Giving Back – Insurance Claims in Texas

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Good news may seem hard to come by these days, but for the children of Alexandria, Indiana, this summer will be full of happy memories.

Recent budget cuts at the state and municipal level have forced community pools out of commission. But, where there is a will there is a way and across the country local businesses and individuals have been teaming up to ensure that pools stay open.

Alexandria is a small town of 6,000 residents. Bake sales and other fundraisers brought in over 40,000 dollars needed for maintaining the pool.

When people help their community they feel a sense of pride and wellbeing. As a local insurance agency we are always looking for ways to give back to our community and we will always strive to bring that same feeling of pride and satisfaction to our valued customers.

A Challenging Climb

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What would cause someone to tackle the legendary Appalachian trail? For Trevor Thomas it was proving to himself that macular degeneration, a form of blindness, would not hold him down.

The rugged Appalachian trail, stretching across 14 eastern states, has often been attempted but rarely completed in whole. Only about 8,000 hikers have made it through the entire 2,175 mile journey. History records that only five of them were blind.

Trevor, an extreme sports enthusiast prior to the onset of his condition, had his very nervous sister drop him off at the trail’s start point in Georgia. When his guide didn’t show up Trevor was bold enough to ask passing strangers for help navigating the trail. Eventually he found someone willing to guide him through the mountains. Trevor would have the help of many strangers, but his greatest ally was a determined spirit. Injuries and exhaustion dogged him by the end of the hike in Maine. He pushed on and scaled the steep sides of Mount Katahdin, an incredible accomplishment for anyone.

Trevor’s story is a good reminder that when life is difficult the best response is not always to run away. Some times we just need a way to see how strong we really are. Like Trevor, you don’t have to face hardship alone. Contact us, your local agent, today. We can help you on your journey.

Dealing With Disease – Texas Life Insurance

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When 14-year-old Spencer Lane was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease he found a unique way to cope with the frequent symptoms and interruptions to his schoolwork. Spencer and his parents decided to enroll him at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center, a nearby campus of the Old Dominion University.

Rather than slowing down, this kid is speeding up and tackling a tough problem head on. He’s smart enough to keep up in college level courses, but is enrolled part-time in order to manage his symptoms.

Besides his smarts and determination, Spencer is also an activist. Last year Spencer raised more than $6,000 for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

Changes to his diet have reduced the vomiting that is common with the disease. More important than any conventional treatment is the fact that setting goals has allowed Spencer to push through a difficult circumstance and define himself by what he can accomplish, and not by the disease he has.

Bet Your Life On It

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Confronting the harsh reality of cancer may come in the form of a yellow wristband, pink ribbons, or, in the case of Jon Matthews, a chance to beat the odds in a very literal sense.

The 59 year old British widower placed a bet with a professional booking agency that is more used to dealing with sports than real life or death situations. When Jon told them that placing two bets at odds of 50 to 1 would help motivate him to fight mesothelioma, the agency agreed.

So far Jon has won 10,000 pounds and will be able to double that if he makes it to June 2010. He has promised to donate most of his winnings to charity.

While Jon’s story won’t serve as advice for everyone facing a crisis, it does illustrate the value of persistence and self-confidence. When you insure what matters you display the same type of confidence by making a bet that you can’t lose.

Texas Windstorm comes up with funding

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Texas Lawmakers Come Up With TWIA Funding on Last Day of Session

It took legislators until the waning hours of the session, but the state-run Texas Windstorm Insurance Association is now funded — at least for a $2.5 billion storm.

What if TWIA needs more than $2.5 billion, enough to cover a 1-in-50 year storm? Texas appears content to cross that bridge only if it gets to it.

The industry said it is pleased in stopping the unlimited assessments they were facing as soon as the wind blew this hurricane season, which began June 1.

“The very first dollar they needed was coming from the industry,” said Joe Woods, regional manager for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. “We had to get out of that. What the state came up with was a rational plan for growth.”

Texas’ last-resort insurer was in financial crisis. It continues to pay claims from Hurricane Ike last September and has depleted the state catastrophe reserve fund. TWIA used up all of the cash it had on hand after Hurricane Dolly in July 2008 and expects $2.7 billion in losses from Ike. The association has assessed its member insurers $530 million (BestWire, Sept. 15, 2008).

In a statement, the American Insurance Association called the bill a “reasoned compromise” and said it was “generally pleased” with the outcome of the measure, which changed dramatically as it moved through the legislative process.

Here’s how the funding breaks down. There is nothing in the cat reserve, but TWIA has about $30 million-$40 million in cash on hand. After that, the first $1 billion in claims will be funded by post-event bonds, funded by TWIA policyholders.

“It was important these were post-event bonds,” said Woods. “Otherwise, the industry would be dragged down to buy bonds that might not be needed.”

The next $1 billion will be funded by class 2 bonds, funded by a 70-30 split of surcharges and assessments, respectively. The 10-year bonds carrying 6% interest would amount to about $40 million per year for insurers. Surcharges would be about 2.8% per TWIA policy in the 14 coastal counties. Unlike in the past, insurers cannot look to recoup assessments but the industry can build in the costs in future rates, Woods said.

“While the assessments won’t be recoupable, ending unlimited assessments and making them post-event only will go a long way toward maintaining a healthy insurance market in Texas,” said Fred C. Bosse, regional vice president at AIA.

Lastly, the remaining $500 million also comes via insurer assessments, funded individually by either financing, reinsurance or self-insurance. The cost to insurers for these class 3 bonds is about $70 million per year.

According to the bill, which needs to be signed by the governor, TWIA does not look to be buying any reinsurance, Woods said. Funds not used go toward building up surplus, which will now be untaxed thanks to another proposal in the bill. TWIA will now be declared a nonprofit organization. To accomplish this, the board must be reconfigured so that insurers do not occupy a majority. There will now be four representatives from the industry, three consumer representatives and one agent each from the coast and inland territories.

“It will be interesting to see how this board works; how it reacts to rate pressure,” Woods said.

TWIA will be able to increase rates slightly. Should TWIA need a rate increase of below 5% that does not affect any individual class more than 10%, if can file and use rates. Otherwise, there is an annual rate hearing and the commissioner can either approve or deny the filing, Woods said.

No one knows what will happen if TWIA needs more money to pay claims from a storm. Woods said legislators would call a special session to determine the best course of action. Sandra Helin, spokeswoman for the Southwest Insurance Information Service, said TWIA will always pay its claims; the question is whether insurers would be able to recoup losses of additional assessments in this scenario.

In 2008, the top writers of homeowners multiperil in Texas, according to A.M. Best Co. state/line product information based on direct premiums written, were State Farm Group, with a 29.6% market share; Allstate Insurance Group, with 14.3%; Farmers Insurance Group, with 13.3%; USAA Group, with 7.7%; and Travelers Group, with 5.2%

Rapid Rescue – Home Insurance Houston

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Finally, a heavy-duty crane is around when someone needs it!

17-year old Jordan Loomis and Zachary Word (presumably friends) got a lucky break after an accident in Georgetown Township (a moderately sized city in Michigan, population +45,000). Loomis ended up pinned under the Ford pickup truck after it rolled. Both teens were lucky to have survived, as neither had imagined that a seatbelt would come in handy that Wednesday morning.

A crane operator who happened to be in the area offered his services and helped police and firefighters remove the rolled truck, allowing both teens to quickly recieve medical attention.

This story could have had a much worse ending. The driver of the car that hit the teens was not injured and both young men are “in serious but stable condition” according to the local sheriff.

Students Learn Math, Shapes, and Culture

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Is math an important aspect of culture? If you were to ask 73 year old artist Esther Mahlangu, she would give you a resounding “Yes!”

Mahlangu, an artist from the Ndebele tribe of South Africa, has been teaching students at that country’s largest science museum, the Sci-Bono, how ancient geometric artwork is tied to solving complex mathematical problems. The children of Johannesburg still face major life hurdles; even though they now live in a world free of apartheid, South Africa has a staggering 25% unemployment rate and educational opportunities are still limited for poor blacks.

Esther Mahlangu is a world recognized artist, but her primary concern is with passing on local traditions to disadvantaged youth. Her efforts, and the museum’s outreach, are aiming to improve lives through meaningful education.

Rare Art Finds Home in Texas

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Michelangelo is known to have painted only four oil paintings and now one of them, recently verified, will be on display at the Kimbell Museum of Fort Worth, Texas.

The museum director is calling it “one of the greatest rediscoveries in the history of art.” The painting had previously been discredited by the art world and left in the hands of private collectors until last summer when an art dealer–whose sale price to the museum was not disclosed–brought the piece to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and had it examined.

Researchers were able to determine not only the authenticity, but almost the exact age of the painting. Apparently Michelangelo got his start as an art prodigy early, at age 12 or 13. Remember that parents: you may not always appreciate your child’s “creativity,” but someday it might be famous.