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Forecast: 2020 Commercial Insurance Rates

Most commercial insurance rates trended modestly higher in 2019 and increases are expected to accelerate some in 2020. Rate increases of up to 10% will not be uncommon even for well managed business exposures with low...

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Are Shifting Worker Demographics Affecting Claims?

Even though the number of employees age 55 and older has doubled since 2000, workers compensation claims have been declining. Why? That question led to some surprising answers in the National Council on Compensation...

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Top 10 causes of workplace injuries

Knowledge is power, and understanding the risks to your workers and your profits is the first step to protecting your business. AMERICAN INSURANCE represents Liberty Mutual who has just published their 2018 Liberty...

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Are you liable?

You need to know this .... Questions of liability follow every incident that hurts someone or damages their property. For a variety of reasons, the general person's understanding of what constitutes ”legal liability” is...

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Uninsured Drivers Average 1 in 8

Chances are roughly one in eight that a driver is uninsured, according to new estimates from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). After a seven year decline from a high of 14.9 percent in 2003, the countrywide...

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2018 Insurance Rate Forecast

The perfect storm? Record hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, mudslides and wildfires coupled with already rising costs for medical injury claims, auto repairs with new tech, distracted driving – all are converging in 2018...

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Q & A: How can I find out if a home has had any serious claims?

We printed this Q&A column in the June 10, 2017 edition of The Lewiston Tribune. Q. Before I buy a new home, how can I find out if it had any serious claims? - A. Before you buy a home a little detective work can...

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Auto BI Claim Costs Up 32%

Auto injury claim costs per insured vehicle have continued to increase across the United States according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). Long-term reductions in highway injuries and fatalities...

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Your Odds of Hitting a Deer Double

Your odds of hitting a deer, an elk or a moose are twice as high during the 4th quarter months of October, November and December as in the other nine months of the year. U.S. drivers are just as likely to have a claim...

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Who's Dying On The Job? 150 per day!

A study of 2013 statistics shows 4,585 workers were killed on the job in the United States, and an estimated 50,000 died from occupational diseases, resulting in a loss of 150 workers each day from hazardous working...

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One in Three Truckers Don't Buckle Up

About 65 percent of on-the-job deaths of truck drivers in 2012 were the result of a motor vehicle crash. More than a third of the drivers who died were not wearing a seat belt. This troubling fact has the National...

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How 5 Amateur Arsonists Screwed-up

Bedeviled by sagging bank accounts and burdensome mortgages, some cash-strapped building owners try to burn their way out of debt. Lighting up spilled gasoline or interior gas lines seems like an easy gambit. One flick...

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New Tech to Stop Drunk Drivers

Can we keep drunk drivers off the road? Must they kill someone with their car after being arrested 10, 20 even 30 plus times for driving drunk before we find the answer. The answer may be a technology that has been...

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Homeowners Claims & Premiums Rising

The cost of homeowners insurance claims has been increasing at twice the rate of inflation. This is according to a new report from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). Despite significant declines in recent years, the...

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The 9 Vehicles With Lowest Death Rates

Improved vehicle designs bring down death rates (IIHS). The chances of dying in a crash in a late-model vehicle have fallen by more than a third in three years, the latest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)...

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Safeco Saves Rural Homes With Unique Program

Safeco Insurance introduced an innovative Wildfire Defense Program to help protect policyholder properties threatened by active wildfires. A recent fire in Washington state, called the Carlton Complex fire, and another...

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Uninsured Driver Numbers Declining

How many drivers are uninsured? Across the United States, the estimated percentage of uninsured motorists trended down in 2010, 2011 and 2012, according to new estimates from the Insurance Research Council (IRC). In...

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The Safest Small Cars On The Road

Five small cars, all 2014 models, earn an acceptable rating in crash tests by the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. Two earn marginal and four earn poor ratings for occupant protection in a small overlap crash in...

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Earthquake Risk Increased In US By 1/3rd - USGS

Idaho is one of 16 states now listed with the highest risk for earthquakes. Is your state on the list? The newly updated national seismic hazards maps from the US Geological Survey (USGS) show an increased earthquake...

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10 Most-Stolen SUVs

Which models of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) were top theft targets? The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released a new report that examines thefts of SUVs and CUVs reported...

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Vehicle Crashes Cost US Society $871Billion

Motor vehicle crashes in the US had an $871 billion economic and societal impact, according to a new study by the US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study,...

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2014 Winter – One of the Costliest

Insured losses top $1.5 billion so far. Near-record snowfall and prolonged extreme cold throughout many parts of the United States, have resulted in insured losses from winter storms of more than $1.5 billion thus far,...

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Hailstorm Claims Up 84%

Insurance claims resulting from hailstorm damage increased 84 percent in 2012 from their 2010 level according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) report. See top 5 states for hail damage below. In 2010, there...

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20% Of Car Accidents Are Caused By?

Nope – not texting or distracted driving. Day or night, the leading cause of auto accidents is...driving while tired, according to a study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The 100-car...

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Home Claims Satisfaction Study

Following two of the worst years of natural catastrophic events in the history in the United States, overall customer satisfaction with the property claims experience remains high, according to the J.D. Power and...

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86% Rise In Jewelry Questionable Claims

There was a sharp 26.7% overall rise in "questionable claims" (QC) in 2012 reported to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). QCs went from 91,797 in 2010 to 116,268 in 2012-a new record. In 2011, the total was 100,...

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Homeowners Claims Rise Rapidly

The cost of homeowners insurance claims has been rising rapidly! The combined effects of rising claim severity and increases in claim frequency were found in the study released by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) on...

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4 Myths About Renters Claims

Renting a dorm room, an apartment or a rental house may be your first experience with being out on your own. After a fire or a theft, there are some common misconceptions about who is responsible for your premises and...

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Hail & Windstorms Cause Major Damage

The rumble of thunder, the crack of lightening, the rush of windstorm, the clatter of hail stones - thunderstorms can bring devastation to your property and your autos in a flash. How does your own insurance respond to...

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Thunderstorms & Wildfires Bring Destruction

At least 28 people were killed following a prolonged stretch of severe weather in central and eastern U.S. states, which included a violent derecho - a fast-moving, long-lived cluster of intense thunderstorms - that...

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Bad Dogs Bite All Home Owners

Dog bite claims continue to grow in numbers and cost which increases premiums for all Homeowners Insurance. In fact, from 2003 to 2011, the cost of the average dog bite claim increased by 53.4 percent. Dog bites...

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Top 10 Contents Items Claimed

Which personal property items were the top insurance claims in 2011? Jewelry losses were the big ticket items in value and volume for property insurance claims made in 2011 according to Enservio's annual Contents Claims...

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Stolen! 1 in 10 of these vehicles

Corvettes...we love to look at them and thieves love to steal them! The Chevrolet Corvette holds the title as America's oldest, continuously produced sports car. According to a National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)...

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Crop Insurance Claims Break $10 Billion

For the first time in history, crop insurance indemnities to farmers and ranchers has exceeded $10.08 billion to cover agricultural losses, reports ProgramBusiness.com. This underscores last year's high crop values and...

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What Does A Cruise Ship Cost?

Ever wonder what a cruise ship costs? The grounding of the Carnival Corp. cruise ship Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy with more than 4,000 passengers and 1,100 crew aboard, may cost insurers more than 400 million...

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US Record -12 Billion $ Disasters

2011 set a new record of 12 separate billion+ dollar US weather/climate disasters according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The aggregate damage total is estimated to be approximately $52 billion. This...

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Beware of Flood Damaged Vehicles

Widespread flooding this fall in the eastern US has created a pool of more than 15,000 vehicles damaged by flood waters. The National Insurance Crime Bureau is warning consumers to beware of undisclosed flood damaged...

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Who was 9/11's "Economic First Responder"?

Now at the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, like the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it is a day that lives on in infamy for a new generation of Americans. But 9/11 was different in the sense that...

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New Initiative To Build "Weather-Ready" USA

An initiative to build a "weather-ready" nation is being launched by the National Weather Service, in response to the nine separate natural disasters the US has experienced so far in 2011. The latest event to surpass...

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Motorcycle Crash Risk Reduced 71% With STAR

Before your "wild hog" drives his new motorcycle make sure he takes Idaho's STAR Training - it could save his life! Motorcycle riding has become more popular in recent years, appealing to a new group of enthusiasts...

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Top 10 Stolen Vehicles in US

Hot Wheels-the list of the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States was released today by The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Nationally, for the first time since 2002, thieves preferred domestic makes over...

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2011 Already Insurer's Costliest Year Ever

After just six months, 2011 is already the most expensive catastrophe year for the insurance industry on record, according to a ProgramBusiness.com story taken from The Guardian. Through June 30th, 2011 is worse than...

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US Weather Losses 300% of Normal

April period witnessed the largest tornado outbreak in world history. May period includes two of the costliest tornadoes ever recorded. Yes, it was really THAT bad - 3 times the average of losses for the 20 year period...

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The Most Common Household Fire Only You Can Prevent!

What household appliance causes more than 1,000 residential fires per month in the US? The answer... your clothes dryer! They are a modern marvel and an indispensable convenience. We use them constantly and they work...

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April Weather Claims Exceed $4B

Five separate severe weather outbreaks in April will result in combined insured losses in excess of $4 billion, according to Aon Benfield report. The first outbreak, from April 3-5, triggered around 1,500 storm reports...

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Was Your Accident “Staged”?

Organized Scams Defraud Consumers and Insurers Alike, Costing Billions of Dollars Annually If you have been involved in an auto accident that just didn't feel right, it might not have been an accident at all. More and...

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Toyota “NOT GUILTY”- Accelerator Case

Toyota was found "not guilty" by a New York jury in the 2005 unintended acceleration case brought by Dr. Amir Sitafalwalla. The case had prompted a massive recall of 8 million vehicles, a cascade of similar product...

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Workers Comp Sparked By 100 Year Old Tragedy

On March 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caught fire taking the lives of 146 people. This tragedy led to the beginnings of workers compensation insurance and ushered in a new era of workplace...

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Japan Quake Disrupts Global Supply Chains

Global supply chain disruptions for thousands of multinational companies that rely on Japanese manufacturers for goods and services, as well as for sales, will be significant and last up to several months predicts Marsh...

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Insurance Goes Nuclear

If you lived in the shadow of a nuclear power plant would you have any insurance to cover your loss due to a nuclear accident? As events unfold at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the devastating...

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Japan: Insured Losses $35B

Based on currently available information, the estimates of insured property losses from Japan's earthquake are between $15 billion and $35 billion USD according to AIR Worldwide, a pioneer in catastrophe modeling...

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10 Costliest Catastrophes

The cost of natural disasters can be counted in many different ways - loss of life, overall economic loss both public and private, insured and uninsured property loss, loss of business revenue, etc. No matter how you...

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Can Insurers Withstand Catastrophes?

Insurers and reinsurers worldwide have the financial strength to pay the claims that will emerge from Japan's 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami but these events, coupled with the severe quakes that...

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Red Light Cameras Reduce Crashes 24%

Red light cameras saved 159 lives in 2004-08 in 14 of the biggest US cities, a new analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. Had cameras been operating during that period in all large cities, a total...

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76% Oppose Accident Response Tax

Should you pay a fee for emergency response services following an accident? A resounding three out of four adults said "no" when recently surveyed by telephone in a Harris Interactive poll. The majority surveyed believe...

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11 Issues Impact Work Comp in 2011

Every business owner will be impacted by the troubles brewing in workers compensation insurance. Among the top trends identified to watch are - medical costs continue to rise, injured employees are staying out of work...

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New Rule to Reduce Auto Rollover Deaths

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a final rule aimed at decreasing occupant ejections in passenger vehicles. The new U.S. Department of Transportation standard, which will help reduce the number...

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WIND DAMAGE - Am I Covered?

Answers to questions about wind damage to your home, fences, tree removal and liability to others. The recent windstorm of November 16th brought us a storm of more than 50 phone calls regarding wind damage claims. The...

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Denied Health Claims Subject to Review

If you have a health claim denied in Idaho you have the right to the have the decision independently reviewed. This independent review process was instituted as part of Idaho's Health Carrier External Review Act (Title...

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Auto Claims Fraud by Medical Providers Rampant

Higher auto insurance rates for New Yorkers is blamed on rampant fraud by unscrupulous medical providers. Health care costs for automobile accident victims in New York increased 42 percent faster than overall medical...

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Claims & Fraud Up - Says New Survey

During an economic downturn people are more likely to commit insurance fraud than they are in normal times. That was the opinion of more than three quarters (76%) of consumers in a survey released by Accenture, a global...

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