Travelers Combining both property and liability insurance

North Carolina Business owner's policy for small businesses

A Business Owner's Policy (BOP) is recommended for most small businesses, as it is often the most affordable way to obtain broad coverage. Combining both property and liability insurance, a BOP will cover your business in the event of such things as property damage, suspended operations, or lawsuits resulting from bodily injury or property damage to others.

Master Pac^SM, Travelers Business Owner's Policy, offers a myriad of options to meet your specific insurance needs. Some businesses may find the BOP alone to be sufficient, while others may wish to tailor Travelers BOP by increasing key coverages, adding other options, or eliminating unnecessary coverages.
Our Master Pac series includes insurance protection for small businesses in the following industry segments:

• Apartment:   Travelers Apartment Pac^SM and Apartment Pac Plus^SM are designed for owners of buildings used exclusively as apartment houses, including cooperatives.
• Building:   Travelers Building Pac^SM and Building Pac Plus^SM are designed for lessors of commercial buildings occupied by offices, mercantile and retail establishments.
• Business:   Travelers Business Pac^SM and Business Pac Plus^SM are designed for businesses providing personal consumer services, businesses repairing light consumer goods and businesses engaged in printing.
• Condominium:   Travelers Condominium Pac^SM and Condominium Pac Plus^SM are designed for owners of buildings used exclusively as condominiums.
• Contractors:   Travelers Contractors Pac^SM is designed for primarily small residential, special trade contractors.
• Garage:   Travelers Garage Pac^SM is designed for independently operated or franchised automotive service and repair businesses.
• Manufacturers:   Travelers Manufacturers Pac Plus^SM is designed for manufacturers of electronics, food products, leather goods, instruments, metal goods, paper products, plastic goods, rubber products, textiles and wood products.
• Office:   Travelers Office Pac^SM and Office Pac Plus^SM are designed for a variety of firms providing medical, legal, financial or other professional services for their clientele.
• Religious:   Travelers Religious Pac^SM is designed for small churches and other houses of worship not affiliated with operating educational institutions.
• Restaurant:   Travelers Restaurant Pac^SM and Restaurant Pac Plus^SM are designed for various food service establishments. Restaurant Pac is designed for fast food and family-style restaurants. Restaurant Pac Plus is designed for fine dining establishments, banquet and reception facilities and caterers, as well as the larger family-style restaurants.
• Store:   Travelers Store Pac^® and Store Pac Plus^SM are designed for a wide variety of retailers primarily engaged in brick-and-mortar commerce.
• Technology:   Travelers Technology Office Pac^SM is designed for technology firms providing computer consultation and a variety of technology services for their clientele. Travelers also offers Technology Manufactures Pac Plus^SM which is designed for manufacturers of electronics and instruments products.
• Wholesalers:   Travelers Wholesalers Pac Plus^SM is designed for distributors of various types of durable and non-durable domestic goods.

The Master Pac series affords a large number of built-in coverages important to protecting your small business, including:

• Business personal property (optional for some businesses)
• Building coverage (optional for some businesses)
• General liability
• Product liability
• Business income and extra expense (optional for some businesses)
• Employee dishonesty
• Equipment breakdown coverage

Small business insurance-specific coverage options are also available, such as:

• Increased fine arts coverage
• Accountants endorsement
• Lawyers endorsement
• Medical and dental office endorsement
• Eating establishment endorsement
• Spoilage coverage
• Bailees customers goods coverage

Travelers is dedicated to the small business marketplace and we are sure that you will find an insurance product that is well suited for your business.

Commercial package policy (OMNI)

Travelers OMNI product is designed for those businesses that satisfy our underwriting guidelines, but require specialized coverage tailoring unavailable in Master Pac or Pac Plus.

Interested in a business owners policy from Travelers? Get a free quote today http://www.aiins.us 

Ai Insurance http://www.aiins.us 1-(855)-415-9099 Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Greenville, Lumberton, Wilmington

Halloween Safe Driving Tips!

Save on car insurance in fayetteville, nc with Ai Insurance. http://www.aiins.us  

According to Safe Kids USA, children are twice as likely to be killed
by a vehicle on Halloween compared to other days of the year. Your
customers will have to navigate roads crowded with children in the dark.
Help your customers keep trick-or-treaters safe by sharing these
Halloween safe-driving tips on your website, in your email campaigns or
in your social networking.

 Halloween Safe-Driving Tips

 According to Safe Kids USA, children are twice as likely to be killed
by a vehicle on Halloween compared to other days of the year. Take extra
caution behind the wheel on Halloween and use the following driving tips
to keep trick-or-treaters safe.

* YIELD TO TRICK-OR-TREATERS: Be prepared for children to run into
the street at anytime.

* REFRAIN FROM PASSING IDLE VEHICLES: You never know when the driver
in front of you has stopped to drop children off. Be patient and take
extra caution when traveling near other vehicles. 

* PARK YOUR MOBILE PHONE: With children crowding the dark roads, it
is especially important to avoid any distractions while behind the
wheel. 

* COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER DRIVERS: Use hazard lights when picking-up
or dropping-off trick-or-treaters. And, always use turn signals. 

* CONSIDER ALTERNATE ROUTES: Avoid driving near trick-or-treaters by
taking routes that go around busy neighborhoods, not through them.

Easy Ways To Save On Car Insurance

There are easy wasy to save on car insurance, you just have to know where to find them. See what the car insurance experts at Ai Insurance have to say about that. They just might help you to reduce your vehicle insurance rates.

(NC)—If there's one wish that all drivers share—next to cheaper gas—it's how to reduce their car insurance premiums. Whether you've been paying premiums for many years or you're shopping around for your very first policy, coverage is essential but it doesn't have to break the bank.

The experts at Ai Insurance have a few suggestions on how you can reduce your car insurance premiums.

Consider The Age Of Your Car:

If you own a car that is more than 10 years old, you may want to remove collision and comprehensive coverage, especially if the total value of the car is low. It all depends on your situation. Can you afford to repair or replace the vehicle with something similar if you had an at-fault collision or if it was stolen? If not, it might make sense to maintain the coverage.

Consider Your Deductible:

Another way of saving some money is by increasing your deductible, regardless of your car's age. Increasing your deductible from $300 to $500 or even up to $1000 will reduce your premium. Remember however that in the event of an at-fault collision, you must pay the first $500 or $1000 in repair or replacement costs, depending on the deductible you choose.

Choose Your Vehicle Carefully:

That great deal on a new car might look perfect on paper, but you may want to find out what your insurance premium will be before you sign the purchase agreement. For example, luxury cars can be more expensive to insure due the higher repair or replacement costs compared to a less expensive car. Likewise you will probably pay more to insure a high performance car as these are also expensive to fix or replace and are deemed more likely to be stolen, driven at high speeds and involved in high impact collisions.

Where Are You Going?

The distance you drive and the purpose of your driving is taken into account when calculating your premium. If you have to commute a great distance to the office, maybe think of taking public transit. You could save on gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, and on your insurance premium.

Drive Carefully!

It sounds like a no-brainer, but having a clean driving record is one of the best ways of keeping your insurance costs down. Speeding and other traffic tickets can have a big impact on your insurance premiums. The same is true of at-fault accidents.

Consider Combining Your Home And Auto Insurance:

In some cases you may be eligible for a reduced rate by joining your car and house insurance, especially if you've been with your insurer for a while. Another simple way to increase your auto insurance savings and enjoy greater convenience is to consider insuring all of your personal vehicles with one provider. 

 

To learn more visit: http://www.aiins.us Auto Insurance Fayetteville, Home, Life, Health, Boat, and more.

Car insurance hope for young drivers

Looking for more affordable insurance in North Carolina? Auto, Home, Life, Commercial, *the lowest rates and the best protection* http://www.aiins.us or call 1-855-415-9099


Young Marmalade, which specialises in car insurance for younger drivers, has cut premiums by 17% during the four months to the end of July, bucking the trend of soaring premiums.

AA Insurance said premiums for drivers between 17 and 22 have risen, on average, by 80% over the past two years, while the latest Confused.com/Towers Watson car insurance index, which tracks more than 4m quotes, shows the average 17- to 20-year-old male now paying £4,006 a year for comprehensive cover, compared with an average premium cost of £858.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, says: "Most young people can't get their heads round why their first car insurance premium should be 10 times greater than what they might pay for an old banger. But it's got everything to do with the potential damage their irresponsible use can inflict. Entirely preventable car crash injury claims of £5m or more are becoming increasingly common."

Young Marmalade uses telematics or "black box" satellite technology, which it calls Intelligent Marmalade. It monitors driving behaviour such as braking and acceleration, speed and at what time of day the car is driven. The data is used to calculate premiums; the better the car is driven, the lower the premium and vice-versa.

Nigel Lacy of Young Marmalade, said a young man using Intelligent Marmalade will pay on average £2,601 for comprehensive cover, while a young woman will pay £1,642 a year. After the black box has been fitted, initial premiums are subject to £250 and £500 increases should the technology indicate the insured is a bad driver. If that continues, Young Marmalade will cancel the policy.

Lacy added: "Young drivers are notoriously the sector that suffers the most in insurance costs. This is part of our ongoing commitment to get more young people driving – and driving safely. Intelligent Marmalade has had a very positive impact on safety; drivers are far more vigilant and careful with the 'black box' on board."

In 2006 Norwich Union, now Aviva, launched two policies using black box technology but they were withdrawn within two years because of low take-up. This was partly because the technology was very expensive at the time and partly because insurance for younger people cost less then.

Co-operative Insurance claims its Young Driver policy results in premiums that are, on average, £328 below competitors' quotes, and 82% of 17- to 25-year-olds could save money. Policyholders have their driving assessed every 90 days and are given a discount worth up to 11% of the premium if they drive sensibly.

Insurance covers diagnosis, treatment of most sleep problems

North Carolina, protect the things that mean the most to you in life with insurance products from Ai Insurance. http://www.aiins.us Auto, Home, Health, Life, Commercial...we know insurance!

The diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders have come a long way in recent years. In the past, people who snored might be advised to sew a tennis ball onto the back of their pajama top. The "snore ball" would discourage them from sleeping on their back and might quiet their droning. Or a doctor might use the "dog index" to measure poor sleep: If your dog generally sleeps with you but by morning has left the bed more than half the time, it may be because you're such a loud, restless sleeper that the dog has gone elsewhere for some peace and quiet.

How things have changed. Now, doctors with special training diagnose and treat more than 80 sleep disorders -- from obstructive sleep apnea to narcolepsy -- at special centers with labs where a patient's every sleeping moment may be recorded and measured.Insurance usually covers the diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems, with some exceptions. For example, snoring on its own is not a medical problem and insurance won't cover its treatment, to the great disappointment of many a snorer's bed partner.

Obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs in at least 2 to 4 percent of Americans is another matter entirely. The consequences of untreated sleep apnea can be extremely serious.

Sleep apnea is an obstruction of your airway that's created when the muscles at the back of your throat relax during sleep. The obstruction partially or completely stops your breathing, sometimes for a minute or longer, until your brain alerts your body to wake up and you start to breathe again. This can lead to fragmented, poor sleep as well as reduced oxygen levels, which can worsen such medical conditions ashigh blood pressure and diabetes and increase your risk ofheart attack and stroke.

As awareness of the problem has increased, so has demand for testing and treatment. Patients with suspected sleep apnea are typically sent to sleep centers where they are evaluated overnight while they sleep. In the past 10 years, the number of accredited sleep centers has grown from 566 to 2,258, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but some experts say sleep studies may be overprescribed. "Everybody who snores doesn't need a sleep test," says Fred Holt, an ear, nose and throat surgeon in Raleigh, N.C., and an expert on sleep apnea who consults on anti-fraud issues for attorneys, medical auditors and investigators. The risk of developing sleep apnea is higher in people who are overweight, male, middle-aged or older, or smokers.

Medicare payments for sleep lab testing have increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General, which is conducting a study to review the appropriateness of Medicare payments for them. The study is due next year.

There are home sleep tests for problem sleepers as well, and their use is also on the rise, say experts. Rather than measure more than a dozen body functions while a person spends the night in a sleep lab hooked up to sensors, home sleep tests measure only a few functions while patients sleep in their own beds. Their cost is a few hundred dollars vs. up to $2,000 for a night in the lab.

Insurance will generally cover either type of test if it is prescribed by a physician. But while home sleep tests may mean a smaller bite out of your wallet if you have a co-payment or a high-deductible plan, they're not the best choice for everyone, sleep experts agree. "Home sleep testing should be reserved for people that are at high risk for sleep apnea and who don't have a lot of other illnesses likeobesity or heart disease that might alter the sensitivity of the test," says Nancy Collop, director of the Emory Sleep Center in Atlanta and president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Eli Walker snores and sometimes stops breathing for short times while sleeping. Walker, 63, read that there was a correlation between high blood pressure, for which he took two medications already, and sleep apnea. He went to see an ear, nose and throat specialist who sent him to a sleep lab near his Silver Spring home. Diagnosis: moderate sleep apnea.

Walker was prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure mask, which straps onto a person's face and directs pressurized air into the airway, keeping it open. But after three months of trying to use it, he gave up. "I hated it," he says. "I couldn't breathe naturally, and I didn't like the air blowing in my nose."

Walker finally found a good night's sleep with a specially fitted oral appliance that looks kind of like a sports mouth guard. The appliance, which must be fitted by a dentist with special training in sleep medicine, repositions and stabilizes the lower jaw and soft tissues so that the airways stay open. It typically works best with people with mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Good news for seniors: Private insurers have covered the dental appliances for years, according to Sheri Katz, president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. In January, Medicare began covering them, too.

Auto Insurance Canceled After Cracked Windshields

Protect your car, home, life, health, boat, and more with Ai Insurance!  Affordable North Carolina insurance: http://www.aiins.us 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The next time you file a claim for a cracked windshield, it could result in your auto insurance being canceled.
A State Farm customer for several years, Charles Stanford said his car insurance cancellation notice came out of the blue."I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be dropped for something like that. It doesn't make sense to me,” Stanford said.He said the reason State Farm dropped coverage was a cracked windshield, which actually happened twice in the same month.He said the windshield replacement company chosen by State Farm replaced the glass both times.Stanford said the minor incidents were not his fault and his driving record is clean."(I) don’t have any speeding tickets, no parking tickets, no accidents.

I have absolutely nothing. Why in the world would you cancel me?" he said.Action 9 talked with insurance experts who said it’s rare for most companies to cancel coverage over cracked windshields.These cases, when compared to most minor fender benders, are a modest cost and a freak event and the driver should not responsible."Normally in a case like this they would raise your premium. That woulseem the logical thing to do, but here they've gone to the extreme and dropped them as a client," one expert said.Our sister station in Orlando, WFTV,contacted State Farm, which said “whether a driver is at fault is not the reason for some cancellations.”The company said its underwriting policy includes not renewing customers who have frequent claims within the same year and a family car had a cracked windshield in 2009.

According to Stanford, other companies have offered coverage, some at higher premiums. But no one turned him down over cracked windshield claims."If this is a common thing, the public needs to know about it," Stanford said.

All or nothing for some Allstate customers

The best insurance coverage in North Carolina. Auto, Home, Business, Health, Life, Boat http://www.aiins.us

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Some North Carolina residents say they are concerned, after a major insurance company is threatening to cut them loose.

More than 40,000 Allstate customers have been getting letters in the mail letting them know their homeowner's insurance policies will not be renewed unless they add on auto insurance.
Allstate Customer Ricky Stout says he pays his homeowner's policy each year. He says in all the years he's had Allstate, he never even filed a claim.
"I was very upset because all of a sudden now they are telling me I have to put my auto insurance with them or my homeowner's policy is gone I don't think it's right at all," Stout said.
Stout says he has his auto insurance through another carrier and is happy with it and does not want to make the switch.

"I don't think they're trying to keep me," he said. "I don't think they care."
Stout says he wonders why Allstate is taking this action and if it is even allowed.
ABC11 Eyewitness New I-Team Troubleshooter Diane Wilson reached out to Allstate and a representative says they will not offer the option to renew to about 44,700 North Carolina customers who only have property coverage and not an auto policy.

"More than 400,000 North Carolina customers have purchased insurance products from Allstate, and Allstate takes that responsibility very seriously," said John Heid, Allstate Senior Communications Consultant in the Southeast Region. "Managing our exposure is necessary to allow Allstate to continue to help provide protection and peace of mind through a variety of insurance products."
"At the same time, Allstate proactively seeks out solutions to meet the challenges posed by North Carolina’s insurance market, and to help preserve affordable access to insurance in this state."
"Allstate has made an agreement with Universal North America Insurance Company (Universal). As a part of our agreement with Universal North America Insurance Company, and in an effort to manage our overall risk in the North Carolina property insurance market, Allstate will not offer the option to renew for a segment of North Carolina property customers, most of which will be provided a quote for property coverage with Universal. Beginning with policies that renew on or after June 19, 2011, Allstate will not offer the option to renew to approximately 44,700 homeowner, Landlord’s Package Policy (LPP) and mobile home policies throughout North Carolina that did not also have an active standard Allstate auto policy as of December 15, 2010. The majority of these affected customers will receive a quote from Universal for property insurance coverage."
"These actions were carefully considered, and will help ensure Allstate’s continued ability to provide a wide variety of insurance products to North Carolina consumers at a competitive rate, while remaining financially strong in every community we serve."

A check with the state's department of insurance says Allstate's action is legal, as long asthe company gives the insured 30 days advanced notice of non-renewal.
Stout says he received that notice, but does not understand why Allstate wants to lose his $2,800 homeowner's policy each year.
"I don't understand as my homeowner's insurance is a lot more expensive than my car insurance and I'm like why are they worried about that little bit business," he said.