Tag Archives: Baltimore

Professional Liability Insurance

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Professional liability insurance is also known as professional indemnity insurance (PII). It is liability coverage that aids in covering professional advice as well as service-providing companies and individuals from bearing the full financial brunt of having to defend themselves against a negligence claim made by a client and any damages that are awarded in negligence civil lawsuits.

Professional liability insurance concentrates on the supposed failure to carry out on the behalf of, monetary loss caused by and error to omission in the service or product sold by the policy holder. These are actions that have the possibility to lead to legal action that wouldn’t be covered by a more basic liability insurance policy which focuses on more direct methods of harm.

In most cases professional indemnity coverage also allows for defense costs, including when the legal action brought up turns out to be baseless. This kind of insurance does no include criminal prosecution. It also does not include a massive variety of possible liabilities under civil law that are not listed one-by-one in the policy coverage, but which may be subject to particular types of professional practice, and in some cases is necessary under binding legal documentation by other companies that are the direct beneficiaries of the service or counsel.

Professional indemnity insurance could also have varied forms and names in accordance to the profession. In the medical profession, for example, it is known as malpractice insurance, consultants, lawyers and brokers call it errors and omissions (E&O) coverage. Other professionals who usually have need of professional liability include maintenance and contractors, financial and accounting services and transport.

The main rationale for professional liability coverage is that a normal general liability insurance policy will only cover physical harm, damage to property, advertising injury or personal injury claim. Other kinds of insurance protect employers and public and product liability. There are different kinds of professional services and products that can lead to legal claims without any of the enumerated types of harm covered by such policies occurring. Normal claims that professional indemnity insurance covers include, misrepresentation, negligence, violation of good faith and erroneous advice.

For more information, visit: http://www.rhhinsurance.com/professional-liability.html

Wedding Insurance

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For most people, a wedding day is the single most expensive day of an entire lifetime of expenses. When planning a wedding, there are outrageous expenses at every turn, from booking the venues to contracting service providers. Enormous amounts of money can be spent quickly to make everything perfect for a couple on their special day, and though hopefully everything will go exactly as planned, there are so many emergencies that can pop up. The smartest thing that anyone who is planning a wedding can do is purchase wedding insurance to cover all the expenses that will be paid for.

Wedding insurance is a little known type of insurance coverage that can be priceless should anything at all go wrong on a wedding day. For the couple themselves, this insurance can help to protect their financial investment and future should anything unexpected happen on their wedding day. And for parents of the wedding couple, wedding insurance can both protect their financial investment and help to insure that the wedding day is perfect.

There are generally two types of wedding insurance that are offered, and most providers offer them both individually and as a package in order to offer the insured the right coverage for their event. Wedding liability insurance is the first type of wedding insurance that is generally offered. This insurance offers coverage for the wedding couple, or their parents, should they be held responsible for property damages or personal injuries either at the wedding or as a result of the wedding. This type of coverage usually also covers alcohol related incidents that can occur at or after the wedding. This coverage is important, as many venues now require renters to have it.

Wedding event insurance is perhaps the more popular of the two types of coverage generally offered. This covers the entire event from planning through wedding day, and insures against extreme situations. It covers illness, disaster, or military deployment that can lead to postponement. It also covers all the deposits paid to vendors in the event that they go out of business, are unable to serve a wedding, or simply do not show up.

Wedding insurance is the smartest purchase anyone who is planning a wedding can make, and will protect the interests of a couple on the most important day of their lives together.

Is Your Home Energy Efficient?

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Is your home energy efficient, or are you wasting money on energy bills and not sure what you can do to reduce them? If you live in Howard County, click here and read this article to find out how to apply for a FREE home energy audit through the Howard County program that began June 14th.

 If you have had a home energy audit done in the past, tell us what suggestions were made to make your home more energy efficient….and did it help lower your energy bills?

NOAA hurricane outlook indicates an above-normal Atlantic season

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Did you know that June thru November is the “official” hurricane season in the United States? Oh, and just in case you forgot, we are already into the first week of June! During hurricane Isabella some shingles blew off my roof and water blew in my patio door damaging hardwood floors. Very small potatoes compared to the damage in many areas of Maryland and other states. Do you know that many homeowers policies have a separate “hurricane deductible” which applies to damage solely from hurricanes, and that the deductible can range from one to 5% of a home’s insured value?  What is your experience with hurricanes?  Have you ever had any damage caused by a hurricane or a story about going through one?  Share your story here on our Blog!

The Importance of Contractor’s Insurance

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In the course of doing business, contractors such as plumbers and roofers take on several risks of a financial nature as well as being subject to personal injury lawsuits. To lessen this risk, independent contractors may opt to purchase a policy that will cover their costs in the event of being sued for property damage or bodily injury.

Independent contractors provide their services in many of the construction trades, from electrical repair to road construction. Business owners, who already have enough to worry about just keeping the business operating, are going to be far more likely to hire an independent contractor who has a contractor’s insurance policy. To contract for the federal government and some state and local governments, contractor insurance is mandatory.

Contractor insurance policies are generally issued to cover the contractor, the person or company they are providing services to and any person, such as a homeowner, who is directly impacted by the work of a contractor. The policy will cover accidental property or equipment damage as well as protection from medical and legal costs brought on by a third party.

There are two areas that contractor insurance will not provide coverage for. The first is deliberate acts of negligence and the second is acts that occur due to a continued pattern of poor workmanship. However, the insurer would need to prove that such a pattern existed before denying a claim.

The average claim against a contractor often is not made until many years after the event, as faulty construction is often not evident until the finished product has been in use for some time. That is why it is important to understand how long the contractor’s insurance policy will be in place. A contractor’s insurance policy can even provide protection after the contractor has retired.

By purchasing a contractor’s insurance policy, contractors are relieved of the stress and anxiety over accidental damage to property or personal injury to others and can just concentrate on providing the best contracting services possible.

Maryland Weighs Prohibition on Insurers’ Use of Credit Scores

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Maryland lawmakers are weighing whether to prohibit insurers from using credit scores to underwrite auto policies- a move insurers say is a bad idea.
The economic matters committee of the House of Delegates recently held an initial hearing on the measure, which would further clamp down on insurers’ use of credit information in a state where it’s already tightly controlled…more…
How do you weigh in on whether Maryland lawmakers should prohibit insurance carriers from using credit scores to underwrite auto policies?

Are You Ready For The Spring Flooding Season?

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Springtime brings warmer weather, but also brings conditions such as fast melting snow combined with severe storms and heavy rainfall that increase flood risk. Just a steady rainfall can cause rivers, lakes or other bodies of water to overflow their banks, threatening the communities near them. In fact, you don’t even have to be near the water to be at risk! A water-main break can result in a flooding of the surrounding area causing water damage to homes and businesses.

Don’t wait for a water main break in your neighborhood or for local flooding to occur to discover that you are not covered for flood losses.  Remember, it takes 30 days AFTER the purchase for a flood policy to take effect.  Make that call to us today before you find yourself standing in water! (410) 504-1002

CNA Loss Control Seminar

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ROSSMANN-HURT-HOFFMAN, INC. IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE CNA LOSS CONTROL SEMINAR

“Building a Solid Foundation”: Managing Law Practice Risk

DATE: May 25, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)
TIME: 9:30 AM. – 1:00 PM.
PLACE: M&T BANK STADIUM – INNER HARBOR – BALTIMORE, MD
ROOM: NORTH CLUB LOUNGE (2ND FLOOR)

The program will be conducted by Alvin Frederick, Esquire (Eccleston & Wolf) and Glenn Grossman, Bar Counsel (Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland) as well as their special guest, the Honorable Glenn T. Harrell, Jr., Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. The general topic will be “How to Avoid Lawyers Malpractice Claims”. Judge Harrell will share his thoughts on the most significant decisions of our appellate courts during the prior year. While we WELCOME your participation every year, it is only necessary to attend our seminar once every three years to receive your premium credit.

A complete breakfast buffet will be served.

Space is limited and early registration is strongly recommended

For cost, registration form and more information, please contact Rossmann-Hurt-Hoffman, Inc. at (410) 465-4300

10 Reasons Your Insurance May Need a Checkup

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Does your insurance need a checkup?

• Have you gotten married or divorced?
• Have you had a baby?
• Did your teenager get a driver’s license?
• Have you switched jobs or experienced a significant change in your income?
• Have you done extensive renovations on your home?
• Have you decided to buy a vacation or potential retirement home?
• Have you acquired any new valuables such as jewelry, electronic equipment, fine art, antiques?
• Have you signed a lease on a house or apartment?
• Have you joined a carpool?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, give us a call to update your policy. (410) 504-1002

How to Deal with Bed Bugs in Your Home or Business

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Here are some tips from your friends at RHH Insurance on how to deal with bed bugs. If you find bed bugs in your home or business, it’s important to get rid of them as quickly as possible, as they can breed and spread very quickly. Patience and persistence is the key to ridding your premises of bugs.  Stop bugs from hiding in your bed Double-sided carpet tape attached to the base of bed legs does not allow the bugs to crawl up to you. Also effective is mineral oil or petroleum jelly applied at the base of the bed leg. Don’t forget that crawling up a bed leg is not the only way a bug can end up hiding in a bed. Use a protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs to eliminate many hiding spots. 

Hire a pest management professional (PMP) Hiring a PMP is the best way to get rid of these pesky bugs. Licensed PMPs know what products should be used, and where. If they are affiliated with a state or national association it’s likely that they stay up-to-date on current practices. They also know best how to find bed bugs. Unfortunately, you will need more than one treatment, and potentially several. The PMP will have to come back two weeks after the initial treatment to apply more insecticides to kill any eggs that have hatched. Insecticides do not kill the eggs. In order for the PMP to do the job properly, he will require prep work from you. If the PMP does not require you to do prep work, call the next company on your list.

Cleaning Thoroughly cleaning a room can help to eliminate bed bugs. Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs and use a powerful vacuum to remove the bugs from cracks and crevices. This will not ensure that you’ve got all the eggs, but it will help. When vacuuming, use the smallest attachment to suck the bed bugs out of hiding. Bed bugs in the vacuum bag or canister will still be alive. Put the bag or canister contents in a sealed plastic bag and freeze for two weeks to kill the bugs.

Heat treatments Steamers and heat treatments will kill eggs and adults on contact. It is unclear how deeply the high heat of a steamer will penetrate wood and fabric; therefore, steaming may not kill all the eggs or adult bed bugs. Because steam can carry electricity, stay away from switch plates, electrical outlets, and appliances. In order for heat treatment to work, items must be in a dryer on the hottest setting for 60 minutes. Spraying The pesticides used in the middle of the century, such as DDT, have been removed from the market due to environmental and health concerns. There are sprays that claim to kill and repel bed bugs, but they are not your best defense. You should not apply insecticides on your own. You may cause the bugs to hide in different places, which will make it more difficult for a PMP to exterminate them. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is no longer just the rhyme it once was.