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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bankruptcy/Insolvency (11/13 & 11/20 Knowledge Knuggets)
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The Wild and Wooly World of Real Estate (10/16 - 11/6 Knowledge Knuggets)
Knowledge Knuggets for 10/16 - 11/6 have been about real estate classes of business. I previously posted one regarding inspectors and have combined both these topics into one over-arching post regarding real estate exposures and market status. Happy reading:
The Wild and Woolly World of Real Estate.....
Almost every real estate-related profession has seen quite the roller coaster in the last couple of years, and the end is nowhere in sight.
Two of the higher profile classes of business -- mortgage brokers and real estate agents -- are in a state of high turmoil. We have seen consolidations and closures of businesses, and insureds dropping their coverage because they don't anticipate continuing in the field, or cannot produce sufficient business.
The flip side of the coin is on the carrier side, where many, many markets that used to write these lines of business quite readily are no longer in play. There are a few carriers that are still willing and able to write, although they are taking a conservative approach.
The real estate classes of business which you will run into, and which may be more difficult to place are:
Real estate agents and brokers
Mortgage brokers and bankers
Title agents
Escrow companies
Appraisers
Home (and other) Inspectors
In the world of real estate, agents are differentiated from brokers with regard to legal scope and services rendered. Generally speaking coverage is available only for brokers, or for firms with a licensed broker. As a practical matter, this does not pose a problem, because agents need to affiliated with a broker in order to perform services, so you will not (one would hope) ever face a situation where you need to insure an agent who is not working with a broker.
In some states, professional liability coverage is required to meet licensing standards, and in those states, there is frequently an "approved" program. The state-endorsed programs I have reviewed tend to cover only the individual agents and brokers, not the real estate agency (entity) itself. To the extent the agency holds no assets, it may not need protection, as it has "nothing to lose", but unless the owner is willing to fold the entity should a claim be made against it, declare bankruptcy, and open up another agency (all of which might create heartburn with the regulatory bodies) it's a good idea to contemplate a separate or excess policy for the entity.
Be aware that some carriers are very good at insuring pure real estate agents/brokers, but falter when mortgage broking, property management, escrow, or other related services are provided. Carriers' approach to real estate agents conducting transactions on owned properties also varies widely. Most carriers also require a minimum number of years experience (usually three to five) before a new firm will qualify for coverage.
Common causes of loss for real estate agents and brokers include failure to disclose (problems in a property or conflicts of interest such as dual agency), and discrimination. Discrimination is frequently excluded in a typical policy, but it could be picked up by third party coverage on an EPL policy, if the EPL underwriter is willing. Personal injury (libel, slander, etc.) is a good coverage to keep an eye out for, and most real estate professionals have a strong privacy liability exposure which is generally not covered by a typical E&O policy. A privacy liability policy that includes loss of paper documents would be key to address this exposure.
Next on the list is mortgage bankers and brokers.
This is such a rich and complex topic, I could spend two or three weeks, or a book, on just these opportunities and exposures. But I'll spare you for now, and perhaps put together a white paper, which I will later post on the blog. (www.professionalliabilitytidbits.blogspot.com)
First thing to know is that "mortgage banker" and "mortgage broker" are not interchangeable terms. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way, because insureds will say they're a "mortgage company", and they're not specific about what they do. Also, many carriers will say they cover "mortgage brokers/bankers" when in fact they don't provide coverage to mortgage bankers at all, or they do so on a very limited basis.
Here's the basic difference between the two:
A mortgage broker simply originates loans. They work as an intermediary between the lender (or many lenders) and the borrower. Not unlike an insurance agent.
A mortgage banker may originate loans, but most importantly, they actually fund the loans. They can do this with their own funds, or through what's called a "warehouse line of credit" where the money is supplied by investors or other lenders. After they fund enough loans, they resell them, replenish their coffers (or their credit line), and fund more loans.
Both types of entities can service loans (collect payments, manage hazard/tax escrow accounts, etc.), but that is a separate service in which they may or may not engage. More mortgage bankers do at least a little servicing, because they need to manage their loan portfolio until they can sell the loans to the secondary market. They can do the servicing themselves, or they can outsource it.
In many states, mortgage brokers must be licensed. Some states do not have a specific mortgage broking license, and the mortgage broker operates under a real estate agent's or broker's license. Licensing is one way you can tell the difference between a mortgage broker and a mortgage banker. Another way is a look at the company's balance sheet. A mortgage banker will have money somewhere. If you suspect an entity is a mortgage banker, and they don't have money on their balance sheet, the next question is "do you have a warehouse line of credit?"
Major exposures:
• Lack of disclosure of loan terms or fees
• Violations of RESPA (a real estate regulation)
• Discrimination
• Conflicts of interest
• Inappropriate underwriting or submissions
Some, but not all, of these exposures can be covered by E&O policies.
A lot of markets who were writing mortgage brokers have stopped, or are only writing retro inception now. Many who were writing mortgage bankers have stopped. Most markets are excluding subprime loans and have added other exclusions. Since many of your potential insureds have a retroactive pool of subprime activities, beware of this exclusion and try to get subprime coverage at least on the past acts, so you can avoid a gap.
Home (and Other) Inspectors:
There are several types of inspectors for whom E&O can be written. Some -- usually home inspectors -- are required to carry coverage by law in certain jurisdictions.
As a rule of thumb, most carriers want to cover those inspectors that only carry a clipboard, not a toolbox. So if an inspector also offers repair services, he or she becomes virtually uninsurable.
A quick summary of the types of inspectors:
Home Inspectors -- checking for habitability on behalf of the purchaser, generally pre-purchase
Commercial Building Inspectors -- pre-purchase inspections, or construction-completion inspections
Building Code Inspectors -- inspect for code compliance
Environmental Inspectors -- check for mold, radon, clean air, water potability, etc.
Home inspectors are the most common of these, and there are several programs for them, and some association programs. GL is frequently offered in combination with the PL. Contingent BI/PD, or lack of a BI/PD exclusion altogether, is a must for this class, as well as for all inspectors.
Some of the home inspector markets will write commercial building inspectors as well.
Code compliance inspectors are probably the most difficult class to write, but there are a few carriers who will entertain them, and a bare handful that will provide contingent BI/PD.
Environmental Inspectors are easier to write than one might think, but only if you're using the right markets. Most home inspector markets, and indeed most E&O markets, do not have an appetite for the pollution hazard and catastrophic contingent BI/PD exposure presented by environmental inspectors. Environmental markets, however, view this class favorably, and provide broad coverage and attractive pricing.
One thing to note -- the word "environmental" sometimes can refer to matters of industrial hygiene (the "environment" in which the workers perform their tasks). If the insured is involved in inspecting industrial plants and recommending modifications to ergonomics or processes, they are more along the lines of a safety consultant than a true "inspector", although the terms are somewhat interchangeable.
So after exploring real estate agents/brokers, mortgage brokers/bankers, and all manner of inspectors, your might ask "What else is there?"
It just so happens I have an answer for you.
Title agents, escrow agents, appraisers, foreclosure services, mortgage field reps, debt negotiators, property managers, leasing agents, as well as real estate investors and investments.
The first three classes mentioned above have seen an increasingly shrinking marketplace. Used to be they could be written for pennies on the dollar, and had many association programs that offered broad coverages on the cheap. However, with the downturn in the housing marketplace, and homeowners scrambling to find any way they can to hold onto their houses, there are increasing claims against these professionals.
Also, appraisers have been deemed to be in cahoots with real estate agents and mortgage brokers in supporting inflated home values that justified suspect loans, and now they are viewed with quite a bit of distrust by the carriers.
Several carriers have just outright stopped insuring these classes, and others are more closely underwriting and are increasing pricing and retentions.
Mortgage field reps are those people who will go out to a foreclosure property to make sure it's there, take a few pictures from the outside, and report back to the mortgagee. An interesting class without a huge exposure, they are frequently required by the mortgagee to carry coverage. One must be very careful to distinguish them from "home inspectors" because the risk is not at all the same, and only certain niche carriers do a good job with home inspectors, while other carriers altogether can do a good job with field reps.
Debt negotiators are all the rage. They will intervene with lenders on behalf of borrowers (or sometime at the behest of real estate agents or mortgage brokers looking to get some deals done) and facilitate the borrower and lender reaching a mutually beneficial agreement about how a loan can be structured. If the debt negotiator actually goes to the extent of proposing refinancing and/or shopping a refinance deal, they are actually a mortgage broker and must be insured as such.
Property managers and leasing agents haven't seen too much of an upset in this real estate market yet. Perhaps because rental properties are only more valuable and needed in this time where people are having to leave their homes, or where home sales have diminished. Commercial risks are not as easy to insure as residential, for the obvious reason that there is a lot more at stake in each transaction. Tenant discrimination coverage is generally provided separately from E&O. It can be written on the same policy, or in concert with the E&O, but it is a separate underwriting process, separate app or supplemental (or segment of the app).
Real estate investors and investments include all manner of private equity firms, REITs, 1031 exchanges, and any other type of person or firm that purchases, holds, manages, or sells property with investment funds for any reason other than to occupy it themselves. Most of these firms execute deals on behalf of third parties on at least one-half of the transaction (i.e. a third party buyer, or a third party owner), they may be completely arms-length facilitators with both buyer and seller being third parties, or they may be executing transactions for the benefit of investors. This private equity exposure has become more difficult to insure as the profit prospect of this line of investment has become more questionable. However, coverage is still available at a price, especially for insureds who have a track record of success and who provide proper disclosures to investors.
One interesting thing regarding real estate investment-related firms -- the D&O and E&O exposures are frequently indistinguishable and should generally be written together on one policy, or at least with one carrier. You can imagine the difficulty in trying to sort out whether the sale or management of a property gone bad is an affront to the investors as a fiduciary issue of proper caretaking of corporate assets, or whether the investors got rooked into a deal where the so-called professionals couldn't tell La Jolla from a hole in the ground and were incompetent to perform the services of evaluating, buying, managing or selling properties. Does the claim arise from the professional service rendered? Or does it arise from the breach of fiduciary duty as a D or O of the company? Much safer to insure both whenever possible.
The Wild and Woolly World of Real Estate.....
Almost every real estate-related profession has seen quite the roller coaster in the last couple of years, and the end is nowhere in sight.
Two of the higher profile classes of business -- mortgage brokers and real estate agents -- are in a state of high turmoil. We have seen consolidations and closures of businesses, and insureds dropping their coverage because they don't anticipate continuing in the field, or cannot produce sufficient business.
The flip side of the coin is on the carrier side, where many, many markets that used to write these lines of business quite readily are no longer in play. There are a few carriers that are still willing and able to write, although they are taking a conservative approach.
The real estate classes of business which you will run into, and which may be more difficult to place are:
Real estate agents and brokers
Mortgage brokers and bankers
Title agents
Escrow companies
Appraisers
Home (and other) Inspectors
In the world of real estate, agents are differentiated from brokers with regard to legal scope and services rendered. Generally speaking coverage is available only for brokers, or for firms with a licensed broker. As a practical matter, this does not pose a problem, because agents need to affiliated with a broker in order to perform services, so you will not (one would hope) ever face a situation where you need to insure an agent who is not working with a broker.
In some states, professional liability coverage is required to meet licensing standards, and in those states, there is frequently an "approved" program. The state-endorsed programs I have reviewed tend to cover only the individual agents and brokers, not the real estate agency (entity) itself. To the extent the agency holds no assets, it may not need protection, as it has "nothing to lose", but unless the owner is willing to fold the entity should a claim be made against it, declare bankruptcy, and open up another agency (all of which might create heartburn with the regulatory bodies) it's a good idea to contemplate a separate or excess policy for the entity.
Be aware that some carriers are very good at insuring pure real estate agents/brokers, but falter when mortgage broking, property management, escrow, or other related services are provided. Carriers' approach to real estate agents conducting transactions on owned properties also varies widely. Most carriers also require a minimum number of years experience (usually three to five) before a new firm will qualify for coverage.
Common causes of loss for real estate agents and brokers include failure to disclose (problems in a property or conflicts of interest such as dual agency), and discrimination. Discrimination is frequently excluded in a typical policy, but it could be picked up by third party coverage on an EPL policy, if the EPL underwriter is willing. Personal injury (libel, slander, etc.) is a good coverage to keep an eye out for, and most real estate professionals have a strong privacy liability exposure which is generally not covered by a typical E&O policy. A privacy liability policy that includes loss of paper documents would be key to address this exposure.
Next on the list is mortgage bankers and brokers.
This is such a rich and complex topic, I could spend two or three weeks, or a book, on just these opportunities and exposures. But I'll spare you for now, and perhaps put together a white paper, which I will later post on the blog. (www.professionalliabilitytidbits.blogspot.com)
First thing to know is that "mortgage banker" and "mortgage broker" are not interchangeable terms. Sometimes it doesn't seem that way, because insureds will say they're a "mortgage company", and they're not specific about what they do. Also, many carriers will say they cover "mortgage brokers/bankers" when in fact they don't provide coverage to mortgage bankers at all, or they do so on a very limited basis.
Here's the basic difference between the two:
A mortgage broker simply originates loans. They work as an intermediary between the lender (or many lenders) and the borrower. Not unlike an insurance agent.
A mortgage banker may originate loans, but most importantly, they actually fund the loans. They can do this with their own funds, or through what's called a "warehouse line of credit" where the money is supplied by investors or other lenders. After they fund enough loans, they resell them, replenish their coffers (or their credit line), and fund more loans.
Both types of entities can service loans (collect payments, manage hazard/tax escrow accounts, etc.), but that is a separate service in which they may or may not engage. More mortgage bankers do at least a little servicing, because they need to manage their loan portfolio until they can sell the loans to the secondary market. They can do the servicing themselves, or they can outsource it.
In many states, mortgage brokers must be licensed. Some states do not have a specific mortgage broking license, and the mortgage broker operates under a real estate agent's or broker's license. Licensing is one way you can tell the difference between a mortgage broker and a mortgage banker. Another way is a look at the company's balance sheet. A mortgage banker will have money somewhere. If you suspect an entity is a mortgage banker, and they don't have money on their balance sheet, the next question is "do you have a warehouse line of credit?"
Major exposures:
• Lack of disclosure of loan terms or fees
• Violations of RESPA (a real estate regulation)
• Discrimination
• Conflicts of interest
• Inappropriate underwriting or submissions
Some, but not all, of these exposures can be covered by E&O policies.
A lot of markets who were writing mortgage brokers have stopped, or are only writing retro inception now. Many who were writing mortgage bankers have stopped. Most markets are excluding subprime loans and have added other exclusions. Since many of your potential insureds have a retroactive pool of subprime activities, beware of this exclusion and try to get subprime coverage at least on the past acts, so you can avoid a gap.
Home (and Other) Inspectors:
There are several types of inspectors for whom E&O can be written. Some -- usually home inspectors -- are required to carry coverage by law in certain jurisdictions.
As a rule of thumb, most carriers want to cover those inspectors that only carry a clipboard, not a toolbox. So if an inspector also offers repair services, he or she becomes virtually uninsurable.
A quick summary of the types of inspectors:
Home Inspectors -- checking for habitability on behalf of the purchaser, generally pre-purchase
Commercial Building Inspectors -- pre-purchase inspections, or construction-completion inspections
Building Code Inspectors -- inspect for code compliance
Environmental Inspectors -- check for mold, radon, clean air, water potability, etc.
Home inspectors are the most common of these, and there are several programs for them, and some association programs. GL is frequently offered in combination with the PL. Contingent BI/PD, or lack of a BI/PD exclusion altogether, is a must for this class, as well as for all inspectors.
Some of the home inspector markets will write commercial building inspectors as well.
Code compliance inspectors are probably the most difficult class to write, but there are a few carriers who will entertain them, and a bare handful that will provide contingent BI/PD.
Environmental Inspectors are easier to write than one might think, but only if you're using the right markets. Most home inspector markets, and indeed most E&O markets, do not have an appetite for the pollution hazard and catastrophic contingent BI/PD exposure presented by environmental inspectors. Environmental markets, however, view this class favorably, and provide broad coverage and attractive pricing.
One thing to note -- the word "environmental" sometimes can refer to matters of industrial hygiene (the "environment" in which the workers perform their tasks). If the insured is involved in inspecting industrial plants and recommending modifications to ergonomics or processes, they are more along the lines of a safety consultant than a true "inspector", although the terms are somewhat interchangeable.
So after exploring real estate agents/brokers, mortgage brokers/bankers, and all manner of inspectors, your might ask "What else is there?"
It just so happens I have an answer for you.
Title agents, escrow agents, appraisers, foreclosure services, mortgage field reps, debt negotiators, property managers, leasing agents, as well as real estate investors and investments.
The first three classes mentioned above have seen an increasingly shrinking marketplace. Used to be they could be written for pennies on the dollar, and had many association programs that offered broad coverages on the cheap. However, with the downturn in the housing marketplace, and homeowners scrambling to find any way they can to hold onto their houses, there are increasing claims against these professionals.
Also, appraisers have been deemed to be in cahoots with real estate agents and mortgage brokers in supporting inflated home values that justified suspect loans, and now they are viewed with quite a bit of distrust by the carriers.
Several carriers have just outright stopped insuring these classes, and others are more closely underwriting and are increasing pricing and retentions.
Mortgage field reps are those people who will go out to a foreclosure property to make sure it's there, take a few pictures from the outside, and report back to the mortgagee. An interesting class without a huge exposure, they are frequently required by the mortgagee to carry coverage. One must be very careful to distinguish them from "home inspectors" because the risk is not at all the same, and only certain niche carriers do a good job with home inspectors, while other carriers altogether can do a good job with field reps.
Debt negotiators are all the rage. They will intervene with lenders on behalf of borrowers (or sometime at the behest of real estate agents or mortgage brokers looking to get some deals done) and facilitate the borrower and lender reaching a mutually beneficial agreement about how a loan can be structured. If the debt negotiator actually goes to the extent of proposing refinancing and/or shopping a refinance deal, they are actually a mortgage broker and must be insured as such.
Property managers and leasing agents haven't seen too much of an upset in this real estate market yet. Perhaps because rental properties are only more valuable and needed in this time where people are having to leave their homes, or where home sales have diminished. Commercial risks are not as easy to insure as residential, for the obvious reason that there is a lot more at stake in each transaction. Tenant discrimination coverage is generally provided separately from E&O. It can be written on the same policy, or in concert with the E&O, but it is a separate underwriting process, separate app or supplemental (or segment of the app).
Real estate investors and investments include all manner of private equity firms, REITs, 1031 exchanges, and any other type of person or firm that purchases, holds, manages, or sells property with investment funds for any reason other than to occupy it themselves. Most of these firms execute deals on behalf of third parties on at least one-half of the transaction (i.e. a third party buyer, or a third party owner), they may be completely arms-length facilitators with both buyer and seller being third parties, or they may be executing transactions for the benefit of investors. This private equity exposure has become more difficult to insure as the profit prospect of this line of investment has become more questionable. However, coverage is still available at a price, especially for insureds who have a track record of success and who provide proper disclosures to investors.
One interesting thing regarding real estate investment-related firms -- the D&O and E&O exposures are frequently indistinguishable and should generally be written together on one policy, or at least with one carrier. You can imagine the difficulty in trying to sort out whether the sale or management of a property gone bad is an affront to the investors as a fiduciary issue of proper caretaking of corporate assets, or whether the investors got rooked into a deal where the so-called professionals couldn't tell La Jolla from a hole in the ground and were incompetent to perform the services of evaluating, buying, managing or selling properties. Does the claim arise from the professional service rendered? Or does it arise from the breach of fiduciary duty as a D or O of the company? Much safer to insure both whenever possible.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Business Risk or Insurable Exposure? (8/14 Knowledge Knugget)
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Friday, August 8, 2008
What's in a Name? Part 4 (8/7/08 Knowledge Knugget)
Continuing with our issues regarding DBAs of Insureds....
There are a few ways to address these issues and pitfalls.
First, make sure you understand how your insured is structured and what their legal names and entities are. Make sure all legal entities are shown on the applications, and on the policies. That will eliminate the situation where the carrier pleads ignorance, never having heard of the underlying entity prior to the claim.
Second, if your insured is concerned about coverage for DBAs, ask them to provide you with a list of all dbas, and refresh that list during your annual account review. Also advise your insured to keep you apprised of any and all changes and additions to DBAs. Take that list, and submit it to your underwriter or wholesaler, and ask them DBAs are handled, and how they want to keep track of them, if they feel they need to. The key question is - does a DBA need to be shown on the policy to trigger coverage if a claim is made against them. (I will survey companies on this matter at some point in the future and share my results.)
Third, if your insured does 100% of their operations under a limited, stable number of DBAs, listing the legal entity and the DBAs on the dec is relatively safe and straightforward, but see concern 4 above.
Carriers are generally more likely to respond to a claim against a DBA if they insure the underlying legal entity, than they are the other way around. So the most important thing to remember is that the underlying legal entity must be named on the policy.
There are more things to discuss regarding names, but we'll take a bit of a break and return to the subject later.
4. Not only can the inclusion of DBAs in the Named Insured imply that those who are not listed would not be covered, there is also the question of operations conducted outside the DBAs, and in the legal entity's own name. For example, if Acme Corp. does business as Joe's Business Consulting, and Joe takes a large job as Acme Corp., if the declarations page reads "Acme Corp. dba Joe's Business Consulting" is Acme Corp covered for consulting done in its own name? Food for thought.
And you can see the even greater difficulty if Joe's Business Consulting was the Named Insured, Joe performed his services as Acme Corp., and a claim came in against Acme, as we discussed last week.
And you can see the even greater difficulty if Joe's Business Consulting was the Named Insured, Joe performed his services as Acme Corp., and a claim came in against Acme, as we discussed last week.
5. The last issue for this segment is that if the Named Insured is a DBA, there can be all manner of gyrations underneath that level that might never come to your attention, but which can void or compromise coverage. Actual ownership of the underlying entity can change, the entity itself can be bought or sold, but if the DBA is the Named Insured, and it continues its operations and public presentation with no change, the insured(s) may never think to come to you to effect appropriate changes in their policies. If a claim occurs, not only could there be questions raised about continuity and identity of the entity(ies) insured, but policy conditions prohibiting assignment of the policy without carrier consent could come into play to void coverage, and change of control provisions could also have been unwittingly triggered, no tail offered, etc.
There are a few ways to address these issues and pitfalls.
First, make sure you understand how your insured is structured and what their legal names and entities are. Make sure all legal entities are shown on the applications, and on the policies. That will eliminate the situation where the carrier pleads ignorance, never having heard of the underlying entity prior to the claim.
Second, if your insured is concerned about coverage for DBAs, ask them to provide you with a list of all dbas, and refresh that list during your annual account review. Also advise your insured to keep you apprised of any and all changes and additions to DBAs. Take that list, and submit it to your underwriter or wholesaler, and ask them DBAs are handled, and how they want to keep track of them, if they feel they need to. The key question is - does a DBA need to be shown on the policy to trigger coverage if a claim is made against them. (I will survey companies on this matter at some point in the future and share my results.)
Third, if your insured does 100% of their operations under a limited, stable number of DBAs, listing the legal entity and the DBAs on the dec is relatively safe and straightforward, but see concern 4 above.
Carriers are generally more likely to respond to a claim against a DBA if they insure the underlying legal entity, than they are the other way around. So the most important thing to remember is that the underlying legal entity must be named on the policy.
There are more things to discuss regarding names, but we'll take a bit of a break and return to the subject later.
What's in a Name? Part 3 (7/31/08 Knowledge Knugget)
Continuing our quest to find the perfect name for our Insured, let's talk about DBAs.
What is a "DBA"? Generally, a "DBA" is a trade name your insured has registered with state or local agencies, as required, in order to use that name in the public domain. The DBA may or may not have any relationship to the insured's legal name. In some jurisdictions, as long as the trade name has certain things in common with the legal name, it need not be registered.
Many insureds want their DBA listed on their policy. This is understandable, since it's the name the public sees most often, and the insured is concerned that if a claim is made against them, it will be made in the name of the DBA, not the insured's legal name, which may not be readily apparent.
However, having the DBA as the Named Insured is a technical error, and even including them along with the Named Insured can be a slippery slope. Here's why:
1. Most applications and declarations pages in professional liability refer to the insured organization or entity. A DBA is neither an organization, nor an entity; it is merely a name. If the DBA is the *only* item shown on the dec, there can be issues when a claim is made against the legal entity behind the DBA, as this will be the first the underwriters have heard of the legal entity, and they tend to not appreciate the lack of disclosure when the application has previously requested the information. (I have seen a claim declined for this, although eventually, after much proof and hassle, we were able to get the carrier to agree to accept the claim.)
2. As an agent, there are many tricks of the trade you can use to make sure you're getting the right information from your insured. Among the foremost is spotting an inconsistency between the organizational form and the insured's proposed name on the app. If the insured is an LLC, a corporation, partnership or other legal form of organization, there are generally laws requiring that a signifier, like "inc." "corp" or "LLC" be used in their name. If your insured is not a sole proprietor, but you don't see "inc." or some other kind of organizational signifier on their app, ask if the Insured Name provided to you is a dba, and if so, get the legal entity name and use it instead of, or in addition to, the dba. (This is a best practice for all your lines of coverage -- not just professional.)
3. Some insureds "do business as" one name for certain operations of their company, and "do business as" a different name (or perhaps no name other than the actual company's legal name) for other operations. This is not uncommon when there are various operating divisions or diverse income centers in an entity. If you have listed one DBA on the policy, then another pops up and you are not advised about it and therefore it is not added to the policy, is it covered? It may depend on how your claims adjuster feels at the time of loss. And as a practical matter, maintenance of a large schedule of DBA names may not be a cost-effective or prudent use of your time.
Stay tuned for more issues and some solutions next week....
What is a "DBA"? Generally, a "DBA" is a trade name your insured has registered with state or local agencies, as required, in order to use that name in the public domain. The DBA may or may not have any relationship to the insured's legal name. In some jurisdictions, as long as the trade name has certain things in common with the legal name, it need not be registered.
Many insureds want their DBA listed on their policy. This is understandable, since it's the name the public sees most often, and the insured is concerned that if a claim is made against them, it will be made in the name of the DBA, not the insured's legal name, which may not be readily apparent.
However, having the DBA as the Named Insured is a technical error, and even including them along with the Named Insured can be a slippery slope. Here's why:
1. Most applications and declarations pages in professional liability refer to the insured organization or entity. A DBA is neither an organization, nor an entity; it is merely a name. If the DBA is the *only* item shown on the dec, there can be issues when a claim is made against the legal entity behind the DBA, as this will be the first the underwriters have heard of the legal entity, and they tend to not appreciate the lack of disclosure when the application has previously requested the information. (I have seen a claim declined for this, although eventually, after much proof and hassle, we were able to get the carrier to agree to accept the claim.)
2. As an agent, there are many tricks of the trade you can use to make sure you're getting the right information from your insured. Among the foremost is spotting an inconsistency between the organizational form and the insured's proposed name on the app. If the insured is an LLC, a corporation, partnership or other legal form of organization, there are generally laws requiring that a signifier, like "inc." "corp" or "LLC" be used in their name. If your insured is not a sole proprietor, but you don't see "inc." or some other kind of organizational signifier on their app, ask if the Insured Name provided to you is a dba, and if so, get the legal entity name and use it instead of, or in addition to, the dba. (This is a best practice for all your lines of coverage -- not just professional.)
3. Some insureds "do business as" one name for certain operations of their company, and "do business as" a different name (or perhaps no name other than the actual company's legal name) for other operations. This is not uncommon when there are various operating divisions or diverse income centers in an entity. If you have listed one DBA on the policy, then another pops up and you are not advised about it and therefore it is not added to the policy, is it covered? It may depend on how your claims adjuster feels at the time of loss. And as a practical matter, maintenance of a large schedule of DBA names may not be a cost-effective or prudent use of your time.
Stay tuned for more issues and some solutions next week....
What's in a Name? Part 2 (7/24/08 Knowledge Knugget)
Back to our friends at Acme Corp/Beta Corp and their naming challenges.....
If Acme Corp. had not merely changed its name to Beta Corp. but had actually had a change in ownership, had reincorporated, or had taken on investors who acquired a majority interest in the company, there could be significant interruptions to coverage well beyond what a change of name would entail.
We won't go into those right now (stay tuned for a later Knowledge Knugget about Change of Control), but suffice it to say that any time one of your insureds approaches you with a request to do anything to its name on its insurance policies, you are in a red flag situation (at least as it pertains to their professional liability coverages) and will likely need to pose some additional questions.
Insureds frequently underestimate the impact of their internal or structural changes on their coverages, and they also frequently do not want to divulge all of the particulars to their agent.
That having been said, here are some areas in which your insureds' name(s) can cause challenges:
1. DBAs -- to include or not include is the question
2. Operating divisions or trade names
3. Parent or sister companies
4. Shareholders/owners/partners/LLC members
5. Subsidiaries
6. Additional Insureds
7. Scheduled Insureds
8. Deleting individuals
These areas are in a broad category regarding "Who is an Insured", and we'll explore them over the weeks to come.
If Acme Corp. had not merely changed its name to Beta Corp. but had actually had a change in ownership, had reincorporated, or had taken on investors who acquired a majority interest in the company, there could be significant interruptions to coverage well beyond what a change of name would entail.
We won't go into those right now (stay tuned for a later Knowledge Knugget about Change of Control), but suffice it to say that any time one of your insureds approaches you with a request to do anything to its name on its insurance policies, you are in a red flag situation (at least as it pertains to their professional liability coverages) and will likely need to pose some additional questions.
Insureds frequently underestimate the impact of their internal or structural changes on their coverages, and they also frequently do not want to divulge all of the particulars to their agent.
That having been said, here are some areas in which your insureds' name(s) can cause challenges:
1. DBAs -- to include or not include is the question
2. Operating divisions or trade names
3. Parent or sister companies
4. Shareholders/owners/partners/LLC members
5. Subsidiaries
6. Additional Insureds
7. Scheduled Insureds
8. Deleting individuals
These areas are in a broad category regarding "Who is an Insured", and we'll explore them over the weeks to come.
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