Author, Daniel Frazee, Executive Vice President, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

While business owners spend thousands of hours becoming experts in their own field, most know very little about the intricacies of purchasing commercial insurance. Consider exploring these topics further as you prepare for your upcoming renewal cycle.

Buying Too Little Property Insurance

Property coverage can often be the least expensive piece of a comprehensive insurance program. Yet the impact financially to a business or property owner can be devastating if you are under-insured. Take time to understand any coinsurance clause that may exist within your policy and the real world impacts that could occur if any penalty is imposed by the carrier if you have failed to maintain a minimum amount of insurance. Ensuring that your property limits are more than adequate can truly be a cost-effective approach when there is a significant loss.

Overlooking Potential Savings of Higher Deductibles

In layman terms, purchasing insurance simply transfers risk from one party to the other in exchange for premium dollars. Deductibles are a form of self-insurance that represents the costs you are responsible for before your coverage starts. Typically, the higher your policy’s deductible, the lower annual premium because you are absorbing more financial risk if and when a claim occurs. With this in mind, discussing your risk tolerance with your leadership team and your broker can allow for healthy dialogue leading into rate negotiation.

Not Buying Enough Liability Limits

A common term circling around the insurance industry is Social Inflation. This generally refers to the rising costs of insurance claims that are a result of societal trends and views toward increased litigation, plaintiff friendly legal decisions, and large jury awards. As W. Robert Berkley Jr., chief executive officer of commercial property and casualty insurer W.R. Berkley Corp told analysts, “Social inflation is real. It is here and the industry is beginning to pay attention.” This is a waving red flag that insurance buyers should begin considering higher liability limits by adding an Umbrella policy or increasing existing limits. Businesses can implement plans to mitigate risk. But, lawsuits and the amount of damages plaintiffs will seek remain unpredictable.

The Impacts of “Carrier Jumping”

Building a strong, viable business is centered on relationships. It is those relationships that you lean on most when you need an insurance carrier to come through for you, a consultant to solve a problem, or a key partner to deliver when times are difficult. That philosophy applies more than business owners might realize in the insurance industry. Jumping from carrier to carrier, year to year, to get the cheapest policy might save on the short-term, but this approach can negatively impact your marketability in the long-term. 

First, it is important to understand that underwriters see your carrier and claim history as a part of their risk profile review. In determining their real opportunity to win your trust, they’ll look closely at your willingness to create a longer term partnership and your historical trends with carriers will provide immediate answers. 

Secondly, remember the phrase “when you need an insurance carrier to come through for you.” A critical part of building a relationship with your carrier is developing relationships with their loss control and claims teams. When claims occur, which are inevitable, you want and need that comfort level to know that your vendor will handle it properly and timely.

Start simple when it comes to your approach with buying commercial insurance. The topics above are only the beginning of this process but can have meaningful impact on appropriate coverage and limit levels, pricing, and claims handling.

For more information, contact me at (619) 937-0172 or dfrazee@ranchomesa.com.