Many educators’ legal liability (ELL) insurance carriers are amending their policy to specifically exclude acts of sexual/physical abuse and molestation. Underwriters contend that the ELL policy form was never designed to cover claims alleging bodily injury, and that the additional exclusion merely clarifies the policy’s intent that such events are more appropriately covered by a school’s general liability policy. However, such exclusionary wording could have unintended consequences for your ELL policy.

I’m sure you have seen and heard the many stories of business owners who suffered uninsured losses due to the power outages caused by the recent storms in the Northeast. Downed trees and limbs were the primary cause of failed power lines for millions.

As you may be aware, a recent news article noted that a large multi-national bank is being sued for $15 million for negligence following a robbery and homicide at a vacant building owned by the bank through foreclosure. Liability coverage for bank owned/foreclosed properties is handled quite differently from bank to bank, and coverage limits available may be insufficient to cover this type of catastrophic liability claim.

Chuck Soucy and Jim Evans spoke about reducing premiums in insurance programs at the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) Fall Conference on November 17, 2011.

New England winter storms can be messy, unpredictable, and prolonged. Injuries caused by slipping and falling on snow and ice can be expensive, disruptive, painful and sometimes even tragic for property owners and managers. A proactive plan designed to identify, control and eliminate these losses is the best way to reduce or prevent these accidents.

Marty Berman, Principal Consulant at Albert Risk Management Consultants participated in a panel discussion along with Joe Fortier, Partner of Reid and Riege, P.C. and the Director of Real Estate for Kaman Industrial Technologies, Rick Frazier at a conference that was co-sponsored by the CT Chapter of RIMS and the CT Westchester chapter of a real estate networking organization known as CoreNet Global on November 16, 2011. They discussed “Risk Management Practices for Lease Negotiations”.

Stuart Cowart, Co- President and Principal Consultant of Albert Risk Management Consultants participated in a panel discussion along with Alexander Zmoira, Sr. Mngr at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Andrea Loew, former Executive VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Interactive Data Group, and Scott Samuels, Member at Mintz Levin, as moderator on Contingency and Risk Mitigation Planning – Role of Legal, Compliance, and other Business Areas at the Association of Corporate Counsel Northeast Chapter on November 16, 2011.

Today's risk managers face an array of legal, business, regulatory, political and environmental challenges, and they need robust yet flexible tools to assist them. A risk management information system that helps generate reports and analysis, manages a database and provides accurate tracking mechanisms offers all these services, but finding a RMIS that suits an organization's most important needs requires investigation...

Financial institution bonds are, in contrast to management liability policies (such as D&O and employment practices), written on standardized coverage forms. Although this provides buyers with a more clear understanding of the protection afforded, unfavorable terms and conditions are often accepted when more favorable language may be available. Below are several examples of common bond provisions that can often be amended to broaden your protection...

As a property owner or manager there are many obvious actions that serve to minimize sources of potential liabilities. For example, you know to keep parking lots and walkways plowed and sanded in the winter, and to maintain detailed snow removal logs. While these efforts may help with defending those pesky slip and fall claims, are you effectively defending yourself from other, less known liabilities? One such potential liability comes from man's best friend, the dog...