The success of a business, whether it's a tiny enterprise run out of a basement or a large corporation, is largely dependent on hard work and ingenuity. However, no matter how industrious you are, one disaster can wipe out all your profits and even destroy your business. The key to making sure that all the effort and money you have invested in a business doesn't disappear when a disaster strikes is to protect it with the appropriate insurance.
The following information, provided by the Insurance Information Institute, will help you better understand your business insurance needs.
Business Insurance Information
The following information, provided by the Insurance Information Institute, will help you better understand your business insurance needs.
What does a businessowners policy cover?
Insurance companies selling business insurance offer policies that combine protection from all major property and liability risks in one package. (They also sell coverages separately.)
One package purchased by small and mid-sized businesses is the Business Owners Policy (BOP). The BOP policy was created for businesses that generally face the same kind and degree of risk. Larger companies might purchase a commercial package policy or customize their policies to meet the special risks they face.
BOPs include:
How can I save money on my business insurance?
Here are five ways to save money on business insurance:
Do I need business interruption insurance?
Business interruption insurance can be as vital to your survival as a business as fire insurance. Most people would never consider opening a business without buying insurance to cover damage due to fire and windstorms. But too many small businessowners fail to think about how they would manage if a fire or other disaster damaged their business premises so that they were temporarily unusable. Business interruption coverage is not sold separately. It is added to a property insurance policy or included in a package policy.
A business that has to close down completely while the premises are being repaired may lose out to competitors. A quick resumption of business after a disaster is essential.
Business interruption insurance compensates you for lost income if your company has to vacate the premises due to disaster-related damage that is covered under your property insurance policy, such as a fire. Business interruption insurance covers the profits you would have earned, based on your financial records, had the disaster not occurred. The policy also covers operating expenses, like electricity, that continue even though business activities have come to a temporary halt.
Because a BOP plan is structured to meet the needs of the small to mid-sized business owner, the potential expense and revenue needed to recover from a Business Interruption Loss has already been taken into consideration. As a result, your Business Interruption coverage is provided on an "Actual Loss Sustained" basis, your amount of loss determines the limited provided.
The price of the policy is related to the risk of a fire or other disaster damaging your premises. All other things being equal, the price would probably be higher for a restaurant than a real estate agency, for example, because of the greater risk of fire. Also, a real estate agency can more easily operate out of another location.
Extra Expense Insurance
Extra expense insurance reimburses your company for a reasonable sum of money that it spends, over and above normal operating expenses, to avoid having to shut down during the restoration period. Usually, extra expenses will be paid if they help to decrease business interruption costs.
Are there any disasters my property insurance won't cover?
Yes. Floods, earthquakes and acts of terrorism are generally not covered.
Protection against flood damage.
Property insurance policies usually exclude coverage for flood damage. Find out from your local government office or your commercial bank whether your business is located in a flood zone. Also ask around to find out whether your location has been flooded in the past. Government projects to map flood zones may be slow to keep up with new developments.
If you need to buy a flood insurance policy, contact your insurance agent or the National Flood Insurance Program. For more information about this program call 888-CALL-FLOOD or look at its web site http://www.fema.gov/nfip/. The federal government requires buildings in flood zones that don't conform to flood plain building codes to be torn down if damage exceeds 50 percent of the market value. Consider purchasing "ordinance or law" coverage to help pay for the extra costs of tearing down the structure and rebuilding it. If your policy contains a coinsurance clause, make sure your property is sufficiently insured to comply with the clause.
Protection against earthquake damage.
Coverage for earthquake damage is excluded in most property insurance policies, including homeowners and business owners package policies. If you live in an earthquake-prone area, you'll need a special earthquake insurance policy or commercial property earthquake endorsement.
Earthquake policies have a different kind of deductible -- a percentage of coverage rather than a straight dollar amount. If the building is insured for $100,000, with a 5% deductible, for example, in the event of an earthquake, your business would be responsible for the first $5,000 in damage.
Remember that business interruption insurance, which reimburses you for lost income during a shutdown, applies only to causes of damage covered under your business property insurance policy. If your business premises are shut down due to earthquake damage, you'll need to have earthquake coverage to make a claim under a business interruption policy.
Protection against terrorist attack losses.
Under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002, only busineses that purchase optional terrorism coverage are covered for losses arising from terrorist acts. The exception is workers compensation, which covers injuries and deaths due to acts of terrorism.
How can I disaster-proof my business?
Businesses that recover quickly are those that plan in advance. This involves not only purchasing the right insurance, but also developing and maintaining an adequate recovery plan.
Minimize the risk of damage in advance of an emergency by:
Develop a disaster recovery plan by:
How do I file a business insurance claim?
When a fire, accident or theft occurs at your business:
When filing a business interruption claim, be able to show the income the business was generating both before and after the loss. Keep detailed records of business activity and the extra expenses of keeping your business operating in a temporary location during the interruption period. If you are forced to close down, include expenses that continue during the time that the business is closed, such as advertising and the cost of utilities.
If you are unhappy with how your claim was handled:
What's the difference between cancellation and nonrenewal?
There is a big difference between an insurance company canceling a policy and choosing not to renew it. Insurance companies cannot cancel a policy that has been in force for more than 60 days except when:
Nonrenewal is a different matter. Either you or your insurance company can decide not to renew the policy when it expires. Depending on the state you live in, your insurance company must give you a certain number of days' notice and explain the reason for not renewing before it drops your policy. If you think the reason is unfair or want a further explanation, call the insurance company's consumer affairs division. If you don't get a satisfactory explanation, call your state insurance department.
The company may have decided to drop that particular line of insurance or to write fewer policies where you live, so the nonrenewal decision may not be because of something you did. On the other hand, if you did do something that raised the insurance company's risk considerably, like committing fraud, the premium may rise or you may not have your policy renewed.
If your insurance company did not renew your policy, you will not necessarily be charged a higher premium at another insurance company.
Do I need workers compensation insurance?
Employers have a legal responsibility to their employees to make the workplace safe. However, accidents happen even when every reasonable safety measure has been taken.
To protect employers from lawsuits resulting from workplace accidents and to provide medical care and compensation for lost income to employees hurt in workplace accidents, in almost every state, businesses are required to buy workers compensation insurance. Workers compensation insurance covers workers injured on the job, whether they're hurt on the workplace premises or elsewhere, or in auto accidents while on business. It also covers work-related illnesses.
Workers compensation provides payments to injured workers, without regard to who was at fault in the accident, for time lost from work and for medical and rehabilitation services. It also provides death benefits to surviving spouses and dependents.
Each state has different laws governing the amount and duration of lost income benefits, the provision of medical and rehabilitation services and how the system is administered. For example, in most states there are regulations that cover whether the worker or employer can choose the doctor who treats the injuries and how disputes about benefits are resolved.
Workers compensation insurance must be bought as a separate policy. Although in-home business and businessowners policies (BOPs) are sold as package policies, they don't include coverage for workers' injuries.
Do I need professional liability insurance?
Professionals that operate their own businesses need professional liability insurance in addition to an in-home business or businessowners policy. This protects them against financial losses from lawsuits filed against them by their clients.
Professionals are expected to have extensive technical knowledge or training in their particular area of expertise. They are also expected to perform the services for which they were hired, according to the standards of conduct in their profession. If they fail to use the degree of skill expected of them, they can be held responsible in a court of law for any harm they cause to another person or business. When liability is limited to acts of negligence, professional liability insurance may be called "errors and omissions" liability.
Professional liability insurance is a specialty coverage. Professional liability coverage is not provided under homeowners endorsements, in-home business policies or businessowners policies (BOPs).
What is employment practices liability insurance (EPLI)?
EPLI covers businesses against claims by workers that their legal rights as employees of the company have been violated.
The number of lawsuits filed by employees against their employers has been rising. While most suits are filed against large corporations, no company is immune to such lawsuits. Recognizing that smaller companies now need this kind of protection, some insurers provide this coverage as an endorsement to their Business Owners Policy (BOP). An endorsement changes the terms and conditions of the policy. Other companies offer EPLI as a stand-alone coverage.
EPLI provides protection against many kinds of employee lawsuits, including claims of:
The cost of EPLI coverage depends on your type of business, the number of employees you have and various risk factors such as whether your company has been sued over employment practices in the past. The policies will reimburse your company against the costs of defending a lawsuit in court and for judgments and settlements. The policy covers legal costs, whether your company wins or loses the suit. Policies also typically do not pay for punitive damages or civil or criminal fines. Liabilities covered by other insurance policies such as workers compensation are excluded from EPLI policies.
To prevent employee lawsuits, educate your managers and employees so that you minimize problems in the first place:
What is Professional Liability insurance?
Doesn’t my employer provide me with Professional Liability coverage?
While many employers (not all) will provide some professional liability coverage, chances are that coverage may have some serious gaps, including:
What would having a personal Professional Liability Insurance Plan give me?
In the event of a lawsuit, your own Professional Liability Insurance policy would:
Why should I consider an individual Professional Liability Insurance Plan from AMBA?
How do I apply?
Am I eligible to purchase my medical professional liability with installments?
How can I get a premium quote for my business?
Request a premium quote by calling AMBA today at 1-800-828-5419.
Why should I choose AMBA for my business insurance?
Here are the top three reasons to choose AMBA:
We're here to help! Please contact us in whatever manner is most convenient for you.
Address AMBA 4050 114th Street Urbandale, Iowa 50322 |
---|
Phone 1-800-828-5419 |
Hours M-F 7:30a-5p CT |
Email [email protected] |
Website www.amba.info |