Bonds

Assurance for You and Your Business.

Our business solution services include:

• Court Bonds
• Conservator Bonds
• Surety Bonds
• Fidelity Bonds
• Public Officials
• Liquor Licenses

• Performance Bonds
• Contractor’s Bonds
• ERISA Bonds
• Fiduciary Bonds
• Sub-Division Bonds

If you need a bond or license, contact a bond specialist at General Insurance Services today who can help you find the surety products that keep your business covered

Business Catastrophe Insurance

Here are the important things to know about this policy:

• Business catastrophe insurance coverage amounts are proportional to individual business types and indemnity periods. Most companies purchase this policy and get at least one million dollars of coverage, just to be absolutely sure they have the protection they need if something goes extraordinarily wrong. Sometimes these extraordinary situations can arise due to the nature of a certain business, or because of a freak accident or natural disaster. One of our agents can help you determine an appropriate coverage length and amount.
• This coverage may protect you from things your normal policies do not. While the specifics depend on the plan you get, business catastrophe insurance is usually offered as an umbrella policy that can cover almost anything that might occur.
• This is the last resort, not the first. If a claim is covered by your normal policy and doesn't exceed those limits, your business catastrophe policy will not be utilized. Its main purpose is protecting you against particularly large claims, just in case something goes wrong and you truly need the extra protection

Business Owners Policy (BOP)

Combined Coverage for Special Advantages.

That’s why we combine various coverage options into one convenient package – for more benefits than a typical Business policy and better savings through competitive pricing.

The proper Business Owners Policy can keep your day-to-day operations protected with options such as:

• Products and Completed Operations
• Premises Liability
• Premises Medical
• Fire Legal Liability

• Business Income Insurance
• Building and Personal Property Protection
• On-Site Equipment Insurance
• Coverage for Inventory Loss
• Crime Insurance

Find Out if Your Business is Eligible

Since Business Owners Policies apply only to special types of businesses with specific needs, operations, and risks, it’s important to contact a specialist at General Insurance Services who can help you determine whether a BOP is right for your small or medium-sized business.

Commercial Auto Insurance

Peace of Mind for Businesses On the Road

From trips across the country to local deliveries and promotions, your mobile business fleet takes on the open road to keep operations running smoothly – but accidents do happen.

With Commercial Auto Insurance from General Insurance Services, we’ll work with you one-on-one to create a customized policy that may include:

• Bodily Injury Liability
• Medical Payments
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Coverage
• Comprehensive Coverage

• Collision Coverage
• GAP Coverage
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Additional Coverage

Additional options like Bailee Coverage are available if needed. Bailee Coverage insures property loss or damage when in your company’s care, control, or custody – for example: product protection for items on a semi or delivery truck.

Commercial General Liability

Critical Assurance for the Protection of Your Business.

At General Insurance Services, we can help you create a policy that’s designed to safeguard the best interests of your business - so you can focus on serving your customers and increasing your profits.

 Coverages from General Insurance Services include:

• Premises Liability
• Products and Completed Operations
• Premises Medical
• Fire Legal Liability
• Casualty Coverage

Auto Service Insurance

Other types of Commercial General Liability include Garagekeepers Liability and Employment Practices Liability. If you run an auto service operation, having Garagekeepers Liability coverage will protect your customers’ vehicles from fire, vandalism, theft, or other damages. An option like Employment Practices Liability will protect your business if an employee’s legal rights have been violated.

Additional Commercial Liability

Other specialty types of Commercial Liability, such as Foreign, Liquor, and Concession Liability, can aid in furthering the safety of your business’s future.

• Foreign Liability protects employees who travel out of the country (for business purposes) in the event of injuries, damages and lawsuits.
• Liquor Liability includes covering damages and injuries in which your business is held legally responsible as a result of serving liquor - from liquor establishments to office parties/special events.
• Concession Liability keeps your special event stand insured from damage, accidents, or accidental injuries sustained to pedestrians.

Commercial Property Insurance

Protection for Your Business Itself.

That’s why it’s important to make sure your commercial property is protected because accidents do happen, and the last thing you want to experience as a business owner is being out of commission and under the wrong policy.

Our insurance specialists can help you create a policy that keeps your small-to medium-size business insured from top to bottom by covering such items as:

• Your building
• All interior items (desks, furniture, etc.)
• Any outdoor signs on your property
• On-site equipment
• Your inventory

Additional Coverage

Other items that are typically found on a Property Insurance policy can include Builder’s Risk insurance and Equipment Breakdown coverage.

Commercial Real Estate Insurance

Commercial real estate insurance protects you from losses caused by damage to property assets.

Most businesses are vulnerable to the same threats as every other building:

• fire
• flooding
• vandalism
• being struck by a vehicle
  

Before you start shopping, though, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• The first thing you should do is take stock of the company's physical assets. This includes your building, any paper records, inventory, office equipment, signs located outside, and anything else that qualifies as a physical asset.
• You may not need to insure everything the business owns. If you decide something is not worth insuring, removing it from your policy could lower your monthly premiums and make it easier to insure what truly matters.
• Most policies cover either the replacement cost (RC) or the actual cash value (ACV) of the insured items. Policies that include replacement cost are more expensive, but allow for full replacement without calculating any depreciation. Actual cash value policies consider the loss of value over time, and factor this difference in to any claims on the policy.

Commercial Umbrella Insurance

Extra Protection that Keeps You in Business.

But if you don’t have a sufficient amount of coverage, your current policy may not have the extra layer of protection needed for situations that can jeopardize your finances, or even your operations.

The following are examples of situations where Commercial Umbrella coverage can safeguard your business:

• Accidental falls or slips on your property
• A carbon monoxide leak in your building
• Libel, slander, or invasion of privacy
• If one of your products causes injury or illness
• If a fire in your building damages other property
• Violations of Employment Practices Liability
• If your business vehicle is involved in an accident

How Much Umbrella Coverage is Enough?

 Since lawsuits can be expensive and accidents do happen, you can never be too careful with your coverage options.

That’s why at General Insurance Services, our helpful insurance experts will work with the individual needs of your business to find a level of protection that keeps you and your operations secure. Commercial Umbrella Insurance is simply an affordable coverage that can help you avoid major losses.

Equipment Insurance

Keep Your Equipment Protected.

You cannot work if your equipment is not working, and equipment that operates poorly can affect the quality of your work. Equipment vital to your business success needs to be protected with insurance.

The following are examples of situations where Commercial Umbrella coverage can safeguard your business:

• Accidental falls or slips on your property
• A carbon monoxide leak in your building
• Libel, slander, or invasion of privacy
• If one of your products causes injury or illness
• If a fire in your building damages other property
• Violations of Employment Practices Liability
• If your business vehicle is involved in an accident

Equipment Insurance Features

Equipment insurance covers you when equipment breaks down. The insurance can cover the cost to repair or replace the equipment, as well as other costs involved in getting your business operational again.

 Your computers and electronics, for instance, are considered equipment and can be covered in the same policy.

Equipment insurance or business interruption insurance can cover loss of income due to something as indirect as a website going down for an extended period, if you depend on the site for customer orders.

Errors and Omissions Insurance

Extra Protection that Keeps You in Business.

Business owners and executives have several legal and financial responsibilities that accompany their roles, and if they fail to fulfill these responsibilities by inaccurately reporting income, errors and omissions insurance will reimburse a business for problems arising from these fiduciary oversights.

Errors and omissions claims have been trending higher in recent years, with multiple million dollar lawsuits being filed more frequently than ever before. Accordingly, most businesses need to have appropriate coverage amounts to be sure they're protected if a large claim is filed.

1. Oxford Reference, s.v. “errors and omissions,” www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095756997?rskey=tDNztO&result=1
2. "Why Consumer Trust Is the Key to Repeat Business." The Wise Marketer. January 2005. Accessed April 18, 2016. http://www.thewisemarketer.com/features/read.asp?id=54.
3. "Claims Trends." Insurance Journal News. November 03, 2014. Accessed April 18, 2016. http://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/features/2014/11/03/345153.htm.

Inland Marine Insurance

Off-Site Protection for Your Valued Assets.

With Inland Marine coverage, you can avoid damages sustained in the event of accidents, theft, vandalism, or total loss.

• Transported Property
• Computer Equipment and Data
• Contractor’s Tools
• Artwork
• Buildings Under Construction

What Inland Marine Can Do for Your Business

No matter what business you’re in, an accident can happen at any time. That’s why it’s important to have an Inland Marine policy from General Insurance Services to provide your business with the appropriate coverage it needs during transit

Since Inland Marine covers items outside of your standard Business Property Insurance policy, having additional coverage to keep your equipment insured off-site is critical. This coverage can also extend to protect your business’s goods or equipment when transported by ocean and air, also known as Ocean Marine.

Office Insurance

As a business owner, you want to protect all the hard work you've put into creating a functioning company. A business isn't just the products you put on the shelves—it's your intellectual property, your office space, and your computers and valuable equipment

Most office insurance plans include the following:

• Commercial Real Estate Insurance: This policy covers your property and income, including the cost of repairs, replacements, and any interruptions of your business.
• Equipment Insurance: If your company uses equipment (computers, manufacturing machines, etc.), a breakdown could quickly grind your business to a halt. This policy offers reimbursement for your expenses, allowing you to get your equipment repaired without worrying about the cost.
• Cyber Liability Insurance: Technology is about more than having a few computers in the office—it’s about software, data (including customer information), and even the external services your company might rely on. Cyber liability insurance can reimburse you for mistakes and losses, like a data breach, that occur as a result of using technology.

Talk With A Specialist

Different companies have different insurance needs, so don't hesitate to talk to one of our agents and ask if there's anything else that should be added to your office insurance policy.

Be sure to let us know about anything particularly innovative that you're doing with your building, since that might not be covered by a standard policy. 

What is Product Liability Insurance?

Product liability insurance mainly covers the legal obligations of a company. This may include payments like:

• Court fees
• Legal defense costs
• Personal injury awards
• Out-of-court settlements
• Miscellaneous fees that may occur during any of the above

Do I Need Liability Insurance ?

If your company manufactures or sells any kind of product, it is strongly recommended that you have some form of liability coverage.

 Even products that are widely regarded as 'safe' can malfunction in a way that causes harm to the user, and defending against a lawsuit is usually expensive enough that many companies (and claimants) prefer to simply settle out of court.

Product liability insurance can reimburse you for expenses (including defense costs and settlements) that occurred during this process.

Product liability cases that go to court are among the most expensive forms of personal injury cases, and as of 2013 these cases had an average payout of more than $6 million.

All companies that obtain this type of coverage are encouraged to have a policy limit higher than the median payout—anything less makes it likely that your company will suffer significant losses if a jury decides against you.

If you feel any of these forms of coverage are missing from your policy, or if you are starting a business and need product liability coverage, speak to a General Insurance Services agent or request a quote today. 

1. Ross, Kenneth. "The Role of Product Instructions in Product Liability Prevention." In Compliance. April 30, 2015. Accessed April 18, 2016. http://incompliancemag.com/article/the-role-of-product-instructions-in-product-liability-prevention/.
2. "Settle Your Personal Injury Claim." AllLaw.com. Accessed April 18, 2016. http://www.alllaw.com/resources/personal-injury/settle-your-personal-injury-claim.
3. "Product Liability." III. Accessed April 18, 2016. http://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/product-liability.

Professional Liability

Mistakes Happen.

In today’s litigious society, lawsuits against businesses are common. And as a business owner, you need to be prepared to protect the integrity of your company if an incident or mistake turns into a claim

What Does Professional Liability Cover?

While it’s important for your business to have general liability coverage for property damage and bodily injury, General Insurance Services recommends adding Professional Liability Insurance to your business portfolio because it insures the people and/or entities of your business from negligent claims made by third parties, or even internal sources.

From failure to render a service to malpractice suits, Professional Liability can provide a wide variety of options, such as:

Small Business Insurance

Many other industry-specific forms of coverage are available. For more information about what policies are the most important for your business, talk to one of our agents and ask for a full risk assessment. You can research forms of insurance through reputable sources—this information is available for free online, courtesy of groups like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Insurance Requirements For Small Businesses

All small businesses are required to have Workers' Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, and sometimes Disability Insurance. Other requirements for small business insurance vary by industry, as well as local, state, and federal law.

The exact definition of a small business varies by industry, but according to the Small Business Administration, it's usually 500 employees or less for mining or manufacturing, and $7.5 million or less in revenue for other industries. Note that there are many exceptions to this rule, and they are listed in detail on the Small Business Administration's website.

Coverage for Your Business Surety Bonds

General Insurance Services can write a variety of Surety Bonds, including:

• Performance and Payment Bonds
• Contractor Bonds
• Sub-Division Bonds
• Court Bonds
• Conservator Bonds
• Fidelity Bonds
• Public Officials
• Liquor Licenses

Since there are many types of Surety products, it’s important to discuss your options with a licensed, professional bond agent.

Trailer Insurance

Most trailers can be insured, regardless of whether they're being used for private or commercial purposes. Exceptions to this are rare, and are generally limited to trailers that are considered too high-risk to insure. If you're unsure whether your trailer qualifies for coverage, call General Insurance Services and ask for more information.

Trailer types that are usually covered include:

• Horse trailers
• Camping trailers
• Car trailers
• Boat trailers
• Cargo trailers
• Bicycle trailers
• Semi-trailers
• ...and many others

Transportation Insurance

Whether you ship goods by road, air, or sea, or are in the towing business, you need insurance for unexpected events that create problems for your business. The goods you transport could get damaged despite your efforts to pack them properly. Your vehicle could be involved in an accident through no fault of your own. And while the vehicle itself may be insured, that does not guarantee the contents—or materials you are shipping—are covered.

So whether you have a fleet of vehicles or just one truck you use to haul items as a part of the whole business, the principle is the same. Adequate insurance allows you to continue business as usual if something bad happens.

If you are an existing customer, we can review your policy to make sure you have complete coverage and your coverage is up to date.

If you are a new customer, General Insurance Services can provide the transportation insurance coverage you need to protect your business.

Workers Compensation

Workers Compensation can cover financial obligations such as:

• An injured employee’s medical expenses/treatment
• The replacement of lost wages from injury time off

If your business does not offer Workers Compensation, serious injuries that occur on the job could lead to an employee suing your company for damages.

Van Insurance

Our commercial auto coverage for vans and hauling vehicles includes:

• Liability insurance to cover damage you cause to other people, vehicles, or property.
• Collision coverage to cover damage you cause to your own vehicle, such as running into a tree.
• Comprehensive coverage to cover vehicle theft and damage from falling objects, fire, glass, animals and some natural disasters.
• Medical payment insurance to provide some limited coverage for injury to you and others, including some funeral coverage.
• Uninsured motorist coverage that gives you coverage if the other motorist involved in an accident has no insurance.
• Towing or roadside assistance for the cost of towing, tire changing, a dead battery, and similar roadside repairs. This feature includes road service for breakdowns.
• Rental Reimbursement to cover the cost of renting a vehicle while yours is in the shop after an accident.
• Other forms of insurance can be purchased as add-ons, such as coverage of your tools in your van. These additions are, generally, relatively inexpensive.
• Umbrella policies
• are available that can increase your coverage over the basic liability limits.

Van insurance requires an agent and insurance company knowledgeable in business insurance lines and commercial auto coverage. You need someone who understands the needs and necessities of companies that depend on their transportation capabilities and vehicles to thrive.

Coverage For Your Employees

We work hard to provide the best protection plans for businesses and their employees. 

Our coverage options for employees include:

• Disability Insurance
• Employer-Sponsored Retirement
• Group Disability Insurance
• Group Benefits
• Individual Life Insurance
• Retiree Health Coverage
• Voluntary Benefits
• And much more …