“​As insurance firms adapt to maturing markets and economic turbulence, in the long run, their ability to integrate technology, talent, and business-model innovation into legacy environments may be the key to success.”  - "2020 Insurance Outlook" by Deloitte

Beginning in the early 2000’s, technological innovation and a new focus on customer experience began reshaping all consumer oriented and business service industries. Nearly every American consumer now has more choice than ever before and business operators have begun large-scale shifts away from legacy service providers in favor of vendors who provide convenience, speed, choice, and quality service.

While trillions of dollars of market capitalization have shifted hands in the turbulent movements of the new information economy, the commercial insurance industry has been left more or less behind. High renewal rates, a lack of alternatives, and significant barriers to entry have allowed commercial insurance to remain a backwater as innovations in client service and technology rapidly transformed other sectors of the economy.

It is clear that change has now come to commercial insurance. Hardening markets, the rise of millennial business owners, the predations of private equity in the insurance space, and increasingly convenience-oriented consumers have made commercial insurance customers deeply unhappy with the industry. Customer satisfaction in the commercial insurance industry is at 30% -  among the lowest of any American service sector. Recent surveys indicate that commercial insurance customers are more open than ever to switching agencies, as long as the new agency  can provide better quality service and increased convenience. Meanwhile insurance agencies still tout “going paperless” as meaningful technological advancement.

In addition to providing a poor customer experience, the insurance industry faces additional challenges around hardening markets, volatile economic conditions, increasing regulations, and a critical shortage of young talent.

These factors are forcing market participants to squeeze harder on their one-time partners. Carriers are pulling out of high risk areas, investing in direct-to-consumer technologies, and privately discussing lowering agency commissions. Brokerage owners are cutting splits and forcing producers to share support resources. Producers are left with fewer resources and support, while their customers face skyrocketing renewals with no improvement in coverage or service. It’s no wonder that only four percent of millennial workers are interested in a career in insurance. 

The industry’s response to these historic challenges has not been to innovate or improve but instead to cash out in the form of retirements and mergers, leaving the industry wide open to an onslaught of private equity. These private equity investors have no interest in solving the key issues facing the industry - they are focused on squeezing every last penny of profit out of the industry for their own investors. 

Newfront is convinced that American customers will always choose better value when it is available. And we are equally convinced that there is a tremendous opportunity to create more value in the insurance industry by harmonizing technology and human expertise. We build this value every day by building and leveraging modern technology to empower our team with tools and resources to more accurately assess and mitigate risk. We build it by finding new ways to attract and retain top talent, and we do it by giving our teams meaningful work within a culture where they have the autonomy to question dogma and innovate. We build it by working together to set a new standard for what the client, producer, and carrier experience can and should be. 

If you are an employer, you have a legal obligation under OSHA to provide a safe workplace for your employees—a duty undoubtedly made more complex in the era of COVID-19. If your physical place of business remains open, there are several things you can do to keep your workplace as safe as possible for you and your employees—and therefore, for everyone. 

If you’re an employer in charge of protecting a workplace environment in any capacity: 

Remind all employees, visitors, and patrons to wash their hands upon entry

Remind employees to wash their hands after handling or removing any personal protective equipment like masks and gloves

Train people on how to properly wash their hands (post near hand washing stations)

2. Provide accurate information to employees regarding how to stop the spread of germs: Use concrete examples that are specific to your workplace, and involve employees in discussions on how to improve safety measures (perhaps at daily huddles or via emails or group calls). Encourage employees to spot and report potential COVID-19 safety issues. 

3. Develop and clearly articulate your company’s emergency communication plan in case someone is exposed to COVID-19 and exposes co-workers as well.

Ensure either hand washing areas or antibacterial products (containing at least 60% alcohol) are within reach of all work areas. The latest information we have is that soap is actually more effective than hand sanitizer if you wash for 20 seconds, and that hand sanitizer should be used only if you don’t have access to water and a sink. 


Maintain regular housekeeping practices to ensure high-contact surfaces (elevator buttons, doorknobs, railings, handles, etc.) are routinely disinfected.


Ensure your work area is properly ventilated.


Assess whether your workplace can increase physical distance between employees. Assume that if your state and local health authorities are not currenting adopting social distancing directives, they may be likely to issue such directives soon. 

Limit contact between employees (and further germ spreading) by implementing a temporary ban on shared food in break rooms and on drinking fountain use. Stagger water coolers so that groups of employees don’t congregate by them. Move chairs to 6 feet apart for meeting rooms.  

This is a partial list of recommended tips. Review both the OSHA and CDC recommendations for further guidance. And please don’t hesitate to email me with your safety and risk management questions at nicole.lopez@newfront.com.

Our thoughts are with everyone in California who has been impacted by the devastating fires that are taking place in Sonoma and Los Angeles.

If you're in a fire-prone area, here are some tips and websites with additional information to keep you safe before, during, and after a wildfire. Additionally, please don't hesitate to reach out to your Newfront client advocate, day or night, should you have any questions about your insurance or need assistance.

Keep your home well-maintained by regularly cleaning your roof and gutters of materials that could ignite due to windborne embers. 

Trim tree limbs that may be too close to your home. 

Maintain defensible space zones between structures and natural growth that is free of brush, trees, and grasses to keep a wildfire away from your property.

Read FIRESafe Marin's Evacuation Checklist for the steps that give you and your property the best chance of survival. The checklist also includes tips on what items to include in an emergency "Go Kit." 

Make a photo or video record of your possessions and property in the event you need to file a claim.

Here are some things to consider in relation to potential wildfire-related claims:

Save receipts for fire and power outage related expenses: hotels, meals, gas, car rentals, and safety gear, and record your mileage. Your policy may reimburse for all or a portion of disaster-related expenses.

If you incur any damage to your home or business, please reach out to your Newfront representative as soon as possible. We will document your loss and file a claim in a timely manner.  

Please hold off on making any repairs or adjustments to your property until we've filed the claim and you receive instructions from your insurer. 

For more information on typical coverages and the insurance claims process, read the Wildfire Resources page published by the California insurance commissioner. Or give your Newfront representative a call. 

At Newfront, we advocate for you through the claims process should you suffer a loss. But more than that, we are here to respond to your questions and concerns to give you peace of mind during catastrophic events such as this. Please don't hesitate to reach out to your Newfront representative should you have any questions about your insurance. 

Protecting Yourself and Your Property During California's Wildfires 

We believe that quality assurance is the backbone of a successful organization, and at Newfront, our quality standards mean everything—from the value of the business we write to the caliber of service we provide. 

Huong Ho, our Head of Quality Assurance, is the person driving best-in-class quality standards at Newfront. Huong brings 10 years of complex account management experience to the company, as well as a deep educational foundation: She has an MBA plus designations as a Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Insurance Service Representative, and Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist.

Recently, we sat down with Huong for her take on what quality assurance means at Newfront and how she's using her role to modernize the insurance industry.

What is your role as Head of Quality Assurance? 

A big part of my role is training our operations specialists in efficient insurance workflows. Operations specialists are on the front lines supporting our producers, account managers, and clients, doing everything from processing policy changes to uploading documents into our platform. I help them streamline their tasks for speed and build in quality checkpoints to eliminate errors. 

I also work with our account managers, engineers, and product team to drive our insurance products forward. For example, we're currently developing an efficient, automated tool to identify minimum coverage guidelines for every industry. This tool will help account managers quickly and accurately identify coverage gaps and redundancies in each client’s insurance program. 

Ultimately, my goal is to create and continuously improve upon repeatable, measurable processes across the entire organization.

What’s something you wish people understood about insurance?

There are a lot of companies out there that want to use technology to transact insurance faster by minimizing human interactions. But insurance is both a technical and a relationship-based industry, not one or the other. If we can create meaningful technology that enhances the broker-client relationship, then we can deliver a superior insurance experience to everyone involved.

How do you think tech has influenced the insurance industry? 

I remember about five years ago when I was compiling a summary of insurance and every step was manual: entering the client’s name, address, company address, disclaimers, etc. I was so frustrated. I couldn’t understand why there wasn’t technology out there to simplify these tasks! 

Fast forward to today, and I’m so proud to be working with an engineering team that’s built it. Not only do we have the technology to accomplish these tasks, but we build the technology in-house. It’s exciting to be a part of this movement.

Why is it important that Newfront builds the technology it uses?

It means we can mold our service platform precisely to our operational and client needs. At other firms, they may say they have the technology, but they actually outsource it—which means they have no control over it and likely have features they never use. At Newfront, because we develop the technology ourselves, we can target and build only the processes and enhancements we need, and we do it quickly. I can walk right over to the engineering team and have a conversation about the software or an issue and, boom, 10 minutes later it’s fixed! This efficiency resonates across the entire client experience. 

How have you used technology to enhance quality assurance?

A lot of my day-to-day work involves partnering with our product and engineering teams to come up with innovative ways to use technology to serve both our internal stakeholders and our clients.

Technology is a big part of every quality solution we implement. Our service platform already streamlines much of the client’s insurance experience. Contracts are streamlined into one document, requiring one signature—not multiple. Renewals are automated. Certificates of coverage can be accessed with a click of the mouse. And there’s so much more we’re doing that we intend to roll out in 2020 and beyond.

What’s one thing you’re looking forward to in 2020?

There are actually a couple of game-changers we’re excited about. We are building a recommendation engine that points our account managers to industry-specific coverages while factoring in an organization’s unique characteristics and risk profile. We're also building out increased e-business functionality to simplify and enhance the insurance buying process.

But I don’t want to give too much away. Let’s just say that 2020 is going to be an incredible year. I’m really excited about the opportunities ahead to modernize quality assurance to the benefit of everyone involved.

Huong would love to hear your thoughts on this article. To connect, follow her on LinkedIn here or email at huong.ho@newfront.com. 

Huong Ho, our Head of Quality Assurance, is the person driving best-in-class quality standards at Newfront. Huong brings 10 years of complex account management experience to the company, as well as a deep educational foundation: She has an MBA plus designations as a Certified Insurance Counselor, Certified Insurance Service Representative, and Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist. Recently, we sat down with Huong for her take on what quality assurance means at Newfront and how she's using her purview to modernize the insurance industry. 

Moving Best Practices into the Future: An Interview with Huong Ho, Head of Quality Assurance

The confidence that comes from knowing you have the right insurance in place for your business can be, well, downright transformational. It can give you the space to make money moves (as the kids say), by taking on smart risks that can grow your business.

Conversely, finding out you have the wrong insurance coverage can be an unpleasant surprise, to put it mildly. Often, when organizations receive notice from their carrier that a claim won’t be paid or that they have to pay a deductible that’s through the roof is when they find out they have the wrong insurance. But this doesn’t have to be your experience. 

In this article, I’ve listed five insurance tips. As you read through them, think about your existing coverage, and consider how it could be better. The point is: Make your insurance work for you.

1. Make sure you’re covered. (Just thinking you are isn’t enough.) 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I really do. But just because you have insurance doesn’t mean you have the right coverage. 

Has your business grown since you last evaluated your insurance? Changes in your business can affect coverage needs. If your company has grown and is still with a small business underwriter, your premiums and coverage may be completely wrong for your organization. Make annual insurance reviews a part of your business procedures, so you can update your coverage as your business evolves. 


Do you know what isn’t covered in your policies? Hidden risk factors can lurk behind the coverage terms and limits of your policies. Carriers can write inclusionary policies, which only cover what is explicitly stated, and everything that’s not stated is not covered. You may not realize what coverage you need (and don’t have) until you file a claim. For example, a flood is not necessarily covered on property insurance. Is it in yours?


If you have an umbrella policy, does it cover what it should? Be careful with umbrella insurance policies: They must specifically be in excess of each liability policy. Also, if you have a deductible on your umbrella policy, make sure you know what it is. Auditors conduct their audits in various ways depending on the size of the risk, the history they have with the particular client, as well as results from prior audits. The main three types of audits are mail audits, phone audits, and field audits. There are other types such as interim audits, and preliminary audits, but these are less common. Audits are typically conducted within 60 days of policy expiration for the previous term of the insurance. The insurers retain the right to audit such policies up to three years after expiration, but this is not as common as the 60-day audit time period.

When it comes to insurance, rarely are two policies the same. Also, keep in mind that most policies are not all-inclusive. So don’t just check the box and get any policy. Talk with your insurance broker and select a policy that’s tailored to the specific needs of your industry and business. 

Additionally, legal jargon can be confusing. Insurance policies are full of legal descriptions that can limit the coverage you think you have. Fifty-six percent of business owners believe they have the coverage they don’t actually have. It’s essential to have policies reviewed by a professional to make sure you get what you think you're paying for.

3. Explore your options as market conditions change.

About change: Embrace it. If you’ve had the same broker or policy for more than a few years, schedule a policy review to make sure everything is up to date with today’s market. When markets soften, you can get more coverage for your money and lower deductibles if your policies are properly negotiated. 

Change can feel like a lot of work, but errors—like duplicate and missing coverage—are identified in more than 65 percent of policy reviews. Reworking your program can uncover errors, pricing inflation, and deductible hikes. The bottom line is that renegotiating existing contracts can save you money. 

4. Use all the resources your broker provides. 

Commercial insurance is complex. Having a broker by your side means more than connecting you with the right coverage. Larger brokers usually have the same fee structure as smaller brokers but can provide access to more resources. Many of these resources are free and can cut long-term costs. 

For example, in-house claims advocacy can save you 8 to 12 percent on a claim, and brokerage service teams with expertise specific to your industry can be extraordinarily helpful. Other free services can include property management, certificate management, fleet management, and loss control. 

Insurance is a key business tool that protects your operation from multiple threats. If you’re only talking with your broker at renewal time, you could be missing out. Be sure to ask yourself these two key questions: 

Do I have regular check-ins with my broker? 
Semiannual, quarterly, and monthly check-ins can help you stay in front of new risks as your company and the marketplace change. Only seeing your broker at renewal time can indicate that the renewal may not have been aggressively marketed and negotiated. 

Does my underwriter know my business? 
When an underwriter knows you and your business, they won’t underwrite you like an average company. Rather, they’ll focus on your actual risks, operations, and on you as a person, which can translate into better coverage with more value. If you haven’t met, or at least had a phone conversation, with your underwriter, you may be leaving premium dollars on the table. 

When companies and their brokers get too comfortable with the status quo, they can end up with premiums that are too high and policies with coverage gaps. If it’s been a while since you last evaluated your insurance program, the right time may be now. 

An airtight insurance program can mean more money in your pocket and the foundation to make smart moves that transform the future of your company. Ready to take the next step? Let’s talk. 

In this blog, I’ve listed five neatly categorized insurance tips. As you read through them, think about your existing coverage, and consider how it could be better. The point is: Make your insurance work for you.

Five Tips to Ensure Your Coverage Works for Your Business 

On January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) is set to go into effect, and many businesses must get ready to comply. The CCPA is the most comprehensive privacy law in the U.S. Complying with the law can be an asset for any organization as privacy is a top concern for consumers.

The CCPA comes on the heels of the European Union’s response to growing concerns of privacy protection. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took effect in Europe in 2018. The CCPA has similar directives as the GDPR. While the GDPR regulates all organizations across the globe that provide goods and services to consumers who reside within EU countries, the CCPA regulates all organizations that have data for consumers who live in California.

On October 10, 2019, the California Department of Justice released the long-awaited draft regulations of the CCPA. Here are the key points: 

The CCPA provides consumers with the right to:

Know what personal information is collected, shared, and sold

Have personal information deleted by businesses

Opt-out of the sale of personal information to second and third parties (Children under 16 must provide opt-in consent.)

Non-discrimination in terms of price and service

The CCPA applies to the following businesses:

Businesses, where at least one of these is true, must comply with additional regulations to ensure consumers are afforded their rights under the CCPA. The business:

Has more than $25 million in gross annual revenue

Shares, sells, buys, or receives for commercial purposes the information of at least 50,000 consumers, devices, or households

Derives at least 50 percent of its yearly revenues from selling consumers’ personal information

If you’re a business that’s required to comply: 

Penalty levels for non-compliance are based on a company’s worldwide revenue. You’ll want to assess your organization’s appetite for risk. But you’ll also want to consider the long-term value to your brand in terms of being a good citizen and practicing the most ethical standards in service to your customers. The cost of updating your systems for CCPA compliance is probably worth the long-term value.

If you run an older company, your consumer systems were likely built way before modern-day privacy issues were top of mind. In this case, you’ll want to assess whether your databases should be updated (using the power of manual process and an army of rules) or replaced entirely with a modern (and potentially costly) system. 

If you’re a smaller business that’s starting to build its customer database: 

If you are a newer, smaller business, you can benefit from your lack of historical data. You have an opportunity to be a good steward at the outset and embrace CCPA-compliant systems, which can also integrate potentially stricter cyber and privacy requirements in the future. If you do it right, CCPA can be a boon for your organization, particularly in today’s age of consumer mistrust.

Remember: If you maintain data of EU residents, you’ll want to apply the even stricter privacy guidelines of the GDPR to your cyber operations. When in doubt, you should follow the more stringent of the two regulations—the GDPR.

For more details about the CCPA, including how it compares to the GDPR, see the CCPA factsheet published by the Calfornia Department of Justice.  

The ability to connect with customers on a digital plane creates new opportunities and innovation, and it also comes with great responsibility. Protecting consumer privacy from digital theft and misuse is arguably one of the most significant business challenges of our time. Luckily for us, there’s insurance.

There are quite a few permutations of cyber insurance. The solution that’s right for your business depends on several factors, including how you store your data, and if you engage in eCommerce, send mass marketing emails, or sell consumer data to third parties. 

For information about a cyber insurance program that can protect your business from risk, contact your Newfront representative.

On January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) is set to go into effect, and many businesses must get ready to comply. The CCPA is the most comprehensive privacy law in the U.S. Complying with the law can be an asset for any organization as privacy is a top concern for consumers. 

Get Ready! The California Consumer Privacy Act is Coming

Seth Word joined Newfront as Principal & Head of Agribusiness in September 2019. In this role he guides the direction of our insurance practice in agriculture and horticulture. Before Newfront, Seth was one of the top brokers in California as owner of Cultivate Insurance Services. While building his own successful brokerage he designed a proprietary Safety Management System (SMS) to lower occupational safety risks for clients. 

“It’s incredibly important to me to be able to make a difference in clients’ lives, and that’s the impetus behind the Safety Management System. It’s just one of many ways I can make a meaningful difference for my clients, by looking out for their people—not only their profits.” 

Seth’s SMS is an outstanding example of the hands-on, client-focused service we look for in all Newfront employees. While his process requires an upfront investment of time, the ultimate goal is to minimize losses while promoting a culture of safety through behavioral training in your workplace. Let’s walk through the process, from Seth’s point of view: 

Safety Compliance. We start by conducting an in-depth analysis of your company’s safety culture, including compliance with OSHA regulations, to identify room for improvement. We’re looking at things like your company's standard operating procedures, workplace hazards, and your injury and illness prevention approach. We then triage safety gaps to ensure we address the most pressing problems first. 

Employee Engagement. Time and again, research demonstrates that dramatically fewer safety incidents occur when employees feel engaged at work. We want all employees to consider themselves ambassadors of the company, and we examine factors like feedback culture and employee/manager relationships to ensure behavior at all levels of the company is in alignment with safety values. 

Safety Leadership. Your company’s safety chain is only as strong as its weakest link. We invest in management-level staff by implementing customized safety trainings that vary in intensity and duration, which increases interest, engagement, and retention of knowledge over time. We train managers to demonstrate to employees how much they care about their overall welfare, and to live the principle that safety is not a set of rules but a safeguard of everyone’s quality of life. 

Continuous Improvement. Our mission is to empower your company to administer your customized safety management system while we remain on standby to help over time. We make sure you’re poised for success by establishing internal safety committees and entrusting committee members with metrics to hold your organization accountable to your own safety standards. 

24/7 Safety Culture. We want employees to put safety first at all times, even when they’re away from work—because a safety-first attitude at home correlates to a safety-first attitude at work. We like to offer a “daily safety tip” containing short, easily digestible information—both work-related and not—to get employees in the safety mindset every day without requiring large commitments of time. For example, in the summer we might share tips around grilling or boating safety, and tips about holiday lights in the winter.  

We’re so fortunate to have Seth on board and look forward to integrating his expertise into Newfront’s own Safety and Loss Control program. For more on Seth’s Safety Management System or Newfront’s risk assessment services, feel free to contact us or reach out to Seth directly at 831-970-1976 or seth@newfront.com. 

Promoting a Culture of Safety: Seth Word’s Safety Management System 

Many of us assume that our homeowners policy will cover the loss of valuable personal property like jewelry, art, and electronics. In fact, all homeowners policies contain sublimits that reduce coverage for specific possessions. If you’re aware of these sublimits, you can decide whether to add a personal items floater to enhance your coverage. 

In this post, we consider how a personal items floater (also called an inland marine schedule) can cover losses that a typical homeowners policy won’t. 

In a typical homeowners policy, your personal property in your home, like your clothes, furniture, and other belongings (noted in Coverage C of the policy) is usually covered at 50 to 75 percent of the dwelling limit (which is noted in Coverage A). However,  certain high-value, personal property usually has sublimits that can prevent you from obtaining the predetermined percentage of coverage. 

A sublimit is the cap a carrier will put on the amount they will reimburse you for a loss of a specific item during a covered peril.  (What’s considered a covered peril depends on your specific policy. Usually, if an event is not explicitly listed, then it’s not covered.) 

Here are some typical sublimits on homeowners insurance policies:

Jewelry is a common personal effect of high value. Let’s use it as an example.

Basic homeowners policies usually have a jewelry sublimit of $1,000 or $5,000, minus your deductible, for each loss event. In the U.S., the average price of an engagement ring is around $6,000. In California, people spend the most, with the average price at a little over $9,000, according to Business Insider. If you’re an average Californian with a $1,000 deductible, and your ring was to accidentally slip down the kitchen sink, you might only get back $4,000. And that’s on a generous policy. 

But let’s go really big. Let’s say your engagement ring is more along the line of Beyonce’s, worth $5 million. Imagine, if you can bear to fathom it, that a thief steals your ring, along with other precious jewelry. Let’s say theft is a covered peril on your homeowners policy (which it usually is). And your policy covers 75 percent of personal property. Theoretically, you could get back $3,750.000. However, your policy has a $1,000 deductible and a $5,000 sublimit on jewelry. The most you’ll get for the entire loss of your jewelry collection is $4,000, not just your engagement ring—all of it. Four grand.

Get More Protection From a Personal Items Floater

Here’s a different outcome, one where you’re not stymied by sublimits. Had you moved your jewelry to a personal items floater, you could have been compensated for its entire value (i.e., made whole). With this type of policy, each valuable item is listed separately with its own coverage limits. Additionally, coverage can include more types of events. You can also have the carrier create a blanket policy, which covers the entire collection without itemizing each item’s worth. (This is good for something like a wine or stamp collection.)

On average, your annual premium for a jewelry floater will be 1 percent of the replacement cost. For a $10 thousand ring, it would cost about $100 a year to insure it. You might consider this a small price to pay for big peace of mind. 

Here are three easy steps you can take to get the most protection for your valuables:

If you own high-value items, whether it’s fine art, jewelry, vintage wines, or rare books, get an appraisal that proves the item’s value. Get your collection approved every five years, as the value can change over time. And stay in-the-know about the life of the artist should you have fine art, as many policies automatically increase the value of the artwork upon the artist’s death.

Go around your home and take photos of your belongings. From your furniture and electronics to your jewelry and other private collections. This will help prove what items you owned in the event of a loss.

3. File your documents in the Newfront Dashboard. 

The easiest way to keep track of your appraisals and photos of your valuables is by loading them onto the Newfront Dashboard. It’s an easy and efficient way to keep all your insurance paperwork in order and easily retrievable. 

Many of us own valuable items that are symbols of our passions and testaments to the lives our families have lived. Or perhaps we consider our collections investments that entertain our aesthetic sensibilities. Whatever our reasons for collecting precious items, at Newfront, we’re honored to help protect the possessions that our clients hold dear. 

All homeowners policies contain sublimits that reduce coverage for specific possessions. If you’re aware of these sublimits, you can decide whether to add a personal items floater to enhance your coverage. 

Protecting your Valuables – Understanding Sublimits and Personal Item Floaters

The insurance landscape for commercial property owners has changed drastically in the last decade, thanks to increasing natural and man-made catastrophes. 

Consider the devastating hurricanes in Texas, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and the Caribbean, and the ongoing wildfires in California. During the past few years, carriers have been experiencing losses that greatly exceed their comfort level, causing them to be reticent about insuring what they consider to be high-risk locations. Their response to catastrophic risk has been to increase the premium and deductible amounts on policies year after year. Additionally, they’re more apt to deny coverage or build more stringent terms and conditions on their policies. 

This insurance trend is expected to continue. We see it firsthand with our clients, from regional property owners to national private equity firms. 

Newfront’s Relentless Approach for Mitigating Catastrophic Risk

By responding to the market with creative tactics, we’re often able to reduce property renewal quotes by 5 to 10 percent. 

Here are five examples of the devices we use to keep our clients insured in an era of circumspect carriers:

Property policies cover damages caused by wind and flood damage only from unnamed storms, and they don’t cover named storms, storm surge, flood, and hail. However, a separate wind & hail policy, which is applicable to Tier 1 areas (Gulf Coast areas as well as the entire state of Florida), can cover damages from named storms, wind, and hail events in Tier 1 locations as well as locations determined by insurance carriers to be greatly susceptible to hail events. 

By pulling the wind exposure from the basic property policy, insureds can reduce their all-risk property insurance policy’s premium and transfer that savings to purchase a wind & hail policy that can effectively lower their costs while maintaining coverage for their exposures.

Catastrophic event (CAT) deductibles tend to be significantly higher than traditional property insurance deductibles. Entering into a CAT deductible buy-down program can significantly lower your exposure. 

For example, a wind & hail policy that covers $50 million in value might have a 5 percent per-claim deductible. You could have to pay $2.5 million out of pocket before coverage kicks in. With a buy-down program, the deductible can be 3 percent lower, dropping the deductible obligation to $1 million.

3. Move Coverages Out of the Master Policy

In recent years, underwriters have eschewed insuring master policies, as the amount of aggregate risk exceeds their appetite. We’ve used their reticence to our clients’ advantage, particularly for private equity firms. As an example, here’s a client case:

Our client, Portfolio Company A, a national property management company with the majority of its locations in Colorado, Texas, and Florida was covered by a master private equity policy that had nominal hail, flood, and fire coverage. While the wildfire coverage was great for Portfolio Company B, whose locations are centered in California, the requisite cost for that wildfire coverage was less critical to Company A. 

Unfortunately, Companies A and B were equally contributing to the master policy, which provided indiscriminate and potentially unnecessary coverages, some of which neither company was likely to use. By pulling Company A’s coverages out of the master private equity policy, we were able to hone in on its own unique risk exposures, lowering the cost for the low-risk perils (i.e. earthquake insurance in Texas) and transferring that premium to increase coverage for perils that were higher risk. This strategy alone not only reduced their overall exposure, but it also saved Company A about 10 percent off of their renewal.

4. Bring Humanity to the Decision-Making Table 

It’s not unusual that we bring along our clients to underwriting meetings when there are complex risk considerations. Face-to-face meetings between the clients and underwriters can soften perceptions of the parties and lead to a better solution for both entities. This qualitative contribution to the risk analysis process can motivate underwriters to find solutions that work for both sides. 

5. Cut Out the Middle Man from International Carrier Relationships 

With fewer national carriers in the market, we often seek catastrophe coverage from international players. We make it a point to meet with our international broker partners and carriers directly. This directly equates to increased efficiency and decreased costs for the client.

Advocacy Is More Than Knowing Which Coverages You Need

Economic losses from natural and man-made catastrophic events reached $165 billion in 2018—insurance covering $85 billion of that amount. And those numbers are expected to rise every year. To protect themselves from claims loss, carriers are just not writing policies to cover damage from catastrophic events like they used to. 

Advocacy takes more than just knowing what catastrophe coverages businesses need. At Newfront, we’re advocacy artists. Our advocacy is shaped by know-how that responds to industry trends, finds innovative solutions, removes redundancies, and positions you in the most sympathetic light to insurers, so they are desirous to write you favorable coverage, in the event of any storm.

By responding to the market with creative (and sometimes relentless) tactics, we’re able to reduce property renewal quotes by 5 to 10 percent. Here are five examples of the devices we use to keep our clients victoriously insured in an era of circumspect carriers.

Catastrophe Insurance Insights for Commercial Properties

No other state has California’s wealth of fertile land, where one-third of the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of its fruit are grown. If you’re planning on going into farming in California’s Central Valley or in any other region of the U.S., your head might be spinning as you try to make sense of how international trade wars can affect agribusiness. 

In this post, we consider soybeans and the current trade war with China to show how crop insurance protects farmers from loss of revenue due to extreme factors like catastrophic weather and a changing international landscape. 

The trade war between the U.S. and China during 2018 and 2019 reminds us of just how vulnerable farmers are to external factors. When the U.S. raised duties on Chinese goods in the summer of 2018, China retaliated by imposing a 27 percent tax on U.S. soybeans sold to Chinese private companies. In turn, many of these companies looked to other countries, primarily Brazil and Argentina, for their purchases. 

In an attempt to bring back business, U.S. soybean farmers, who were most deeply affected by the trade war, slashed their prices by about 20 percent. As negotiations continue the relationship between U.S. soybean farmers and Chinese companies still has not fully recovered.

Since the Great Depression, the U.S. government has known that when our farmers suffer, we all suffer. The loss to many Americans’ livelihoods and our economy can be devastating. In an attempt to offer some protection from loss of revenue, the government provides various types of subsidized multi-peril crop insurance (MPCI) through the Federal Crop Insurance Program. 

While crop insurance receives mixed reviews for its long-term benefits to farmers, it’s optional additional protection that can keep them from altogether losing their farms.

Farmers can obtain MPCI to protect from future losses due to low yield or a market price drop. Farmers are guaranteed revenue for crops like corn, grain sorghum, soybean, and barley, as well as about 80 specialty crops including California’s top crops: grapes, almonds, apricots, avocados, strawberries, walnuts, tomatoes, and pistachios. Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill amended hemp so that it’s no longer considered a controlled substance, and hemp will be an insurable crop under the federal program starting 2020.  

Private insurers approved by the government, referred to as approved insurance providers (AIPs), sell MPCI policies. Farmers can choose between individual crop and whole-farm policies. The government shares the premium with the farmers (taking on about 60 percent of the cost), covers the AIP’s administrative costs, and reinsures the AIP should a loss exceed the total premium paid. Currently, about 15 AIPs offer subsidized crop insurance policies. 

Farmers can choose catastrophic risk coverage, which is 100 percent subsidized and insures loss in excess of 50 percent of crop yield at 55 percent of the market price. Or at a premium, they can purchase buy-up coverage and have 50-85 percent of their crop yield insured at 60-100 percent of the crop’s market price. In the case of soybeans, in 2019, its insurance price fell to $9.54 per bushel (down 62 cents from 2018) due to the Chinese tax increase on U.S. soybeans in 2018.

About $8 billion of public money is spent every year on the Federal Crop Insurance Program. While this money is meant to protect farmers when they suffer revenue loss from a price drop, in 2018, the Trump administration, through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), allocated another $12 billion to farmers who suffered export sales losses due to retaliatory tariffs from the ongoing trade wars. In 2019, it added another $16 billion. 

Let’s look at our soybean farmers again, taking all this into consideration. Should they lose revenue in 2019 due to trade disputes, they have a few alternatives. They can:

Turn to their subsidized crop insurance policies

Hold out in the hopes that the market recovers and sell their warehoused crop later at the full asking price. 

Rest a little easier with a forward contract. Farmers with forward contracts (which are incentivized by some types of federal crop insurance) were able to lock in pricing and export quantities before the trade war with China hit, escaping its effects.

*There are private, non-subsidized, revenue protection policies available for farmers, such as production cost insurance (PCI). PCI policies provide a fixed dollar amount per farm acre. The premium depends on the farm’s 5-year performance. This type of policy is attractive because it can insure at 100 percent of production (instead of up to 85 percent) with much higher coverage limits. Additionally, it operates like whole-farm revenue protection, so virtually any crop can be insured.

**The MFP subsidy rate for 2019 is $2.05 per bushel, which covers less than half of farmers’ losses, and there is a cap on how much money a farmer can receive. By the way, there is some controversy in regards to how the government allocates the MFP subsidy. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, though most U.S. farms are small, “bailout payments are based on acreage in production, and therefore the largest share will go to the biggest farms.”

Have questions about your agriculture insurance?

This case study in soybeans is meant to simplify the concept of crop insurance for any farmer. But there are many other complex considerations that go into creating an efficient insurance program for agribusinesses. Crop insurance is just one aspect. Reach out to Newfront to learn more about insurance solutions and risk management strategies that will support your success in farming.  

Crop Insurance, a Trade War, and Soybeans 

Bay Area residents (many of us at Newfront included) had waited in long anticipation for the Chase Center to open its doors in San Francisco. Over a thousand construction workers with dozens of contracts contributed to the complex dubbed “Thrive City.” As we reflect on this massive venture, it’s no small feat that construction companies Clark Construction Group and Mortenson Construction were able to award at least 50 percent of their jobs to locally owned small businesses—an accomplishment they are understandably proud of, as reported by California Builder & Engineer. 

The San Francisco Local Business Enterprise Ordinance, which requires construction companies to make a good faith effort to give 50 percent of their jobs to local businesses, can be challenging, even for much smaller ventures. The fine for noncompliance is up to $50,000. 

At Newfront, we understand that construction companies have this and many other municipal, state, and federal regulations to comply with, and when they don’t meet them, steep fines and penalties await. (Recently, a $200,000 fine was imposed on Canadian company Nova Drywall Systems, Inc. for operating without a contractor license on a project in downtown Los Angeles. In another case, nearly $600,000 in fines were imposed on Universal Structural Building Corp for subcontractor wage violations.)

Additionally, should regulators find corporate wrongdoing, they could hold the directors and officers of the company accountable. In California, for example, the Responsible Corporate Officer Doctrine was used to hold management liable for violating the state’s underground storage tank laws and the company was fined $2.5 million (People v. John F. Roscoe).  

Defense coverage: What it does and doesn’t do

Should your business or your executives need to defend themselves against a written demand from a regulatory body, you can turn to the company’s directors & officers (D&O) insurance policy for coverage. A D&O policy can provide legal defense coverage for the business (if it’s not a public entity) and its executives, which can be quite expensive and include lawyer fees and associated costs related to complaint response, arbitration, and trials.

However, the fines and penalties themselves are often excluded from coverage policies. So, in the case where an employee who is covered by a D&O that excludes fines and penalties coverage is found guilty after legal proceedings, that employee would have to pay the fine or penalty out of pocket. 

Additionally, states vary on their public policies in regard to whether penalties coverage is even insurable. For example, California’s public policy is not altogether clear. Insurance code §533.5 states that no insurance policy can provide coverage for a fine or penalty in a criminal action. However, this code also has been used in civil cases like Bullock v. Maryland Casualty Company and Allen v. Steadfast Insurance Company to rule against the insured in civil violations, as noted in a recent article by White and Williams LLP. Keep in mind that regardless of where you incorporate your business, you will have to comply with the laws of all the states where you do business.

Increasingly, like the Chase Center, new buildings across urban areas are mixed use, combining living, entertainment, and work for those residing in and visiting the community. This complexity requires the varied skill sets of multiple subcontractors. With contracting complexity often comes more regulation. 

At Newfront, while we don’t provide legal advice, we help our clients fully understand their coverage options and existing policies, including the claim and covered loss definitions of their D&O policies in the context of regulations. That way, clients know if and how their businesses and employees are protected should a costly mistake occur.

An innovative, enterprising venture that’s come to life

Honestly, we’re thrilled! The 11 acres within the Mission Bay neighborhood in southeast San Francisco are the new home to local culture, including retail, music concerts, sports events, farmer’s markets, three acres of public space, offices, and a skating rink. What’s more, the complex is sure to reflect the local culinary palette as all of the eateries in the arena promise to be from local food vendors. 

We’re proud to know that the Chase Center is helping local businesses thrive in the Bay Area. At Newfront, we’ll continue to partner with all businesses, from national construction companies to local mom and pop shops, by placing insurance coverages that address your unique risks and protect your future success.

Legal Defense Coverage in Construction: Reflecting on the Chase Center 

At Newfront, we’ve experienced firsthand the growth of ghost kitchens (delivery-only eateries) and virtual restaurants (which combine both sit down and delivery). Both of these are rapidly emerging as popular restaurant business models, and a number of our clients have delivery-only kitchens or are actively exploring the possibilities. 

The New York Times reports that eating out is becoming more about eating in, as restaurant patrons across the globe are turning to Uber Eats, Grubhub, or one of the ever-expanding meal delivery options. For the restaurateur, this can pose business opportunities as well as challenges.

With all unique business models, there are nuanced insurance considerations an owner must account for. If you’re an operator in the virtual space, most standard coverage needs will still apply (like general liability, fire, and property). However, you may be able to lower your limits on some of your policies. For example, you could lower your property and employment liabilities, as there would be less patron and employee foot traffic in your establishment.

Premium savings obtained from these reduced policies could be used to offset other types of insurances where you might need to increase coverage. Here are the top coverages to consider adding or increasing:

Cyber and Privacy: As a general rule, where there is a higher risk, there should be more types of coverage and increased coverage amounts. For digitally based restaurants, cyber risk can be significantly higher. 


Contingent Business Interruption (CBI): Because virtual restaurants rely on third parties to manage the data of their patrons, it’s a good idea to get CBI coverage. That way, if a cyberattack hits a vendor that affects your business income, your financial damages will be covered. 


Foodborne Illnesses: You should review your liability coverage limits, particularly for foodborne illnesses; the quality of your product is at risk once it leaves the establishment, potentially increasing your liability. 

As we all enjoy our delicious meals from our favorite restaurants, it’s admittedly an extra treat to be able to do so in the comfort of our homes. At Newfront, we help you achieve success in the food delivery space by placing the right insurance coverages that anticipate and mitigate your risk. We’re always here to help! 

Insurance Considerations for Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Restaurants

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Articles on Insurance Insights

Innovation in the Insurance Industry

Workplace Safety During COVID-19

Protecting Yourself and Your Property During California's Wildfires

Moving Best Practices into the Future: An Interview with Huong Ho, Head of Quality Assurance

Five Tips to Ensure Your Coverage Works for Your Business

Get Ready! The California Consumer Privacy Act is Coming

Promoting a Culture of Safety: Seth Word’s Safety Management System

Protecting your Valuables – Understanding Sublimits and Personal Item Floaters

Catastrophe Insurance Insights for Commercial Properties

Crop Insurance, a Trade War, and Soybeans

Legal Defense Coverage in Construction: Reflecting on the Chase Center

Insurance Considerations for Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Restaurants

Newfront for Businesses

Newfront for Employee Benefits

Newfront for Private Clients

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Articles on Insurance Insights

.css-13o7eu2{display:block;}Innovation in the Insurance Industry

Workplace Safety During COVID-19

Protecting Yourself and Your Property During California's Wildfires

Moving Best Practices into the Future: An Interview with Huong Ho, Head of Quality Assurance

Five Tips to Ensure Your Coverage Works for Your Business

Get Ready! The California Consumer Privacy Act is Coming

Promoting a Culture of Safety: Seth Word’s Safety Management System

Protecting your Valuables – Understanding Sublimits and Personal Item Floaters

Catastrophe Insurance Insights for Commercial Properties

Crop Insurance, a Trade War, and Soybeans

Legal Defense Coverage in Construction: Reflecting on the Chase Center

Insurance Considerations for Ghost Kitchens and Virtual Restaurants

Newfront for Businesses

Newfront for Employee Benefits

Newfront for Private Clients

Blog ‍

Connect ‍
with ‍
us. ‍

Innovation in the Insurance Industry