An insurance company had possession of a Chevrolet Corvette that had been stolen and returned to them by the police for safe keeping. It was parked in the company parking lot only a foot or so from a concrete retaining wall. When the claims department learned of its return, several execs went out to check… Read More »
An agent took a call several years ago and was informed a valuable Halloween scarecrow had been stolen from an insured’s front yard. A portion of the conversation went like this: Insured: “Because of its high value, we immediately reported the theft to the police.” Agent: “Wow. What was the scarecrow worth?” Insured: “It was… Read More »
An insured reported a rather unusual claim that occurred at an old river cabin he owned. One side of the structure had a very large wood pile neatly stacked and tapered up to the roof. The insured had a goat tethered in the yard and it somehow managed to get free and walk up the wood… Read More »
During a very long and cold winter, snow had accumulated on roofs to such a depth that it became urgent to remove it before the roofs collapsed. One homeowner, who had performed this task before with only a shovel, was determined to do it much faster this time with a snow blower. He knew he… Read More »
A very honest but quite elderly insured told her insurance agent that she was interrupted by the door bell while baking a cake. When she got back from the door, a bottle of vanilla extract had been stolen from her kitchen counter. Because she had not turned in a claim in over thirty years, “I thought it was about… Read More »
Several years ago, an insured made claim to her agent for the loss of a cherished Bobby Vee 33 1/3 rpm record album. It seems a burglar somehow entered the insured’s house and stole only the record from a closet on the second floor. There were no signs of forcible entry. Somewhat fortunate in this… Read More »
An agency had a commercial client who routinely asked the agency for motor vehicle driving records (MVR) on prospective employees. When a job applicant agreed, the Human Resource person (the HRD) would request the report. This proved a bit problematic for a suddenly “very important” applicant who, as it turned out, was suddenly important because… Read More »
A family living in Detroit had a rambunctious three-year old boy who was born with larger than normal extremities, including his ears. This became painfully clear one day when he managed to get a potty chair stuck on his head. The little weight-lifter pulled the potty chair up over his head and tried to put… Read More »
A driver pulled his grain truck into a terminal to unload. The grain was emptied by an auger that had a habit of clogging. To eliminate the problem the owner simply removed the auger’s protective shield with a cutting torch. This was not a good idea. When the driver jumped into the truck bed with… Read More »
A business faces a wide variety of insurable risks today and a large number of insurance contracts to respond to them. Risk exposures to loss arise from destruction of property, interruption of business, adverse liability judgment, criminal activity and statutory authority. The seemingly endless number threatens the assets and earning power of the business. A… Read More »