Commercial General Liability Insurance

Looking for commercial general liability insurance? It’s possible to take out a general liability insurance policy to cover your business for some common liability risks. If you or your employees offer advice to clients or make significant judgments that may affect your clients’ health and wellbeing, financial wellbeing or business operations, you may need additional professional liability coverage.

Here are some common risks businesses and consultancies that you may want coverage for:

§  Libel or slander

§  Copyright infringement associated with publications or advertising

§  Employment practices (discrimination, for example)

§  Bodily injury caused by you or an employee

§  Property damage caused by you or an employee

§  Professional negligence

Ensuring your business has adequate coverage is essential. Without it, a law suit could send your business into bankruptcy and even place your personal assets at risk.

There’s another good reason to ensure you have adequate liability coverage. Accidents and errors do happen and the more employees you have, the greater the chance of occurrence.  Compensating a person who is genuinely injured or has otherwise suffered due to an act or omission by you or an employee is usually the right and just thing to do. Liability insurance exists so that genuine victims can be compensated.

If you’d like to protect yourself and others, contact us today to discuss your liability insurance requirements.

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General Liability Insurance in California

Starting a business takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention the financial cost involved. Having put so much into it, the last thing you want is for your business to be financially damaged by a lawsuit or even worse having to go out of business.  Every company – no matter what it does or how successful it is, no matter how big or small, new or old – should be protected by a general liability insurance policy. It is in many ways the most basic business insurance coverage available.

A general liability insurance policy protects your business, and ultimately you and your assets, by covering you for accidents or property damage, if a lawsuit is filed and you or one of your employees are found to be liable.

Of course, no business owner wants the stress of going through a law suit. We can’t plan ahead enough or put enough safe guards in place to completely eliminate all the risks of doing business. None the less, there are many things you can do to help reduce the chances of a claim or lawsuit being filed against you:

§  Set a high standard for quality control of your product or service.

§  Maintain company records and keep them up to date.

§  Provide quality training for your employees.

§  Develop a good set of safety procedures that incorporate the safety of visitors on your business premises.

§  Place a strong emphasis on customer service – a happy customer is less likely to file a trivial claim.

Helping business owners is one of our specialties so if you need general liability insurance in California, please speak to us about your business insurance needs. We are confident we will find a solution for you.

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Umbrella Insurance and Divorce

People hate the act so much they call it the “D” word. An old country song even spelled it out to avoid having to sing it. Nevertheless, divorce is a part of life, as much as we all hate it. If you have umbrella insurance, and you get divorced, you’ll need to update that policy, as well as other insurance policies.

If you’ve split with a partner, get out copies of all your current common polices and decide which ones you’ll keep. In addition to your umbrella policy - or policies - you’ll need to examine homeowners, auto, life, and any other insurance policies. Next, look into any additional insurance you might need. For instance, if your former spouse provided your life insurance through his or her employer, you may need to replace that insurance with something of your own. There may also be a need for reduction, which might require closing out an insurance policy. Naturally, if the policies are in both names, you’ll need to change that.

Lastly, this might be a good time to update your coverage. Say, for example, your former spouse had a high-risk hobby or occupation. In that case, your umbrella insurance may go down. Therefore, be sure to inquire about new rates based upon your updated status.

If you have any questions at all about how a divorce will affect your insurance policies, please be sure to contact a customer service representative. 

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Car Insurance Basics for Costa Mesa California

If you’re looking for car insurance in Costa Mesa CA, we can help. We’re licensed in the State of California and our experience agents can find you the most affordable car insurance from a big variety of carriers.

If you’re new to the State, there are mandatory levels of liability insurance and you’ll need to show proof of insurance coverage when you go to register your vehicle. You’ll be pleased to know that our vehicle theft statistics are well below the national average – but that shouldn’t deter you from taking out comprehensive car insurance to protect your vehicle, because thefts do happen. And of course, there are other reasons to take out comprehensive insurance. It can cover you where collision insurance won’t. – fallen trees branches, storm damage, flood or acts of vandalism.

While auto theft rates are low we do have our share of vehicle accidents so additional liability and collision coverage should be considered.

When insuring your vehicle in Costa Mesa CA you must use an agency or insurer that is licensed in the State of California or your insurance won’t be valid – and that would be a nasty surprise in the event of an accident or theft.

Prices vary between carriers so shopping around for a good rate can make quite a difference. Of course, we’ve done a lot of the hard work for you – so why not put our experience to work for you! Use our online estimate form or call us for personal attention.

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Costa Mesa Home Insurance Coverage Review

Have you reviewed your Costa Mesa Home Insurance Policy lately?

Living in Costa Mesa “The Best Place to Live” your home is one of your biggest investments and potentially an inheritance for your children. As such, you need to do everything you can to protect it. Regular maintenance of roofing and guttering will go a long way to protect your home from damage by the elements. A good weather resistant paint will protect the structure for years and lessen the necessity to repaint as frequently. Check under sinks occasionally for leaky pipes - they can cause a great deal of damage before you are aware of it. If you neglect routine maintenance around your home, you may be penalised in the event of a claim on your insurance.

A home insurance policy will generally protect your biggest asset from damage by fire, hurricane, hail, and lightning, covering for repair or replacement of your home. As such it is essential that you ensure you insure it for an amount sufficient to rebuild in the event of a total loss. Deliberately insuring your home for an inadequate amount is not a sensible thing to do and will only serve to disappoint you if you need to claim on it.

Home insurance will also provide you with coverage for legal expenses in the event that personal injury occurs to someone visiting at your home.

Why not call one of our agents at Excelsure Insurance for a hassle free homeowners insurance quote. We’re right here in Costa Mesa, so we are familiar with property values and will guide you in your choices.

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Liability insurance for small business

California business insurance can be expensive and budgeting for it – and any increases you might need in coverage as your business expands – is absolutely essential. Policies should be reviewed annually. Here are a few things that should be taken into consideration during your business policy review:

§  Have your business assets increased in value? If so, is your coverage for damage and theft still sufficient?

§  Have you constructed new buildings or sheds on your premises? You’ll need to recalculate the cost of rebuilding the premises if you have.

§  Do you have machinery that you didn’t have last year? If you’ve purchased new items are they included on the policy? Do you need equipment breakdown coverage?

§  Are you carrying a higher level of stock than you have done previously?

§  Do you have new products or services? If you do, has your risk of being held liable for injury or damage increased?

An annual review of workplace safety is also a good idea. As your business grows, new risks can emerge. It might be the case that your workplace safety procedures need to be updated or expanded.

Check the cost of your premiums against the previous year. If they’ve increased significantly it could be a good time to shop around for better prices.

If you need assistance with your business owners policy review or if it’s time to reduce the cost of your premiums, talk to the Excelsure. We’re experienced in assisting California businesses big and small to manage their insurance needs.

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Understanding Flood Insurance Risks

Flood risk is such a generalized term. But insurers cannot generalize about any risk – it’s their job to be specific. An excellent place to find good information about how flooding and flooding risks are defined is www.floodsmart.gov, the official NationalFlood Insurance Program site.

Granted, flooding can happen almost anywhere, but there are particular areas, which are especially susceptible to raised water troubles. Risk areas can be broken up as follows: high-risk, moderate-to-low risk, and undetermined-risk regions.

High-risk areas have at least a 1% chance of flooding every year. If you do the math, this equals a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a typical 30-year mortgage. In these regions, every homeowner with federally regulated or insured lenders is required to purchase flood insurance.

Moderate-to-low risk regions are outside the 1% annual flood risk floodplain. Flood insurance isn’t required for these places, but it is highly recommended. “Undetermined” risk areas are regions where no flood-hazard analysis has been commissioned.

Perhaps you’re new to the area you live in and don’t really know what to expect when the rains come. The best way to find out the level of your flood risk is to have your insurance agent perform a risk profile.

If you’d like further information about flood insurance or your need coverage, contact a customer service representative for information and a quote.

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