Insurance Audits

Audits are common with general liability, workers’ compensation, liquor liability, commercial and other business insurance policies.

This is because when your commercial insurance policy is drafted, it’s based on an estimated risk exposure based on sales volume, number of employees and contractors, locations and common industrial risks.

In most cases, the premium for your insurance isn’t a final number and fluctuates based on year-end actual numbers. The audit is an important process that determines the final premium.

Most cringe at the thought of an audit, but did you know there are several ways that an audit benefits you and your business? Let’s take a look at why you can look forward to your audit.

Changed mindset

Audits aren’t always spurred by something negative. They don’t have to mean that a business has done anything wrong or that the IRS is asking to dig through your finances. In fact, this is a positive thing in the insurance world! A general liability insurance audit is completed to thoroughly examine your business’s payroll and risk exposure and to check for any changes over the year in how much risk was actually incurred. An audit may also be required for your workers’ compensation and commercial property insurance coverage.

Ensures proper coverage

During the first policy term or at the end of the coverage period, the insurer will request an audit to adjust your premium based on the most accurate sales numbers and earnings. With how much a business can change year to year, this helps to ensure that you have the right amount of coverage as you grow and change. It can also spot gaps in coverage or new exposures that appeared during the year that weren’t seen before, helping to make sure you are covered should the unexpected arise.

It can save you money

The initial insurance premium estimate can be off; remember, the purpose of insurance premium audits is to use your actual sales and operating data to determine the true picture of risk. The audit can save you money, as your premiums can decrease if sales volumes, staffing or other adjustments to predicted exposure change and less coverage is needed. You may also be entitled to a refund or a credit on the overquoted premium at the start of the year.

Best practices already involve accurate record keeping in your operations; this is exactly what will help your insurance audit go smoothly and painlessly. Documentation you’ll need to provide includes payroll and cash summaries, federal and state employment reports, subcontractor and 1099 forms, relevant tax documents and any other items that will help an auditor have a clear understanding of your business state and revenues.

We can walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have. Call or email us today, and let’s discuss your premium basis and risk exposure and what that could mean for an upcoming audit. Let’s help you prepare so that your audit can feel more like a walk in the park.

Light Up Your Small Business During the Holidays

The holiday season is a time of mixed emotions for everyone, as it can be both merry and stressful. However, it’s also an excellent opportunity to focus on building relationships with your customers and prospects while raising awareness about your business. By investing in your customers and prospects during this busy time of the year, you can help engender loyalty to your brand, which will pay off in the long run.

Here are some ways you can use the holiday season to build your brand:

– Send handwritten holiday cards to your customers and prospects.

– Stand out by sending your notes earlier in the season than others.

– Mail gift cards to restaurants as a token of appreciation.

– Participate in or sponsor community events to show your support.

– Organize local charity drives to give back to the community.

– Write helpful blog posts and create holiday preparation and “how-to” videos.

– Provide special insurance packages to your customers.

– Donate money to a cause that aligns with your brand’s values.

– Invite customers to festive happy hours to celebrate the season.

– Promote your donations or sponsorships to showcase your brand’s values.

– Host a customer thank you dinner to show your appreciation.

– Schedule a holiday open house to welcome customers to your business.

– Create a fun light or window display to attract attention.

– Give away stocking stuffers to surprise and delight your customers.

– Deliver gift baskets to your customers to make them feel appreciated.

– Organize a virtual ugly sweater contest and post the results on your website and social channels.

– Promote the contest and results in your newsletter.

– Offer holiday help, such as gift-wrapping services, to make your customers’ lives easier.

– Create 12 days of deals with special bundles to encourage holiday shopping.

– Educate and promote the benefits of your 12 days of deals.

By making a list of what you’re going to do to help your brand stand out during the holidays, you can take advantage of this season’s tremendous opportunities to build awareness about your business. While investing in others may seem daunting, it is sure to pay strong dividends over time.

How to change homeowners’ insurance with an escrow account

Paying your home insurance through escrow can be convenient, but if you want to change insurance providers, sometimes it can become a little tricky. Among other things, you need to make sure your mortgage lender knows where to send your premium payment. Otherwise, your premium could go to the wrong carrier causing a lapse in your home insurance coverage. While you and your insurance agent can rectify the situation, it can cause your mortgage payments to drastically increase over the next 12 months if an escrow shortage occurs.

Step 1: Find a new carrier

If you want to change homeowners’ insurance companies, your first step is to shop around.  In some areas of the country like Coastal Florida (for example), some quotes will exclude wind coverage.  You have to ask questions and it’s best to work with an agent to make sure you compare apples to apples.  Once you get quotes and choose a company, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Confirm the mortgagee’s information

Before you purchase your new policy, you’ll need to know exactly how your mortgage lender should be listed. This is called the mortgagee clause and includes your lender’s official name and the address to all policy documents will be sent.

The mortgagee clause is not just your lender’s name and the address to which you send your monthly payments; most companies also have unique addresses for insurance documents.

To ensure you include the correct information on your new insurance policy, call your mortgage company to confirm. Then, relay the information to your new insurance carrier before you purchase your new policy. Often, the purchase of the policy automatically generates documents to be sent to the mortgage on file, so the mortgagee clause needs to be correct from the start to avoid confusion.

Step 3: Purchase your new policy

Once you know the mortgagee clause on your new policy is correct, you can go ahead and finalize the purchase of your new policy. An agent or company representative will walk you through the steps, but you’ll likely have to sign an application and any other required forms related to your coverage. Because you’ll pay your insurance with escrow, you will not need to make a payment out of pocket. Your new insurance company will send a bill to your mortgage institution.

Step 4: Cancel your prior policy

Now that you’ve purchased your new policy, contact your current home insurance carrier to cancel your prior policy as of the same date your new policy is effective. Ensuring the dates are the same will prevent any overlap or gap in coverage. Even if your new policy is effective in the future, it’s still a safer process to start the new policy before canceling your old one. That way, if there are any issues getting your new policy started, you still have coverage through your old policy.

Step 5: Notify your mortgage company

Your mortgage company should receive a cancellation notice from the prior insurer and a declaration page from the new insurer, but it can help avoid confusion by letting your mortgage company know that you’ve switched insurance providers. You’ll likely need to provide the cancellation date of the prior policy and the effective date of the new policy (which should be the same date to avoid a lapse), as well as the name of the new company and the policy number.

Step 6: Send any premium refunds to your new escrow account

You may receive a prorated premium refund from your prior insurer if you switched insurance carriers mid-term. If you switch companies at your renewal period, you won’t get a refund, as all of your annual premium has been used.

Generally, you should contact your mortgage company to find out how to send this money back to your escrow account. While you could keep it, doing so could mean that your escrow will have a shortage and you’ll have to pay higher monthly mortgage payments to rebuild your escrow amount.

 

 

Prepare for Tomorrow’s Risks Today

The concept of expecting the unexpected continues to serve insurance brokers and agents well as we move into the years to come. Why? Because preparing for potential risks in the future is your sweet spot.

It is no secret that substantial challenges have found many small businesses reinventing the way work gets done. Those business leaders who have prepared in advance are positioned for continued growth throughout uncertain risk environments.

Are all of your clients and prospects prepared for what the future may hold? In today’s shifting times, most employers find themselves waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Since the only thing that is certain is death and taxes, use this time to help your clients prepare for the what ifs of tomorrow and the unknowns. Now is the best time for insurance brokers and agents—like you—to help employer clients prepare for tomorrow’s potential risks with a flexible mindset.

Help Employer Clients Succeed

Become a hero they remember by anticipating your existing and prospective employer client needs. Help them transform potential pain into power. Remind them that things aren’t as bad as they seem because they could be worse. Here are four ways you are well-positioned to help them succeed:

Offer Your Expertise. Don’t wait for employers to knock on your door. Proactively reach out to remind them that you’re available to help with risk preparedness for the coming year. The counsel you provide today will help employers remember you when it comes time to renew any of their insurance policies.

Provide Meeting Options. If you haven’t made the shift already, set things up so you’re able to accommodate virtual and in-person meetings. Make yourself accessible in a variety of ways to connect in a way that makes your clients comfortable. Consider options like Zoom, Skype, FaceTime for live meetings. Send free personalized video messages using Loom. When it is possible, offer outdoor coffee meetings for a change of pace.

Offer Payment Plans. With shifting payrolls, paying monthly insurance premiums based on traditional workers’ compensation systems is next to impossible. Eliminate estimates and ensure accurate payments by offering a pay-as-you-go plans. Your clients’ cash flow will improve, and end-year audits will be much easier to conduct. Short-term periods that rely on weeks instead of months will save time and money.

Find Needed Solutions. Meet your customers’ needs right where they are by finding solutions to protect their shifting workforce. With different norms created from temporary positions and short-term commitments, risk management loss control programs are critical. Spend time educating clients about ways to cut costs and share risks.

Access Free Support. Realize you’re not in this new normal alone. Syndicated Insurance Resources is well-equipped to help you find what your clients need. With access to 150+ markets and more than 40 unique customized solutions for small businesses, we specialize in helping you meet small businesses’ needs with seasonal ebbs and flows.

Contact us today to help find what you need: 877-333-8195.

 

 

How to Use a Football in Your Broker Playbook

Vince Lomardi had a way with words and though he was a genius at strategy, he always took the time to work on the basics. To start out every season, he would gather the players around for the first preseason meeting. There, he would give his famous “This is a Football” speech.

With a football in hand, he walked to the front of the room, held out the pigskin in front of him, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” He did this to remind his players the importance of simple and basic truths about the sport he loved.

As commissions seem to erode and clients seem more interested in finding the cheapest than the best, successful brokers must get back to the basics and be mindful of the fundamentals.

What is the primary goal of an insurance broker? It seems like a simple enough question but surprisingly most brokers can’t find the right words to even explain what they are trying to accomplish. For many brokers, the mission has changed with the circumstances. The broker has been blown off course and is no longer sailing in the right direction.

Is it the goal of the insurance broker to always find the cheapest solution? Isn’t it more important to make certain that products offered to meet the needs of the client? While many clients will say that always take the least expensive solution, their actions don’t always support their words. In theory, a broker could always find the least expensive solution and still never gain new clients.

As brokers, our football, our objective is to gain new clients. Gaining new clients is what pays the bills and supports our families. Commissions follow a commitment to acting in the best interest of the client’s long-term future. If we don’t want to become another price driven commodity we must get back to the basics and remind ourselves of the real mission.

Here are few actions items, a playbook for success:
1) Offer more than just an insurance policy. Consider offering employers safety and loss control recommendations or human resource assistance.
2) Position your agency as a source of information. Don’t just push products. Demonstrate your expertise and understanding of the available options.
3) Create proposals that are geared toward quality vs price. Avoid the temptation to just cut to the chase and throw out a number.

We Are Updating Our Online Access Agreements

When your agency began doing business with Syndicated Resource Group Holdings, Inc. or created access to the online services, you reviewed and accepted our marketing and user agreements.   We are revising the agreements with updated terms and conditions, effective March 15, 2023.

Do you need to do anything?

If you agree with these changes, you don’t need to take any action. Continuing to use the service after the effective date indicates your agreement with these changes.  The changes will not impact the commission schedules for our various products and service offerings.

To review the new agreement, please click here.

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About Us

Did you forget about us? No worries! Our leading technology automation, strategic industry partnerships and comprehensive professional services provide high commissions while growing a broker’s book of business. With access to more markets and program offerings, we provide a broker marketplace for competitive insurance offerings.

A free Syndicated Services account provides insurance brokers with a dashboard of options that provide save time and money. Access our broker portal for:

  • Quick policy quotes from a wide array of markets
  • Instant access to Appulate ACORD data management portal
  • Robust technology to manage and grow your book of business
  • Bundled or à la carte staffing options
  • Unrestricted payment options using the payroll provider of your client’s choice
  • Various HR consulting services to beef up your competitive offerings