Author Archives: Bob

Premium Audits: Understanding Workers’ Compensation

Author:  Trenton Rapp, Premium Audit Manager,  Markel-FirstComp  | Rates play a key role in our daily lives. Whether it‘s the price of gas, a watermelon at the grocery store, or a ticket to a movie, rates impact us daily. Your workers’ compensation policy is no different. You have various options in the marketplace to decide how… Read More: Premium Audits: Understanding Workers’ Compensation »

Revised Iowa Workers’ Compensation Law Regarding Proprietors, LLC Members, LL Partners and Partner

Author:  Walton staff – June 15, 2015  | On April 17, 2015, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed into law legislation “relating to certain persons who are excluded from coverage under the workers’ compensation law of this state,” effective July 1, 2015. For the first time it impacts a proprietor, limited liability company member, limited liability partner or a partner… Read More: Revised Iowa Workers’ Compensation Law Regarding Proprietors, LLC Members, LL… »

Business notification flaw in the revised Iowa workers’ compensation law

Author: Bob Walton | The new (revised) Iowa workers’ compensation law does not specify responsibility for notifying Iowa business owners of its existence.  At the Walton Agency, it is our opinion the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Division, as the governing body, should have been made totally responsible for notification, a flaw that must be rectified as… Read More: Business notification flaw in the revised Iowa workers’ compensation law »

Progressive car insurance the 2nd highest among five major U.S. insurers

Author: Bob Walton | According to a new in-depth study of U.S. auto insurance premiums by Consumer Reports, slick auto insurance advertising “creates the impression of price competition when there actually isn’t any.” So says Doug Heller, an insurance consultant and advocate, in the September 2015 Consumer Reports magazine article titled, The Truth About Car… Read More: Progressive car insurance the 2nd highest among five major U.S.… »

Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Damage From Falling Trees & Limbs?

Author: Todd Duvall, Demand Media  | According to the Insurance Information Institute, typical homeowners insurance covers tree-related damage. Let’s say a falling tree branch crashes through your roof during a storm, causing not only damage to your roof, but to the room below that was saturated with rain water.  As long as your home is insured,… Read More: Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Damage From Falling Trees & Limbs? »

Three Components of Effective Worker’s Compensation Claims Handling

Author: Leslie Bramwell, CPCU, Senior Workers’ Compensation Program Coordinator, EMC Insurance, Des Moines, Iowa | The average medical cost of a workers’ compensation lost-time claim was 56 percent higher in 2013 than in 2003, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Experts predict this figure will continue to grow. One way employers can control… Read More: Three Components of Effective Worker’s Compensation Claims Handling »

Where Is Your Auto Driving Data Going?

Thanks to our friends at Insurance Business America –     Author:  Caitlin Bronson – Jun 01, 2015  | Privacy concerns over the use of telematics by insurance companies were heightened last week as one of the nation’s leading auto carriers said it was considering selling consumer driving data. According to statements made Thursday by Allstate… Read More: Where Is Your Auto Driving Data Going? »

Pollution Exclusion Hits The Family Farm

Author:  David Dybdahl – Excerpt from the 09 February 2015 ia Markets Pulse e-newsletter  | On Dec. 30, 2014 in Wilson Mutual v. Falk, the Wisconsin Supreme Court determined that the standard ISO [Insurance Services Office] pollution exclusion excluded losses caused by bacteria seeping into wells after a farmer spread manure on a field … Pollution Exclusion Hits… Read More: Pollution Exclusion Hits The Family Farm »

Homeowner’s Policy Host Liquor Liability Coverage, On & Off Premises Events

Author:  The State of Ohio PIA (Professional Insurance Agents)  | Editorial comments are enclosed within the [ ] brackets. The Homeowners Personal Liability insuring agreement [Section II] says the insurance company will “pay up to our limit for damage for which an ‘insured’ is legally liable; and provide a [legal] defense.” [In addition to the… Read More: Homeowner’s Policy Host Liquor Liability Coverage, On & Off Premises… »