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R&R Insurance Blog

Julie Liebelt

Recent Posts

R&R Encrypts Email For Added Security

Posted by Julie Liebelt

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R&R Insurance Services is committed to providing our customers with the highest level of service and support. We take the safeguarding of our customers' personal information very seriously. Your privacy will always be a priority at R&R Insurance Services. Because of this, R&R has a company-wide policy to use encryption software when sending any email that contains personal, identifiable information.

Encrypting an email message that contains personal or non-public, identifiable information about our customers, their family members or employees greatly diminishes the risk of that information being intercepted by third parties. We are confident that it is in the best interest of our customers to take appropriate measures to protect their information from potential identify thieves.

R&R Insurance uses RPost, an email encryption service to handle our encryption needs.

RPost's Secu(R)mail encrypted email services are effective for electronic delivery and execution of documents required or regulated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). RPost also preserves data integrity by legally verifying that precisely what was sent is what was received by the other side. To view an encrypted message, the recipient needs only to open the message, click on the attachment and enter a password.

Should you have any questions regarding our encryption policy or our corporate privacy policy, contact Julie Liebelt.

Topics: Personal Insurance, R&R Insurance News, julie liebelt, Business Insurance, privacy policy, RPost Secu(R)mail, protect your information, encrypted email, potential identity thieves

R&R to begin using new ACORD 25 Certificate of Insurance

Posted by Julie Liebelt

In September 2009, ACORD revised the ACORD 25 Certificate of Insurance form. R&R Insurance will begin using this new form in the near future.

You will notice that the new ACORD Certificate of Insurance has a new appearance, and is now a single-sided document, making faxing and emailing more efficient. Most notably is the removal of the cancellation notice provision.

Prior versions of the ACORD 25 contained a section stating that the insurance carrier will endeavor to give the certificate holder a certain number of days notice in event of policy cancellation. The notice of cancellation provision in your policy(ies) is a provision given to you, the insured. Your policy does not contain any provisions to notify certificate holders that your policy has been cancelled, therefore, ACORD has modified its certificate to coincide with policy provisions.

A certificate of insurance must, by state law, be a true and accurate representation of policy coverage. However, many certificate holders have required our policyholders to ask their agents to furnish them with certificates that cite verbiage that doesn’t exist in the policy, or to reference indemnity clauses.

It is our practice at R&R Insurance to be in full compliance with state statutes and our licensing agreement with ACORD. We will not be able to issue an older version of the ACORD 25, although the certificate holder will likely request it. Likewise, we cannot alter the current certificate to add the cancellation language requested by the certificate holder.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the new certificate, we are here to help you and happy to answer your questions.

Topics: Business Insurance

Contractors' Equipment and Coinsurance

Posted by Julie Liebelt

Contractors' equipment may be insured either on a scheduled basis, meaning listing an amount of insurance for each item, or on a blanket basis, with a larger amount shown for all tools and equipment. With either method, it's important to realize that the insurance policy almost always requires the contractor to insure the equipment for a minimum amount (80%, 90% or 100% depending on the insurance carrier). If the contractors' equipment policy is written on a replacement cost basis with a 90% insurance-to-value requirement, then all equipment must be insured to 90% of what it would cost to replace it. Failure to do so can result in a reduced claim payment, most commonly referred to as a coinsurance penalty. Please talk to your agent about adequate insurance limits on your equipment. He or she will advise you about the proper amount of insurance required to avoid any unpleasant surprises at the time of a loss.

Topics: Business Insurance

Employee Theft on the Rise

Posted by Julie Liebelt

New research shows that employers are seeing an increase in internal crimes, ranging from fictitious sales transactions, the theft of office equipment and retail products meant for sale to customers, and payroll checks for phantom employees being transferred electronically to an employee’s bank account.

Employers suspect that workers are pilfering from them to cope with financial difficulties at home or in anticipation of being laid off. And it seems that no one is immune from this crime: churches, manufacturers, retail and service organizations have all found it necessary to report an employee theft claim.

There’s never been a better time than now to take another look at your employee theft insurance coverage. Your commercial property policy most likely covers loss by theft, but not if the theft is committed by an employee. Crime insurance is necessary to protect you from this loss.

Employee theft coverage protects the employer from theft of money, securities or other tangible property of the employer. It’s important to note that limits of insurance are not cumulative, meaning if the embezzlement takes place over several years, you can’t add the policies together. Therefore, it’s important to make sure the limit on today’s policy is high enough to cover your loss.

Talk to a knowledge broker today to discuss employee theft coverage, or to request quotes on higher limits. You may be surprised to learn how affordable it is!

Topics: Business Insurance

Making Sense of Certificate of Insurance Requests

Posted by Julie Liebelt

One of the best articles I've read about certificates was published by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. It addresses many of the off-the-wall requests that insureds and their agents see every day. These requests have become demanding, confusing and at times very expensive, if not impossible, to fulfill. This article explains clearly what is uninsurable, inappropriate, inpractical and/or illegal. Our agents deal with this issue daily and are ready to answer your questions and share their knowledge with you and your staff. We'll help you make sense of certificate requests!

Topics: Business Insurance

Employment Liability Insurance - More Firms Taking Defensive Action

Posted by Julie Liebelt

Claims against employers are on the rise and business owners should explore employment liability if coverage is not already in place. Wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment claims filed against employers increased 23% between 2007 and 2008, and retaliation claims are up 30%.

Employment liability insurance is a product that continues to evolve as the economy changes. Within the last year, new plan designs for employment Liability insurance have included crisis management coverage, workplace violence coverage and network security.

Topics: Employee Benefits, Business Insurance

Fiduciary Liability vs. Employee Benefits Liability

Posted by Julie Liebelt

There is often confusion over the similarities between the policy for Pension and Welfare Fund Fiduciary Responsibility Insurance and the Employee Benefits Liability (EBL) endorsement for the Commercial General Liability Coverage portion. Although some coverage duplication exists in the area of administrative errors and omissions, the thrust of the two forms is different.

The EBL endorsement was designed primarily to provide coverage for administrative errors and omissions for a large variety of benefit plans. The Fiduciary policy form was designed to cover ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) exposures of fiduciaries for specifically designated plans to the extent that they are caused by a “wrongful act”. Fiduciary Liability vs. Employee Benefits Liability Tip Sheet.

Topics: Employee Benefits, Resource Center, Business Insurance

Violations of EPA Lead Paint Training Rule Could Result in Fines of $32,500 Per Day

Posted by Julie Liebelt

Contractors working on pre-1978 homes must be trained and certified by April 22, 2010 under the EPA’s lead rule. Wisconsin's Lead-Safe Renovation Rule, DHS-163.

Who Must Follow the EPA’s Lead Rule Requirements?
In general, anyone who is paid to perform renovation work that disturbs paint in housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • Residential rental property owners/managers
  • General contractors
  • Special trade contractors, including
    - Painters
    - Plumbers
    - Carpenters
    - Electricians
    - Window replacement contractors

Because renovation is broadly defined as any activity that disturbs painted surfaces, anyone who is compensated for most types of repair, remodeling, and maintenance activities must comply.

Topics: Resource Center, Business Insurance