If you are insured with Safety Insurance and have signed up for their EFT billing program, billing charges have been $1 per installment.

A client recently got in touch with us, asking why his automatic installments are now $7?

In order to take advantage of $1 installments, Safety Insurance requires that you sign up for their new “E-Bill” program.

You can go to:  www.SafetyInsurance.com

If you don’t have an account, you will want to set one up. If you already have one, go to your account, click on each of your policies and sign up for “E-Bill.”

This will reduce the billing fee from $7 to $1.

If you have any problems signing up online, Safety Insurance will walk you through the process by calling:  800-951-2100 (extension 2, then 4 to get a live person).

Please call us with any questions.

I read an interesting article in the MassAgent newsletter from the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents:

Question of the Week

Collision Coverage – If Hit by a Stolen Vehicle

Question: We had a prospect come into our office to insure his car. He said recently his car was hit while parked by a car that was stolen and involved in a police chase. He has collision, but when he made his claim through GEICO (former carrier), he was told it was not covered as it was a stolen car and a police chase. Now, I know that GEICO would probably have no one to subrogate against, but I believe as long as he paid a premium to have collision coverage, it should be covered less the deductible. I’ve been an agent for many years, but am I missing a caveat that denies coverage in this circumstance? If so, it’s a new one. Thanks.

Answer

Kathy Cormier: If your customer has first-party coverage (collision), they should be able to collect from their policy. I looked at GEICO’s policy, and they have a modified version of the MAP 2008:  https://massagent.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/gecc129849942.pdf. There was nothing that I saw saying they couldn’t collect under collision if damaged by a stolen vehicle. I’m including Irene Morrill, VP of Technical Affairs.

Irene Morrill: And that’s why people shouldn’t be insured with GEICO…they have no one to fight for them. I didn’t see any exclusion for “hit by a stolen vehicle” in the GEICO policy.

The person whose car was stolen is not legally responsible for the actions of the stolen vehicle – if the thief was caught…then the thief would be legally responsible for the damages, but if one buys Part 7 -it doesn’t matter.

I’d tell the client to make an insurance complaint…and say to the company that they are doing so…with the MA DOI – perhaps that will make the company decide to pay.

Filing an Insurance Complaint in Massachusetts

*This document is not a legal opinion and should not be relied upon as such. This document intends to provide a general background regarding the topic or topics discussed, not to provide legal advice. Producers and agencies should consult an attorney regarding specific situations and questions concerning the topic or topics covered in this document. Neither the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, Number One Insurance Agency, nor any of its employees shall be responsible for any errors or omissions regarding any statements made in this document, nor any errors or omissions regarding any statutes, regulations, court rules, and/or any other government documents cited in this document.

Coverage Review:  Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others

As an insurance agent, when reviewing someone’s auto coverage, I immediately look at the Part 5, Optional Bodily Injury to Others, coverage. In my opinion, it’s the most important coverage on your policy. It’s your lawsuit coverage if you injure someone in an at-fault accident.

In addition to coverage, insurance companies provide legal defense.

We recommend limits of $250,000 per person/$500,000 per accident and a (minimum) $1,000,000 personal liability umbrella coverage.

Do you know how much coverage you have?

Give us a call or a click and let’s review.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17

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