FIND YOUR STATE E&O PROGRAM MANAGER
FIND YOUR STATE PROGRAM MANAGER
As an independent agent, your clients trust you to handle their insurance needs. But who do you trust to manage your own agency’s professional liability insurance? We understand that protecting the future of your agency is a major priority, and that you want to place your coverage with the most respected E&O program in the business.
Join more than 11,000 Big “I” members nationwide who are taking advantage of this important member benefit.
Select your state from the drop-down to find your state program manager or to request a premium estimate.
Complete our fillable claim form, then email it to Westport, copying your state association program manager. You will then be contacted regarding next steps.
If you become aware of an incident that could rise to a claim, report it. Potential claim situations do often turn into active claims, which can lead to possible coverage issues if not reported in a timely fashion.
When responding to an E&O situation, agency staff should never admit liability or enter into settlement discussions. Report the claim immediately and keep careful notes. For a handy wallet card that can be printed and kept handy, click here. Ensure that every member of your staff is provided with these basic instructions:
1. Never admit liability. You can be empathetic but never admit you’ve done anything wrong.
2. Don’t participate in any settlement discussions or enter into a settlement without written consent from your E&O carrier.
3. Ask them to explain what they think it is you’ve done wrong and write it all down including names, dates, and telephone numbers.
4. Don’t tell them you have E&O liability insurance unless they ask you specifically if you do. Then, only advise them that you do and that you will provide all the information to your insurance carrier and they will be in touch with them.
5. Report the incident immediately to management so they can submit it to your E&O carrier.
The Swiss Re claims team can help guide you in how to best communicate with your client, the carrier or other third parties. In an effort to help or sympathize with clients, agents sometime make statements that can be construed as admissions. Your claims team can help you avoid that.
- Believe you might have a claim but not sure? Call us.
- Did one of your staff screw up and think it could amount to something? Call us.
- Was a policy error just discovered that may be relevant to a loss? Call us.
Call Westport’s claims department at (800) 241-3470 or contact your state association program manager with your questions and/or concerns.
Swiss Re’s experienced and dedicated claims staff focuses solely on defending insurance agents E&O claims. 70% of all claims personnel are attorneys – not general adjusters handling multiple lines of insurance or third party administrators. With 13 years average experience and nearly 3,000 insurance agency E&O claims adjusted annually, the Swiss Re claims team knows how to handle E&O claims in your industry. About a third of claims are settled without involvement of outside defense counsel, which keeps costs down and lets you get back to work.
The Swiss Re Corporate Solutions US Agents Claims Team handles more E&O claims involving independent insurance agents on any given day than you’ll see in a year – perhaps in your entire career. The depth of knowledge and experience Swiss Re claim handlers can bring to bear is just as valuable on small claims as it is on the large ones. As a Swiss Re Corporate Solutions policyholder, you have this powerful claims team in your corner.
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ Claims Commitment is at the core of its claims philosophy. Swiss Re knows that how a claim is handled can be as important as the outcome itself. Their mission is to deliver exceptional claims service. Click here to read more about the Swiss Re Claims Commitment.
