September 11, 2013
AgencyUse-based car insurance is growing
By Tara Baukus Mello The interest in use-based car insurance — where consumers pay insurance rates based on their driving habits — is growing, with 36 percent of consumers saying they would change carriers for a 10 percent discount on their car insurance rates, according to the 2013 Telematic Survey by Lynx Research Consulting for […]
July 11, 2013
AgencyHome Prices Take Flight
Continuing on its upward trajectory, home prices soared 12.2 percent in May from a year ago, the most since 2006, according to Core Logic. From April to May, they increased 2.6 percent, the 15th straight month-over-month increase. Prices rose in 48 states, falling only in Delaware and Alabama, according to the report. Of the 100 […]
May 29, 2013
AgencyWedding Season is Here and Mother Nature is a Notorious Wedding Crasher
Rule #1: Weddings Should Be Perfect. Insure Them. The pieces have just started to be picked up from the terrible Oklahoma tornados and now we’re starting to prepare for hurricane season. Who could forget the havoc Superstorm Sandy caused last year and Hurricane Irene the previous year? The predictions are out and it looks like we’re […]
April 8, 2013
AgencyTop 10 Driving Distractions Involved in Fatal Car Crashes
Of the more than 65,000 people killed in car crashes over the past two years, one in 10 were in crashes where at least one of the drivers was distracted. That’s according to police report data analyzed by Erie Insurance in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a nationwide census of fatal motor vehicle traffic […]
March 14, 2013
AgencyState by State Look at Driving Rules for Older Drivers
A 50-state look at the varying rules across the nation governing drivers’ licenses for older adults. ALABAMA: Licenses are renewed every four years for all drivers, with no additional requirements for older drivers. A legislative committee considered older driver safety in 2003 and decided not to recommend any changes, saying young drivers cause far more […]
February 12, 2013
AgencyCredit-Based Insurance Scores Explained
Safeco, like most insurance companies, uses many factors to price your insurance. They include your driving record, claims history, the type of home or vehicle you own and your credit-based insurance score. What is a Credit-Based Insurance Score and Why Does it Matter? Your credit-based insurance scores is not the same as your personal credit […]
February 6, 2013
AgencyCommentary: Lessons Learned From Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy is said to be the most damaging hurricane recorded in U. S. history. There appears, however, to be some dispute as to whether Hurricane Katrina holds that dubious honor. The cost of the storm, estimated by private firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers and the PFM group, indicate that Hurricane Sandy destroyed or damaged more units […]
November 29, 2012
AgencyStudy Reveals Offline Methods Are Top Causes for Identity Fraud Claims
Despite increased adoption of online shopping, mobile payment and banking apps, offline methods are the top known causes of identity fraud, according to a new study from Travelers. Burglary, stolen wallets and pilfered identifications account for 73 percent of all cases, according to a comprehensive study of 2011 Travelers claim data. Stolen or misplaced items, […]
November 13, 2012
AgencyControversy Over Hurricane Deductibles May Just Be Beginning
By Beth Pinsker Gladstone When the National Hurricane Center declared Sandy a “post-tropical storm” just before it made landfall, a lot of homeowners across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maryland may have saved a lot of money. The governors of these states have told insurance companies that because the storm was not classified as […]
October 26, 2012
AgencyUpdate: Hurricane Sandy Death Toll at 41; ‘Super Storm’ Eyes East Coast
Hurricane Sandy, a late-season Atlantic storm unlike anything seen in more than two decades, slogged slowly toward the U.S. East Coast on Friday after killing at least 41 people as it cut across the Caribbean. Forecasters said Sandy, with an expanding wind field already 550 miles (890 km) wide, had begun merging with a polar […]