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Commercial lines

Does a California guarantee fund cover my surplus lines policy if the insurer fails?

No. California requires the surplus line broker and the nonadmitted insurer to tell you in writing, in boldface 16-point type on a freestanding document you sign, that th

Establishedsurplus-linesReviewed September 5, 20263 sources

How do workers compensation class codes affect a quote?

Start with which system applies, because that is a question of state. NCCI states that its Experience Rating Plan does not apply in California, Delaware, Michigan, New Je

Establishedworkers-compensationReviewed August 31, 202611 sources

How many insurers have to decline before a broker can place my risk in the non-admitted market?

Three, but the number is evidence rather than the rule. California requires the broker to make a diligent search among admitted insurers that actually write the type of i

Establishedsurplus-linesReviewed September 5, 20262 sources

What does a surety bond guarantee, and how is it different from insurance?

A surety bond guarantees that the bonded party will perform an obligation, and it is written for the party that required the bond rather than the party that pays for it.

Establishedsurety, contract-surety, license-and-permit-bonds, court-bondsReviewed August 31, 202613 sources

What information does a commercial property underwriter usually request?

A commercial property underwriter is generally looking at four categories of information the industry calls COPE: construction, occupancy, protection, and exposures. One

Contextualcommercial-property, bopReviewed August 31, 202611 sources

What is a claims-made retroactive date?

On a claims-made liability policy written with a retroactive date, that date is the earliest point at which the injury, damage, or wrongful act can have happened and stil

Contextualprofessional-liability, errors-and-omissions, directors-and-officers, cyber-liability, medical-professional-liabilityReviewed August 31, 202611 sources

What is inland marine insurance used for?

Inland marine is the classification used for movable property, property in transit, and a set of transportation and communication structures such as bridges, tunnels, pip

Contextualinland-marine, commercial-property, builders-risk, motor-truck-cargoReviewed August 31, 20269 sources

What is the difference between general liability and professional liability?

They respond to different kinds of harm: in the standard advisory commercial general liability coverage form CG 00 01 04 13, Coverage A pays sums the insured becomes lega

Contextualgeneral-liability, professional-liabilityReviewed August 31, 20269 sources

When can a contract require additional insured status?

A contract can ask for additional insured status, but only a change to the insurance policy can grant it. On the standard ISO forms, that change is an additional insured

Contextualgeneral-liability, workers-compensationReviewed August 31, 202613 sources

Why can two insurance policies with the same limit protect differently?

The limit is a ceiling on payment, not a description of what is covered, so two policies printing the same number can behave very differently. The number itself can mean

Establishedgeneral-liability, professional-liability, commercial-property, homeowners, floodReviewed August 31, 202611 sources

Personal lines

Can my insurer make me use their repair shop after a California car accident?

No. California prohibits an insurer from requiring that an automobile be repaired at a specific automotive repair dealer. It may not even suggest or recommend one unless

EstablishedautoReviewed September 5, 20261 sources

Does homeowners insurance cover earthquake damage in California?

Generally no, and California law says so in the statute itself: section 10083(a) prescribes the wording insurers must use for the mandatory earthquake offer, in at least

Establishedhomeowners, earthquakeReviewed August 31, 202611 sources

What does a lender insurance requirement actually prove?

A lender insurance requirement proves the loan condition is satisfied. It is written around the loan and the collateral, not around whether a household could recover. For

Establishedhomeowners, flood, earthquake, commercial-propertyReviewed August 31, 202615 sources

What is the difference between replacement cost and market value?

Replacement cost is the cost to repair or replace damaged property using materials of a like kind and quality; market value is a different number, because it includes the

Establishedhomeowners, floodReviewed August 31, 20269 sources

When does a landlord need a landlord policy instead of homeowners coverage?

In the forms read here, the dividing line is whether you still reside at the property, not whether someone else also lives there. The ISO HO 00 03 05 11 special form defi

Contextualhomeowners, dwelling-fire, landlord, condoReviewed August 31, 20268 sources

Why did my California underinsured motorist coverage pay nothing?

Most often because the at-fault driver carried liability limits equal to or above your own uninsured motorist limit, which in California leaves nothing for the coverage t

EstablishedautoReviewed September 5, 20261 sources

No model wrote any of these answers on demand. Each one was drafted against primary sources, mapped claim by claim, and reviewed by a named person before publication. Read the methodology for exactly where automation is and is not used.