Amity Insurance, an innovator in the insurance industry since 1978.

Featured Articles

How Healthcare Reform Will Affect You
Just about everyone in the country is wondering how the passage of the health reform bill by Congress will affect him or her. According to Kaiser Health News, this historic legislation could “have an effect on almost every citizen.” People, even those who are unemployed, will be able to get medical care. But professionals who have been enjoying the best health coverage available may possibly see their benefits dwindle…more »

Preparing for the Deluge: Why Everyone Needs Flood Insurance
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, no one could ignore the shocking media coverage documenting the devastating destruction. When the levees broke and storm waters surged, homes were swept away, families were left stranded on rooftops and many lost their lives. Suddenly, families throughout the nation were forced to ask themselves a frightening question: “What would happen if, in the blink of an eye, we lost everything to a rush of floodwaters?”…more »

Preventing and Insuring for Data Security Breaches: A Necessity for Your Business
By the end of 2009, 45 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories had enacted laws requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information. New York’s law is typical. It requires businesses that own or license computer data that includes private information to disclose any security breach of the system to any state resident whose private information the business believes was accessed without authorization…more »

Ten Ways to Protect Vacant Buildings
A slowdown in the economy leads to business cutbacks and closings, which ultimately results in vacant buildings. According to real estate firm CB Richard Ellis, the 2007-09 recession increased the average vacancy rate for offices to 17 percent nationwide; nearly 10 percent of retail spaces were vacant. When buildings contain no occupants or personal property, they become susceptible to a variety of problems…more »
 

Did You Know? Your home has a 26% chance of being damaged by a flood during the course of a 30-year mortgage in a high-risk area, compared to a 10.4% chance of fire.
Read more flood facts here or find out more about Amity’s Flood and Personal Insurance Coverage.

Featured Articles

When It Rains, It Pours: Why You Need a Personal Umbrella Policy
In recent years, our society has become what some people call "lawsuit happy." In other words, an increasing number of people are filing lawsuits for everything from emotional injury to property damage-and they’re suing for larger amounts than ever before. If someone were to file a lawsuit against you, you could end up losing hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, even if you won…more »

Renter’s Insurance – A Small Investment for a Potentially Large Benefit
If you’re currently renting a house or apartment, you should strongly consider an investment in renter’s insurance. No one likes to think about the possibility of a fire or a burglary, but these are real possibilities…more »

Did Your Subcontractor Do Poor Work? Your Liability Insurance Might Cover It
A general contractor builds a new home. The GC hires a subcontractor to install certain components. After the home’s completion, those components turn out to be defective. Not only that, but their defects begin to affect other parts of the building. The homeowner sues, and the GC, facing large legal defense costs and potential judgments, submits claims to its insurers…more »

Wellness Programs Aid in Employee Engagement and Retention
Companies implement wellness programs to help employees improve and manage their health, with the hope that such efforts will save on health care costs down the road. Recent studies show an additional benefit from wellness initiatives, in positively linking them to employee engagement and retention….more »
 

DID YOU KNOW? A poll released by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) shows that 73% of voters identify lawyers as benefiting most from lawsuits, and only 4% say victims do.

Featured Articles

Take Precautions in Severe Weather Driving
Severe weather can strike at any time of the year. It is not always possible to avoid driving during dangerous weather conditions.  However, being a cautious driver can mean the difference between getting home safely and standing along the side of the road waiting for a tow truck…more »

How to Be Credit-Worthy: Be a Wise Credit Card Holder, Not a Big Spender
Millions of Americans today are neck-deep in debt due to unpaid credit card bills. For this reason, a lot of people believe credit cards have become a necessary evil in our present society. The truth is that credit cards are not the enemy. It’s just that most people do not know how to use them wisely, which is why they end up being hopelessly buried in debt…more »

Are You Covered If Your Subcontractor’s Work Isn’t Done Right?
Acme Construction, a home building company, constructed 20 homes in 2003. It hired subcontractors to perform the concrete work, plumbing, wiring, and roofing. One year later, it received complaints from two of the homeowners about cracks in their foundations. Acme notified its liability insurance company…more »

Crime Insurance: A Vital Need in Today’s Business Environment
According to a 2008 study conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud, U.S. businesses lose about 7% of their annual revenues to fraud. This equates to a staggering $994 billion loss each year nationwide to employee fraud.  Even worse, occupational fraud schemes are extremely costly to a company’s bottom line, with the median loss in the 2008 study coming in at $175,000!…more »
 

DID YOU KNOW? At the end of 2007, there was $972,494,000,000 in outstanding revolving debt in the United States. This number includes credit card debts held by commercial banks, credit unions, finance companies and securitized debt balances. (Source: Federal Reserve)

Featured Articles

Car Insurance 101 – The Importance of the Annual Insurance Checkup
Few people look forward to shopping for insurance, and once that coverage is in place there is a strong temptation to simply leave it as is. But that set it and forget it approach can be a big mistake. Insurance needs change over time, and it is important for everyone to take a look at their own insurance needs to make sure those life, health, home and car insurance policies are still providing adequate coverage and protection…more »

Homebuyer Tax Credit Program Extended into 2010
In November 2009, President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 which included an extension of the original $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and also created a new, $6,500 credit for current homeowners buying a new home. The credit is available to qualifying buyers who sign a binding sales contract on or before April 30, 2010, and close by June 30, 2010…more »

Protect Your Business by Giving Employees Rules for Social Media
Business use of social media tools (also known as "social networking tools") has taken off in recent years. Organizations of all types and sizes are reaching out to customers with blogs, podcasts, networking Web sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, and micro-blogging services like Twitter. These technologies are new and exciting, and present vast new opportunities for publicizing a brand. However, a business using any new technology assumes certain risks…more »

When Does Your Insurance Company Have to Defend You in Court?
Commercial general liability insurance pays for lawsuit settlements or court judgments that an organization would otherwise have to pay for certain types of harm others suffer. These include bodily injuries, property damage, advertising injuries, and personal injuries such as violations of privacy. Another benefit of this insurance, however, can be just as valuable or even more so: coverage for the cost of legal defense…more »

DID YOU KNOW? There are more than 350 million active users on Facebook and more than 2.5 billion photos are uploaded to the site each month!

Prosperity May Be Closer Than You Think

Why is it that over time, the rich seem to get richer? Some people believe that wealthy and successful people actually attract prosperity because they are open to it and believe it will be theirs. If that’s the case, how can we all become positive thinkers regarding attracting and receiving prosperity? Wouldn’t everyone like to have more financial freedom? Continue Reading
 

Parents, Tell Your Kids: Stop Texting and Drive

 In the summer of 2009, a shocking video posted on the Internet gained widespread attention from the media. Viewers found it so upsetting that YouTube restricted access to it on its Web site. Created by the police department of a small town in Wales, it depicted a fictional but horrific car accident that claimed the lives of four people and seriously injured the driver who caused it. The culprit: A teenage girl who was sending a text message from her cell phone while driving. Continue Reading
 

Seven Ways Your Business Can Prevent Cybercrime

Legendary bank robber Willie Sutton supposedly said that he robbed banks because that was where the money was. Many small business owners follow this logic when it comes to computer system security. They believe that people who rob with a mouse and a keyboard rather than a gun target large corporations, because those businesses have the most money. This leads them to the misguided belief that cybercriminals will not bother them. In fact, the NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association – reports that Eastern European criminal syndicates have targeted small businesses precisely because they have allowed themselves to become easy marks. Continue Reading
 

Effective Communications Increase Employees’ Appreciation of and Satisfaction with Benefits

Common sense tells us that understanding a situation can enable us to take charge and make informed decisions, which in turn increases the likelihood that we will be satisfied with the results. This wisdom applies to employees and their benefits: Employees who are well-informed about the details of their benefits offerings are more apt to choose the benefits appropriate for them—those they most need and actually use—and thus be happier and more satisfied with their benefits packages. Survey results verify this, providing added motivation to employers to beef up their employee benefit plan communications. Continue Reading

Cover Your Home Office with Necessary Business Insurance

If you run a business from your home, don’t make the error of believing your current homeowner’s insurance policy covers the loss of expensive business equipment. Although many homeowner’s policies offer a small amount of insurance coverage for inventory, there are strict exclusions for liability claims arising from any "for-profit" activities. Continue Reading
 

Do You Have Insurance When You Use Someone Else’s Car?

Bob is a sales manager for a chemical equipment company. He drives his employer-furnished car thousands of miles each quarter on business. He also drives it on weekend trips, errands around town, and vacations. Focused on his job, he doesn’t give much thought to who will pay if he has a car accident. Continue Reading
 

Implement Procedures to Help Reduce Workers’ Compensation Claims

In today’s tough economy where the cost of doing business continues to soar, companies need to take steps to operate as cost-efficiently as possible. Assigning a company’s workers’ compensation costs to a specific department encourages managers and group supervisors to pay close attention to safety and training programs, and to carefully monitor an injured employee’s return to work. As an additional incentive to cut workers’ compensation costs, claims reimbursements can be deducted from a departmental budget, rather than from a general fund. Continue Reading
 

Reverse Mortgages in Demand – Could One be Right for You?

You may have heard talk about reverse mortgages, but what are they and could one be right for you? A reverse mortgage, also known as a home equity conversion, is a loan against the value of your home. Instead of getting a loan to help you pay for your home, a reverse mortgage pays you based on the value of your home and other factors. Continue Reading