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Last month, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced that he struck a deal with the insurance industry to encourage home insurers to return to the state’s wildfire-prone hills and canyons. This deal comes after many of the top home insurers in California withdrew from areas of the state where wildfires were most prevalent. According to Lara, home insurers have agreed…

Prompted by devastating wildfires, the rising cost of building materials and other economic headwinds,  State Farm Insurance announced in May that it would no longer sell new home insurance policies in California, along with another large insurer in the state, Chubb. These carriers join Allstate Insurance, which in November of 2022 stated that it would not only stop writing new…

Wildfires have devastated areas across California, leading insurers, homeowners, and regulators to reconsider how they manage and handle risks. As a result, in October 2022, California approved a regulation requiring rate filing from every personal and commercial property insurer that uses California wildfire risk in the rating of a policyholder or applicant. Effective April 12 of this year, the regulation,…

On January 1st, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) issued a new law that requires most types of insurance producers, independent insurance adjusters, public insurance adjusters, brokers, and analysts, to include their insurance license number on all email communications. According to a recent legislative update by the California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), the law’s primary objective is “so consumers can…

Insurance producers have experienced many business disruptions over the past couple of years as they work to provide policies that are needed most while adapting to fast-changing market conditions. Many insurance companies have recently worked to “de-risk” their businesses, developing exclusions around COVID-19, communicable diseases, severe weather events, wildfires, and more. While challenging for insurance producers, these exclusions have generated…

The new positions will support the association’s continued growth and overall mission FAIRFIELD, CA – February 7, 2023 – The California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), a professional trade association focused on California E&S insurance wholesalers, carriers and supporting entities, is pleased to announce four new members of the board of directors, as well as the promotion of two current members…

The ballots are in, and the votes have been counted for the California 2022 Midterm Election. The following summarizes the results of critical measures that Californians voted on earlier this month. Proposition 1 – Passed Backed by pro-choice groups and the California Democratic party, the amendment that states that California’s constitution will not be allowed to interfere with or deny…

Safety in medical transportation, whether by van, car, or ambulance, is essential. Consequently, it is crucial to the health, well-being, and long-term performance of an ambulance driver or EMT that they implement proper safety measures. Of course, it’s also imperative that they implement safe driving tips for ambulances for their patients’ sake. EMT drivers are looking for ways to improve…

Commonly referred to as the “insurer of last resort,” the California FAIR Plan was established so that all property owners in the state have access to basic fire insurance when coverage in the traditional market is unavailable through no fault of the property owner. However, in 2020, when a wildfire raged through California’s Bay Area, a homeowner filed a claim…

Many business and property owners employ security guards to provide protection and a sense of safety for visitors, customers, residents, and employees. These professionals can work for security companies and offer security services at public and private venues. When a business owner invites someone onto their premises, they assume a legal responsibility to keep guests safe from threats of physical…

Nine home insurance companies have entered liquidation in Florida alone over the past year, leaving homeowners to face unprecedented rates during the pandemic. Although Florida has received a lot of attention over the past year, the entire nation has faced more and costlier natural disasters over the past four decades. Florida, Louisiana, and Texas have had the most billion-dollar disasters…

New collaboration will include CIWA members & national surplus lines associations FAIRFIELD, CA – June 8, 2022 – The California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), a professional trade association focused on California E&S insurance wholesalers, carriers and supporting entities, is pleased to announce an arrangement to bring CIWA members and affiliates of the Western States Surplus Lines Conference together for an…

On May 25, the U.S. Solicitor General advocated for the Supreme Court to deny the review of the California Trucking Association (“CTA”) case that challenges the application of the AB5 independent contractor law. The Court agreed and has granted an injunction to prohibit the enforcement of AB5 with respect to the trucking industry. According to the North American Transportation Association,…

With inflation on the rise, it is understandable that policyholders are inquiring how this will affect their policy. Inflation guard and insurance to value are both important factors to educate your agents on so they can advise their policyholders accordingly. They each are crucial to property coverage policies but take on different purposes. Inflation Guard (Building Limit – Automatic Increase)…

Topa Insurance Company (TIC), like most insurance businesses, shifted to a remote workforce out of necessity in 2020. TIC continued to be successful in the new work environment and quickly decided to make the remote workforce move a permanent one. March marks a milestone, two years from the transition of an in-office work experience to a permanent work from home…

The California Legislature has enacted several new labor and employment laws that will impact the workplace in 2022. For insurance brokers with business owner clients, the following summarizes the top seven changes that employers need to be aware of that could impact their business operations, policies and employees.

Educational sessions are a wonderful source of information, but we all know the social and networking opportunities at our events are what make the CIWA community so close-knit. We mentioned wild adventures, but what can be so wild about insurance wholesalers? How about snake handling insurance wholesalers and industry representatives? To keep with our Safari theme, at the Future Cocktail…

2022 started off with a roar at the California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA) Industry Days conference (#CWID2022) in beautiful La Jolla earlier this month.  This year, we added some wild adventures to our classic educational and networking quest, including a Safari tour at the San Diego Safari Park, a Mentalist that read our thoughts, and a keynote speaker that offered…

From Topa Insurance Company: It’s a common misconception that small- to medium-sized businesses aren’t considered lucrative targets for hackers. Educate your business clients regarding the latest scams and the importance of mitigating risks, should a cyberattack occur.

Prime Insurance Company is a solutions-based, opportunistic, and partner-based insurance carrier that provides creative and flexible coverage terms for any risk class. Our hands-on, partnership approach builds trusted relationships with clear communication and collaboration with producers, insureds…

Last December, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted amendments to the Model Act. If enacted by individual states, these amendments will result in significant changes to anti-rebating laws that were first established in 1887…

Vela’s Velocity Small Business team provides our broker partners another opportunity to place their business with Vela. This team is focused on providing insurance solutions for those small business operations with revenues up to two million that require Commercial General Liability for their Contracting or Products/Manufacturing & Service-Oriented exposures. Our broad appetite and knowledge of the small business sector combined with excellent customer service are a winning combination…

Parties to a construction or design contract can define their duties toward one another in the event a third-party claim arising out of the working relationship is brought against one or both. In many cases, the terms of this type of agreement will require one party to indemnify the other, for money paid or expenses incurred, as a result of such claims. They may also assign one party, pursuant to the contract’s language, to be held responsible for the other’s legal defense…

Under California indemnity law, standard liability insurance policies provide that the insurer must both indemnify and defend the insured against claims within the scope of the policy coverage. Therefore, it’s standard practice…

Insuring agreements can be very broad — often too broad. And while insurers use policy exclusions to effectively eliminate coverage for risks they are unwilling to insure, they may need to become even more precise when it comes to narrowing…

In November 2020, attendees of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society’s virtual conference warned insurance brokers that due to pandemic-related factors, they should expect a substantial…

Today, more than ever, speed and simplicity rule, and customized service is the name of the game. When making decisions, engineering new products, or designing new services at Nautilus, we always start with the question…

Topa Insurance Company is proud to share our newest BOP & CPP hybrid product, Topa Premier Commercial Insurance (TPCI). TPCI is admitted in California, offers competitive rates, and has a fast quote turn-around time…

Producer agreements are comprehensive and complex documents that, among other things, outline the expected terms and conditions between a broker and an insurer. However, because there is no uniformity…

2020 has changed everything.  We would be hard-pressed to find an industry that has not been met with significant challenges over the past nine months.  Insurance is no exception. Forget about the changes to your daily routine; this mass illness…

Prime Insurance Company is committed to helping our producers and insureds achieve success. First and foremost we are here when you need us. We provide customized solutions for Excess & Surplus (E&S) risks that include new…

The broad market turn, driving improved performance, tidying up back years and dealing Covid-19 are enough for most executives, but on top of all that this new leader’s company has had the fallout from an acrimonious public dispute…

In early spring, a decision was handed down in the case of Montrose Chemical Corporation of California v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County. The final ruling gave policyholders with long-tail environmental claims a potentially big triumph, allowing policies…

Argo’s U.S. executive vice president and chief underwriting officer describe the most valuable skills for those working in the insurance industry…

Employers who hire 1099 independent workers should thoroughly check policy forms in order to avoid claims issues…

Once upon a time, there were two brothers – John and Michael – who were both new to real estate development. They each purchased a parcel of vacant land next door…

Looking for a career change? Find out if your interests and experience lend themselves to a role in an ever-changing industry. Insurance has evolved from a quill-and-ink shipping market to a cosmopolitan…

By now, you should be well aware of the battles between Uber/Lyft and the State of California regarding the classification of the drivers working for these ride-hailing companies. The battle centers on…

In September 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) into law. The new state law, which took effect in January, requires employers to classify gig economy workers as full-time employees…

To effectively navigate today’s market, producers require a carrier partner committed to transparency, communication, meticulous and flexible underwriting, and robust claims defense – all hallmarks of Prime Insurance Company’s 40-year success…

We’re happy to have you here with us ☺ Whether you’re a member or a guest, we hope you find the upcoming blog posts to be informative, timely, and valuable to your business.