Ask Yourself,
"Do I Need Flood Insurance?~~
If You Answered No, Read This.

When you think of flooding. you probably envision rivers bursting free of their banks or hurricane-spurred waves crashing well beyond the usual shoreline, But that's just a failure of imagination, Floods can happen anywhere, anytime - not just near the coast. lakes and rivers. Springtime is the prime time for flooding. Torrential rain. snow melt and mudslides can all cause flood losses and unless you have flood insurance.

You probably are not covered for these potential catastrophes. Generally, coverage provided by a standard home or business policy does not include damage caused by flooding or mudslides.This type of damage could be extremely destructive to your property and without the proper insurance coverage, you could be devastated financially.

You can help yourself prepare for flooding by heeding storm warnings and follow any evacuation procedures such as boarding up windows, shutting off utilities and preparing an emergency kit that contains food and water, a can opener; clothing, blankets, flashlights, first-aid supplies, battery-operated radio and extra batteries.

Of course, no preventative measures offer complete protection. The best defense always will be the right insurance coverage. And, while many people think homeowners and/or business insurance will pay for flood repairs, they do not. Now that you've changed your answer to yes, call us today. We'll help you protect your property, at a price that won't break the bank.

Insurers classify commercial vehicles several ways. Each method of classification affects the rate charged. When an insurance underwriter has any doubts about which classification to use, they almost always use the more expensive one.

You may be able to save money by correctly classifying your vehicles’ use. The three primary classifications used are retail, commercial and service. The retail classification usually produces the highest rates, while the service rating usually produces the lowest.

Retail use is for deliveries to and from individual households. Service use is incidental use of the vehicle in your business, such as a contractor’s truck used to haul tools, etc. Commercial use is all other uses.

One common classification error is to list vehicles as commercial use, when in reality they would qualify for the service classification. Another common mistake is not changing the classification when the vehicle is taken out of service for its regular use. An example would be a case in which a retail delivery vehicle is retired from delivery routes, but still used for other commercial purposes, such as hauling around the plant facility or storage yard.

Give us a call. We will assist you in making sure that you use the correct and most cost-effective classification allowed for your commercial vehicles’ use.

Before You Pick Up
Your Rental Car

You survived the long flight and you are eager to get on the road to reach your destination. You know you don't want to be without insurance, so you purchased the "collision damage waiver" insurance and the "liability" insurance recommended by the rental car agent. But after you hit the road and have some idle time to think, you start wondering if you really needed all that expensive extra insurance. After all, it wasn't figured into your budget Well, chances are you don't need the extra insurance offered by rental car companies.

If the rental contract does not exceed 30 days and the rental car will not be driven out of the United States, its territories and possessions and Canada, then the "collision damage waiver" insurance and the "liability" insurance are unnecessary. However; if your travel plans include Europe. we'll need to talk. So, make a mental note to call our agency any time you reserve a rental car. Just give us the details of the trip you have planned and we'll help you determine whether you need the extra insurance before you pick up the car.

Date Posted to Site:   March 2006