How Agents Can Help Small Businesses in a CAT-Exposed Hard Market
Proactive conversations with clients about catastrophe risks can surface potential coverage gaps and open the door to more forward-looking planning.
Proactive conversations with clients about catastrophe risks can surface potential coverage gaps and open the door to more forward-looking planning.
“Most insurance companies consider general liability the cornerstone line of business for an account,” says independent agent Brad Berrong. “Normally, if a company does not consider this type of exposure, it will not accept other lines of insurance for that account.”
As breweries and wineries go green, agents need to translate sustainability initiatives into clear underwriting conversations and protection strategies.
“The real estate insurance market is going through significant changes,” says independent agent Stephen Turnbull. “Rising construction costs and inflation have made it more expensive to rebuild properties, leading to higher replacement cost values and increased premiums.”
“It’s on us to understand what opportunities technology provides our industry to be more efficient and grow at a faster rate than generations before us,” says young agent Ryder Roberts.
2024 saw the second-highest amount of tornadoes on record and 2025 is predicted to continue above-average activity. One weekend alone in mid-May caused $9 billion-$11 billion in damage.
Despite rising concerns, 26% of commercial property owners admit to knowingly carrying inadequate insurance coverage to account for severe weather events, an 8-point increase from 2023.
As insurers increase their underwriting restrictions to limit storm exposures, risk mitigation is becoming more important than ever for commercial insureds.
The guidelines for the federally funded program include maintaining properties in compliance with local housing codes, passing periodic inspections by housing authorities and following strict eviction and lease termination procedures.
A contractor with an ISO commercial general liability policy experienced a property damage claim. The carrier says it owes the actual cash value (ACV) for repairs but the agent believes the carrier owes the full cost to repair.