PRODUCT: Dealer Pollution Advantage

COMPANY: AmWINS Program Underwriters

BEST RATING: A+ (Superior), size XV

AVAILABILITY: Coverage is available through appointed agents and brokers.

FOCUS: Many small servicing operations store and transport waste oil barrels, antifreeze containers, windshield washer fluid, heating oil and the like. And while these businesses may not have a financial responsibility requirement, many have pollution liability requirements if a spillage occurs.

Usually, this type of coverage comes in the form of an add‑on. But after offering pollution liability products for more than 20 years, AmWINS decided to roll out a standalone policy: Dealer Pollution Advantage.

Kay Zito, associate managing director for AmWINS Program Underwriters, explains, “Add‑on pollution coverage is limited. And if the repair shop gets a standalone environmental impairment liability policy, even the least expensive of those products are often $2,500, and they go up from there.”

Dealer Pollution Advantage offers broad coverage that’s budget‑friendly for operations on the smaller side. “For them, $2,500 for a typical standalone policy is a lot of money,” Zito points out. “With this product, we’re able to give our agents and brokers the ability to meet their insureds’ pollution liability requirement and round out their coverage offering—without costing their customer a lot of money.”

UNDERWRITING: The policy offers flexible deductible options and tail coverage, as well as loading and unloading coverage. Restoration costs are included in the definition of clean‑up costs, and the policy can honor a previous carrier’s retro dates on new business. The simple underwriting process involves a fast turnaround time for a quote.

Although many smaller entity coverages typically have one set of limits, “one of the many things that’s unique about this product is it has all separate limits of liability—they’re subject to whatever the policy level is that we’re providing,” Zito points out. “If the client uses up the limit under site coverage, they still have whatever is available for waste transportation because they have not exhausted the total policy aggregate limit.”

In addition to offering limits up to $4 million, program highlights include: on/off‑site cleanup; coverage for third‑party business interruption and property damage; automatic coverage for aboveground storage tanks up to 110 gallons; the option to schedule aboveground storage tank systems that exceed 110 gallons; the option to schedule non‑regulated underground storage tank systems; automatic coverage for third‑party contingent liability for waste transportation; and automatic coverage for third‑party contingent liability for non‑owned waste disposal locations, including onsite coverage.

MINIMUM PREMIUM: $500.

TARGET: “Basically, this product is for the smaller servicing center dealership type of operation that does not have a financial responsibility need for their storage tank systems, but has a pollution liability need for the products they’re generating from their location,” Zito says. These include auto dealers, repair shops, servicing centers, motorcycle shops, RV servicing centers, tire dealerships, lube shops, muffler shops, oil change centers, transmission repair centers and battery stores.

COVERAGE TERRITORY: All 50 U.S. states.

CONTACT: Kay Zito, associate managing director, AmWINS Program Underwriters; 717‑214‑7545.

Jordan Reabold is former IA assistant editor.