Hurricane season is officially here - are you prepared?

Did you know that today begins the start of Hurricane Season?

2011 showed us that there is no area of the country immune to weather related disasters.  Please take a moment to review information from the National Weather Service Hurricane Preparedness Center and FEMA.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare/

Don't forget to take care of your office as well as prepare your clients for the upcoming storm season.

Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost

A recent article by PropertyCasualty360.com looked at the confusion that can be caused by the standard replacement-cost provisions on Commercial Property forms.  The article explores how the Commercial Property forms can offer the insured the option to accept settlement on an ACV basis, but the insured can later decide to receive the replacement cost amount.

Take the time to review this article.  ACV vs. Replacement Cost issues are nothing new, and knowing how to professionally handle questions is what separates the independent agent from an 800#.

Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost: Navigating the Policy

Happy Anniversary Jimcor!

Happy Anniversary Jimcor Agencies!

May 3, 2012 marks Jimcor's 26th anniversary.  In honor of the Mastowski's first putting the sign on the door 26 years ago, let's take a look at headlines from that May weekend in 1986!

·      Frank and Ellen Mastowski opened the doors to Jimcor Agencies on Sullivan St., Westwood, NJ

·    American Top 40 with Casey Kasem released a compilation of songs whose track list included “Kiss” by  Prince and the Revolution, “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer and Janet Jackson’s hit “What Have You Done for me Lately!”

·         Senate proposes first budget over $1 trillion

·         Crude oil is at $14.73 per barrel

·         Mike Tyson goes for 20-0 record at the age of 19

·         According to results of the Gallup Poll in 1985, fishing is the second most popular leisure activity in America

·         Dow Jones indicator closes Friday at 1,774.68

·         Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana travel to Vancouver to open Expo ’86 in hopes for an economic and spiritual renewal for British Columbia

Did you ever wonder how it all began?

Did you ever take a minute to think about how it all got started?

Not the 'Big Bang Theory' or the Chicken or the Egg.

We mean us, this thing, the American insurance industry?

Swiss Re conducted a study and found:

• Insurance employs about 2.23 million people in America
• Gross insurance premiums totaled $1.16 trillion
• More than 4,000 companies underwrite insurance in America

(You can check out more from this study here)

But that doesn't tell us how it all began?

Well, according to PropertyCasualty360, in the mid-18th century Ben Franklin and other firefighters founded the first, lasting insurance company.

To learn more about the birth of an industry and fun facts about some companies we all know and love click here!

The Impact of 2011 Record Year of Cat Losses on Rates

It should not be news to anyone that 2011 was a record year for catastrophe losses.

Lisa Parry Becker with Wm B Parry & Son Ltd out of Bucks County, PA discusses the impact these losses are having / will have on rates in her blog.  In a conversation with Becker she explained that she "decided to do some research since there were obvious questions coming from clients about rate increases."

Who knows what we will see in terms of cat losses for 2012, so for now let's take a look back on 2011 and see what impact those losses are having on us today.

2011 Natural Disasters: Rate Increases on the HorizonBy: Lisa Parry Becker February 11, 2012

Fire Safety

Wildfires have been all over the news.  From Pennsylvania to Long Island, New Jersey to Upstate NY the dry conditions have brought about warnings by the National Weather Service with several fires breaking out in the past few days.

Here are some links from your friends at Jimcor Agencies that can prove helpful for the insurance community and their clients:

US Fire Administration
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/wildfire/

FEMA
http://www.ready.gov/wildfires

NFPA – National Fire Protection Association
http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=244&URL=Safety%20Information/Safety%20tips%20&%20fact%20sheets

NRRA Implementation Process Reviewed by NAPSLO as seen in AA&B Magazine

NAPSLO's actions on implementation of the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA) are highlighted in the March issue of the American Agent & Broker magazine in an article by Executive Director Brady Kelley.

The article, Implementing NRRA, can be viewed online at the magazine's web site. The article reviews recent actions by states to modify their laws on taxing premiums, the status of the Nonadmitted Insurance Multi-State Agreement (NIMA) and Surplus Lines Insurance Multistate Compliance Compact (SLIMPACT), the prospects for tax sharing by the states, and the cost/benefits of tax sharing.

Jimcor Agencies is a proud member of NAPSLO.  Questions?  Contact Jimcor Agencies for more information.