Straight From The Source Blog by Higginbotham Insurance

Business Insurance reports that commercial property and casualty insurance rates are rising. In the fourth quarter of 2019, MarketScout Corp. also showed increased rates for commercial property, professional liability and D&O liability. While their reports represent national averages, some areas of the country are seeing much steeper property increases.

You may feel that your employees would never steal from you or that your business would never be the victim of theft, but the harsh reality is that nearly every business is eventually victimized by fraud or theft. In this day and age, thieves (and potentially your employees) do not need direct access to cash to steal from you — merchandise, supplies and securities are all fair game.

Crowd-related injuries during special retail sales and promotional events have increased during recent years, both as certain products have become more popular and as people have tightened their budgets. Unfortunately, stories about crowd-related injuries and fatalities make the news every year.

Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing services can make it easy to get a quick car ride or make some extra income, and they’re only becoming more popular. In fact, in the cities where these platforms are available, taxi ridership has declined anywhere from 10 to 30 percent. However, the convenience of ride-sharing isn’t without risks. Most ride-sharing businesses are in the early stages of development, and the popularity, risk management and compliance issues they’re facing are all in uncharted territory.

Business is becoming increasingly global. This can lead to new opportunities, but it can also complicate risk management. If you operate an overseas business, you need to make sure it’s protected with the right insurance.

Extending credit to your clients isn’t just a nice perk, it’s expected in today’s business climate. Credit not only enhances the purchasing power of your customer base, it can also attract prospects that may not have otherwise been able to buy from you.

Your commercial property insurance policy likely includes a deductible. If you file a claim, the deductible is the amount you will have to pay out of pocket before the insurance company pays. While deductibles are seen in many types of insurance, from health to auto, they can work a little differently in commercial property policies.

The road is a dangerous place. And if driving is an essential part of your business, you have special risks that many other businesses don’t. Your whole operation can be at the mercy of poor road conditions, heavy traffic, foul weather and crazy drivers. When you add uninsured drivers, vandalism and a litigious culture into the mix, the risks and potential costs only escalate.

Rebuilding after a catastrophe is always an expensive endeavor. Exactly how expensive, however, depends on current building costs, and that depends on a number of other factors. Although you might not think about construction costs often, if your home or business is destroyed in a natural disaster, the issue could become very relevant.

“Everything’s bigger in Texas,” and that certainly applies to flooding. Texas has some of the largest storms in the world, and flooding occurs regularly, with severe and destructive floods occurring somewhere in the state every year.