By Angela Johnson
On the Gulf Coast, your windstorm and flood policies are arguably the most important part of your insurance plan.
We’ve been writing and servicing windstorm and flood policies since 2005, and our extensive experience with thousands of policies and thousands of clients has taught us this: We do not suggest changing your windstorm carrier mid-term.
This is a very bad idea, and as insurance brokers you can rest assured we put your needs first and always act in your best interest.
In our experience, what may seem like a small convenience now can quickly lead to a BIG, FAT MESS!
WHY?
- Having an additional disbursement from your escrow account can result in a shortage, causing your monthly mortgage payment to increase. This can easily take you months of phone calls, waiting on hold and being transferred around the mortgage company departments, you making a deposit to your escrow account, and an escrow analysis to straighten out.
- Even if you pay for your policy out of pocket and not through your mortgage escrow, a new policy will trigger a new inspection and could leave you struggling with underwriting issues, and possibly stuck without coverage, right in the middle of hurricane season. Yes, this absolutely happens!
- Many agents who recommend this approach lack experience with the complexities of windstorm insurance. In our experience, the risk to you is that they have rated your new policy incorrectly. By the time you learn of their mistake, your previous (correctly rated) policy has been cancelled and you are stuck with a new policy that is suddenly thousands of dollars more than the quote you were provided to try to entice you to switch.
- Finally, due to the above issues, switching a windstorm policy mid-term can lead to the mortgage company force-placing a wind policy on your mortgage and charging you for it. These mortgage-placed policies are typically 3-5 times the normal cost of a policy, and do not include coverage for your personal property. They ONLY protect the mortgage company by covering the dwelling.
WHAT DO WE RECOMMEND INSTEAD?
Contact us to review your windstorm policy carrier, coverages, deductible, answer any questions you have, and update your contact information to be prepared for hurricane season
You can rest easy knowing that our agency has a dedicated Renewal Team that reviews every renewal and requotes your windstorm policy through all available carriers prior to your renewal date to ensure your premium remains competitive without sacrificing coverage.
As you can tell, we’re pretty passionate about coverage and customer service, and not all agencies are created equal!
Before moving your wind policy away from Angela Johnson, Caroline Johnson, and the entire Worthen Insurance Team mid-term or at renewal, I recommend asking any agent suggesting this the following questions. Listen for thorough answers that exemplify superior product knowledge, experience and customer service.
- How long have you been an insurance agent?
- How many windstorm and flood policies have you written?
- Tell me about your renewal process.
- Do you have a dedicated renewal team?
- What do you do to make sure I always have the best coverage and rate?
- How many windstorm and flood carriers do you represent?
- How many policies do you have with each of those carriers?
- Which carrier do you recommend? Why?
- Which carrier should I avoid? Why?
Find out why Your Windstorm Insurance + Worthen Insurance Group = A Winning Combination!
If you are our client, we sincerely appreciate our relationship with you and look forward to being your insurance agent now and in the future.
If you aren’t our client yet, we’d love the opportunity to earn your business! Request a Quote today
by Sparrow Websites