit appropriate for your condo. For example, if you have performed any remodeling work, damage to these updates may not be covered under your master policy, and the dwelling limits under your unit-owners policy may be inadequate as a result.
It is very important to consider the possibility of assessments from the association to individual unit-owners to reimburse the association for deductibles it incurs following a loss covered by the association's master policy. This situation is particularly problematic for unit-owners when the assessment is due to high property deductibles increasingly found under associations' master policies. A review of the association's declaration document will indicate the amount of the deductible. Your policy probably provides a limited amount of coverage for your assessment, and it may be possible to increase the amount if there is a possibility you will be assessed more than the assessment coverage limit.
Another area in which coverage gaps often appear concerns the perils covered under your unit-owners policy. Depending on the form you currently have in place, it may be beneficial to expand the covered perils.
Also be sure to review the personal property (i.e., contents) limit under your unit-owners policy. This limit may need to be adjusted based on any major purchases you have made since the last review.
Copyright 2009
International Risk Management Institute, Inc.
Request a copy of the association's "declaration" document and provide it to your agent. This document will indicate what coverages you as the unit-owner are responsible for individually insuring.
Work with your agent to evaluate the property insurance limit appropriate for your condo. For example, if you have performed any remodeling work, damage to these updates may not be covered under your master policy, and the dwelling limits under your unit-owners policy may be inadequate as a result.
It is very important to consider the possibility of assessments from the association to individual unit-owners to reimburse the association for deductibles it incurs following a loss covered by the association's master policy. This situation is particularly problematic for unit-owners when the assessment is due to high property deductibles increasingly found under associations' master policies. A review of the association's declaration document will indicate the amount of the deductible. Your policy probably provides a limited amount of coverage for your assessment, and it may be possible to increase the amount if there is a possibility you will be assessed more than the assessment coverage limit.
Another area in which coverage gaps often appear concerns the perils covered under your unit-owners policy. Depending on the form you currently have in place, it may be beneficial to expand the covered perils.
Also be sure to review the personal property (i.e., contents) limit under your unit-owners policy. This limit may need to be adjusted based on any major purchases you have made since the last review.
Copyright 2009
International Risk Management Institute, Inc.
Licensed Ohio, however we hold a Non-Resident license in many states (KY, Ind., Ill, Fla, Iowa, GA, Md.) to accommodate our clients with multi-state exposures. License #'s available upon request.
180 N. Breiel Blvd. Middletown, OH 45042 | Phone: 513-422-4504 | Fax: 513-422-7873 | Toll Free: 888-405-1000 | Email Us | Get Map
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Provide us with your current e-mail address by e-mailing the agency. Or by calling our office at 1-888-405-1000 (Nationwide Toll Free). You will receive information faster and more securely as well as qualify for “future” paperless discounts as they become available.
Provide us with your current e-mail address by e-mailing the agency. Or by calling our office at 1-888-405-1000 (Nationwide Toll Free). You will receive information faster and more securely as well as qualify for “future” paperless discounts as they become available.