Glossary
Our Lines Of Business
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A
Provides insurance coverage specifically for cash or payments that your business is owed by customers.
Provides protection for an air carrier’s legal liability for damage, destruction, or other loss of a customer’s property while being shipped.
By including comprehensive and collision insurance as part of your commercial auto policy, you can obtain coverage for damage to your trucks and other business-owned vehicles.
If your business owns cars, trucks or vans, you will be required to cover them with a commercial auto insurance policy. If you use rented trucks or vans or an employee uses a personally owned vehicle to do work-related jobs, you will need hired or non-owned auto insurance to protect your business from a potential liability lawsuit.
Motor vehicle insurance coverage provides coverage (including collision, vandalism, fire and theft) against material damage to the insured's vehicle.
B
Not all flood damage is caused by floods. If your business is located at or below ground level, you may be at risk for damage caused by backed up sewers or drains. This insurance also provides coverage for flooding caused by sump pump failure, such as might happen in the event of an extended power outage.
If your business holds your customers property as part of operations, you are responsible if your customers’ property is damaged while in your possession. Bailee insurance covers third-party property when it is in your care, custody or control.
This coverage is designed to protect any outdoor buildings related to your farming business such as barns, sheds, garages or grain silos.
Allows you to cover multiple buildings and/or specialized personal property under one big limit. This is different from standard insurance where each building or specialized personal property is listed separately with specific limits that only apply to that one category.
Helps financially protect you if you’re legally responsible for injuries or property damage resulting from accidents involving water skiers, swimmers, collision with other boats, collision with docks and more. Protecting yourself and operators of your watercraft for liability is as important as protecting your watercraft and equipment.
It provides coverage for such things as routine boiler inspections, sprinkler system inspection and testing, repairs and replacements in the event of breakdowns of processing and mobile equipment and compressed containments for heating and processing.
Is a special form of property insurance designed to protect construction projects in progress. Coverage will reimburse to repair, replace or recover the current value of a construction project. This includes coverage for various common disasters such as fires, theft, labor costs and storms.
Owning the actual building where your business is located is reason enough to protect it with building insurance. Doing so means any physical damage to the structure of the business will be paid for by the insurer. Most building policies cover perils as fire, lightning, and vandalism.
Covers buildings, business personal property, and personal property of others for direct loss or damage, subject to the limits shown in the declarations for each of these categories. Also provides additional coverages and coverage extensions, including but not limited to: debris removal, pollutant cleanup, increased cost of construction, electronic data, and outdoor property.
Provides coverage for autos owned by a business. The insurance pays any costs to third parties resulting from bodily injury or property damage for which the business is legally liable, up to the policy limits.
Also called equipment breakdown insurance, is a necessity for most businesses. Typically this coverage will protect your business financially for anything from a machine failure caused by power surges to power failures to burned-out motors or even operator errors.
Provides coverage for lost income and expenses if you must temporarily cease operations after a catastrophic event. It pays employee salaries, rent and other expenses while you are closed to make repairs.
A major disaster may force a temporary closure of your business until you can make repairs. If the disaster is among your policy’s covered events, business income insurance can provide your store with a continuation of income until you can resume normal business operations.
Or business income coverage, protects your earnings if your business is unable to operate because of damage caused by some type of disruption (fire, hail, wind, equipment breakdown). This coverage, normally included in commercial property insurance, is usually quite affordable and invaluable if you are forced to close your doors for a period of time in order to make repairs. It pays for rent, employee salaries, lost income, relocation fees and more.
A business owners policy, or BOP, is a comprehensive insurance option that includes the following policies: property insurance, liability insurance, business interuption insurance, vehicle coverge, and crime insurance
Is an extension of the general liability coverage provided by a business insurance or businessowners insurance (BOP) policy. Umbrella policies often start with coverage limits of $1 million.
C
This is designed to insure the equipment, materials and products when they are being transported from one place to another. This coverage applies whether the property is being transported in your own business-owned trucks or by a hired carrier.
Is a document that proves that a business has liability insurance that’s actively in force. They are normally requested by people or businesses looking to hire another company for work and want to make sure that the prospective company has insurance.
Is designed specifically for cloud services providers who operate a cloud data service for their clients. If your cloud services business is held liable for your clients’ data that’s lost, stolen, or compromised, you’ll want insurance coverage to come to the rescue.
Business auto insurance covers your company’s vehicles and drivers that are damaged or injured in a collision or some other type of event. If you or your employees drive personal vehicles for business purposes, you must have nonowned or hired auto liability coverage to protect your company in cases where an employee is an accident while out making deliveries.
It protects you from costs related to bodily injury or property damage that you or your employees cause to third-parties. This liability coverage is part of nearly all business insurance packages. It includes coverage for two important facets: Premises liability covers injuries or property damage sustained by third parties while they are on your premises. Product liability covers injuries or property damage caused by the products you sell..
This is standard coverage in any business insurance policy. It includes coverage for damages to the structure of your owned building and coverage for your other business assets such as inventory, computers, and furnishings.
Provides financial protection if you or an employee causes an accident while driving your truck or another vehicle.
This can protect you should a client be unhappy with the final product.
This insurance covers the property you keep inside your business establishment. This can include telephony, computers, furniture, décor and other items owned by your business. This coverage does not include motorized vehicles.
If your business is forced to temporarily cease operations because of complications caused by a covered event, this coverage is designed to provide a continuation of income. This may enable your business to pay its monthly expenses and employee salaries until repairs are complete and business can resume as usual.
An inland marine form covering contractors’ equipment on an all-risk or specified perils basis. This coverage is designed to cover mobile equipment while it is stored on premises, in transit or at temporary locations or jobsites.
This is designed to ensure that damage done on the job, whether by your workers or hired contractors.
Is a broad-ranging policy designed to cover damaged or missing contracting equipment. A contractors insurance policy can extend beyond simply covering equipment; it can also cover small tools, employees’ equipment and clothing, and borrowed equipment.
Can protect your business against losses stemming from robberies. You can buy specific coverage to handle the risks you face both on and off-premises, such as during a delivery or while taking cash to the bank for a deposit. You can also cover yourself against crimes committed by employees while on the job through an employee dishonestly insurance policy.
Is a type of protection policy that covers agricultural producers against unexpected loss of projected crop yields or profits from produce sales at market.
Protects your business against paying out of pocket for costs related to data breaches or other cyberattacks.
D
D&O protects the personal assets of corporate directors and officers, and their spouses, in the event they are personally sued by employees, vendors, competitors, investors, customers, or other parties, for actual or alleged wrongful acts in managing a company.
D&O protects the personal assets of corporate directors and officers, and their spouses, in the event they are personally sued by employees, vendors, competitors, investors, customers, or other parties, for actual or alleged wrongful acts in managing a company.
Protects directors and officers of corporations or not-for-profit organizations if there is a lawsuit claiming they managed the business or organization without proper regard for the rights of others. The policy will pay any judgment for which the insured is legally liable, up to the policy limit. It also provides for legal defense costs, even where there has been no wrongdoing.
Most water damage isn’t caused by flooding or natural disasters. A business is probably at a much higher risk of having the sump pump fail or a drain/sewer backup that leads to standing water.
E
Damage caused by earthquakes is also excluded by nearly all business insurance policies. If your business is at risk, you may want to supplement your coverage with an earthquake insurance policy.
This coverage is designed to cover educational institutions against claims of wrongful employment practices including discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to grant tenure.
This can protect your business from loss in the event that one of your employees steals from you.
Unfortunately, the problem of embezzlement, insider trading and employee theft is real. This coverage is designed to cover resultant losses and potential lawsuits if one of your employees is discovered to be committing crimes on the job. This coverage typically does not insure against crimes committed by principals or partners in your company.
This insurance covers your business if it is sued for an illegal business practice, such as discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination or breach of contract.
This coverage may be extremely important to those companies that deal with waste management and manufacutering with chemicals, particularly when they handle hazardous waste. It is designed to cover liability lawsuits for environmental damage caused by improper waste disposal.
Provides coverage in the event a horse becomes ill or dies, is no longer able to be used for business purposes, or causes an injury or property damage.
This pays to repair or replace production equipment , computer networks, heating and air conditioning, and other machinery and systems that keep your business running.
provides professional liability insurance that protects companies, their workers, and other professionals against claims of inadequate work or negligent actions.
A special event can be as simple as a birthday party or as complex as a month-long state fair. If you are planning a special event, you need to check with a professional insurance agent to determine what coverage, if any, may be provided by your existing insurance and what additional special event insurance you will need to carry.
F
This coverage protects your farm equipment, supplies and other machinery
Protects you from losing your farm due to any liability issues such as injury to another person on your property, medical payments or hospital bills or legal defense.
This is designed to cover livestock, crops, farm machinery, supplies and tools in the event that they are lost or damaged by a covered event.
Is a hybrid form of coverage meant to protect you both personally and commercially. Like a standard homeowners policy, farm insurance will cover your home, possessions and personal liability. Beyond that, it also includes coverage for your machinery and livestock (though not for your crops).
As your business is likely to send employees into other businesses to perform services such as janitorial, temporary administrative support or security, it is important that your employees are bonded and insured against crimes they might commit as a result of their acquired access to your client’s business operations. This insurance is designed to cover your firm against lawsuits resulting from criminal acts perpetrated by your employees.
This coverage can protect your financial assets from loss of money, securities and inventory if the loss is the result of crime. This can include crimes such as embezzlement, forgery, wire-transfer fraud, and even employee dishonesty.
Commercial insurance policies generally exclude coverage for damage caused by flooding. If your store is at risk, you should talk to your independent insurance agent about supplementing your coverage with a commercial flood insurance policy through the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program).
Damage caused by floods and earthquakes is excluded from business property insurance. If you are at risk, your agent can help you supplement your insurance protection with policies that provide the coverage you need.
If you engage in operations outside of the United States, this coverage may be necessary to protect you against potential liability lawsuits while doing business on foreign soil.
Provides coverage for firms that arrange in the transportation of merchandise and completing the required documentation. Some forwarders pack or consolidate merchandise with other cargo for export to the same country.
G
This covers customers’ vehicles in your care, custody, and control (e.g., for repairs or service).
This coverage is a standard part of any business insurance policy. It covers injuries and property damage sustained by third-parties while visiting your business. It also includes product liability insurance, which protects you if someone is harmed by your product.
In the event that a guest at your establishment suffers property loss due to negligence, theft or other causes, this coverage is designed to enable you to make reparations to that guest.
H
While businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees aren’t required to provide health insurance benefits to their workers, some small businesses prefer to offer it anyway as a way to attract and retain good employees.
This provides liability protection if an employee is responsible for an accident while driving their own vehicle for work-related purposes.
Wind and storm damage are typically covered by commercial insurance. In areas with a high probability of hurricane damage, this coverage is often excluded. In this case, you will need to purchase a supplemental policy.
I
This protection covers inventory and products while in transit from one location to another.
In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, you may need to close your business for an extended period of time. With this insurance coverage, you may be able to continue to take in an income sufficient to enable you to pay your monthly expenses until such time that you can resume normal business operations.
K
Compensate a business when certain key employees die or become disabled. These coverages cushion some of the adverse financial impact that results from losing a key employee’s participation.
L
Is a type of small business insurance for commercial landlords. It protects you in case one of your tenants sues you for property damage or injuries sustained in your building.
Pays damages for which the business is found liable, up to the policy limits, as well as attorneys’ fees and other legal defense expenses. It also pays the medical bills of any people injured by, or on the premises of, the business.
This provides coverage if a third-party accuses someone representing you damaged their reputation through libel or slander, or theft of their creative work – charges that can result in a long, drawn-out and financially draining lawsuit.
Each state has its own laws pertaining to liquor liability and your level of responsibility as someone who sells alcoholic beverages. Liquor liability insurance protects your business if it is held liable for the actions of an intoxicated person who obtained the alcohol from your business.
There are different scenarios where livestock can be killed or damaged, so with livestock insurance, it’s simply a matter of replacing those that are lost and carrying on with business as soon as possible. Coverage options for this type of policy include individual, blanket and herd coverage.
Helps provide coverage for death and crippling coverage on a broad perils basis for covered livestock while in due course of transit.
M
If you publish or produce work that violates another person’s copyright, that slanders or defames the character of a third-party, or in any other way can lead to a liability lawsuit, this coverage will handle your court costs, legal defense fees and any fines or judgments that may be imposed against your company.
Also referred to as medical malpractice insurance, this coverage is designed to cover legal defense and assessed fines in the event that a health care provider is sued for negligence or dereliction in duties that results in injury, illness or death to a patient in their care.
This coverage is essential for every religious organization and offers spiritual counseling liability protection. Policy terms vary, but coverage will often extend to clergy, church leadership, and paid or non-paid sanctioned volunteers.
Provides coverrage through an inland marine form covering loss of property in the course of transit, either by common carrier or on the insured's own vehicles, depending on the form used.
MPCI insures against losses from natural causes such as drought, excessive moisture, hail, wind, frost, insects, and disease.
O
Insurance covering the transportation of goods and/or merchandise by vessels crossing both foreign and domestic waters including any inland or aviation transit associated with the shipment. This type of marine insurance also encompasses coverage for damage to the vessels involved in shipments and any legal liability arising in the course of shipment.
This protects your business if a third party suffers an injury or property damage as the result of something an employee does while working off site.
P
Covers cleanup costs, damages and legal fees related to pollutants and clean up.
Premises liability insurance protects you from third-party injuries that take place within the premises of your business. This includes the inside and the outside of the premises.
Will respond when someone is injured by a product you produce, resell, distribute, or wholesale, assuming the injury is proven to be caused by your product.
Is a type of business insurance that provides coverage for professionals and businesses to protect against claims of negligence from clients or customers. Professional liability insurance typically covers negligence, copyright infringement, personal injury, and more.
is a type of business insurance that provides coverage for professionals and businesses to protect against claims of negligence from clients or customers. Professional liability insurance typically covers negligence, copyright infringement, personal injury, and more.
Compensates a business if the property used in the business is lost or damaged as the result of various types of common perils, such as fire or theft. Property insurance covers not just a building or structure but also what insurers refer to as personal property, meaning office furnishings, inventory, raw materials, machinery, computers and other items vital to a business’s operations.
This is designed to cover losses brought about by the misconduct of duties by or for a public entity. Wrongful acts included under this coverage include any act, error or omission that result in injuries or property damage.
Protects a company’s assets and pays for obligations, such as medical costs incurred if someone is hurt on your property or when property damages or injuries are caused by you or your employees.
R
This coverage will protect your church from discrimination suits.
S
While flood insurance is designed to protect your property from outside water, should you have a plumbing issue caused by the drains or sewer inside your store, you’ll want this special coverage.
This is often included under the boiler and machinery insurance coverage. It provides compensation if perishable items are spoiled due to a failure of your cooling systems.
Whenever you have large groups of people in one place, particularly when athletics are part of the curriculum, you run the risk of injuries. This insurance is designed to provide coverage if your educational facility is held liable for a student injury.
Many businesses are dependent on others along the supply chain. If there is a weak link or a fault within this supply chain, even if it is not the fault of your company, this can damage both your reputation and your bottom line. This coverage helps identify weaknesses, provide a contingency plan and avoid losses.
T
Whenever you are storing or transporting goods and merchandise for third parties, you are in a position of responsibility if anything should happen to those products. You can purchase coverage to limit your exposure due to losses caused by: Natural or man-made disasters, contamination, loss of refrigeration, and fourth party warehouse arrangements.
Reimburses the policyholder for monetary losses due to lost income or increased expenses related to a temporary property loss caused by a covered peril or another cause of loss defined in the policy (typically civil authority, ingress/egress, or service interruptions).
U
Because insurance companies impose caps on the amount of liability insurance they are willing to provide, umbrella insurance may be necessary if you feel that you need extra liability coverage in order to adequately protect your business. Umbrella insurance takes over where your other liability coverage leaves off.
If a covered natural or man-made disaster leads to the loss of utility services, you may need to relocate your guests to another place of business. This is particularly necessary if you have no running water or no electricity or heat for an extended period of time. This coverage can cover your income losses and assist with other related damages.
W
You are required to cover the cost of treatment of injuries sustained by employees while on the job. Workers' compensation insurance, which is required in most states, provides compensation in these cases.
Y
Provide coverage which pay out if the farmer suffers a yield loss relative to his or her historical or average yield.