Help United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls, Inc. get $10,000 more from Safeco Insurance

Laurie Yelding has been named a Safeco® Community Hero and United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls will be receiving a $5,000 donation from Safeco Insurance on her behalf. Now we have a chance at an additional $10,000 grant if Laurie Yelding is named America’s Favorite Safeco Community Hero!

All we need is your vote!

You can vote once every 24 hours until 1PM EDT June 3, 2013

Thank you for your support!

Most people don’t.

I run into several situations with clients who are switching to us, who did not realize they had a nonstandard policy. A standard or preferred policy is for average drivers with decent driving record and credit scores. A nonstandard policy is for risky drivers, those that have a lot of speeding tickets or have a younger driver, a lot of specialty cars are also covered under nonstandard policies. Nonstandard policies are not bad, but sometimes they can have a lot of exclusions, that can put you at a disadvantage.

A lot of times when people get insurance policies they assume that all policies are the same, which is not always the case. Sometimes you will find a policy that is a good rate, for the same coverage’s as a policy with a higher rate. However, sometimes the policy exclusions or coverage’s are overlooked and may be different.

Nonstandard car insurance accounts for about a fifth of the private passenger auto insurance market according to industry analyst Conning & Co. Because most of these policies are geared toward risky drivers or those with specialty vehicles the exclusions and what is covered may be listed.

Some common things to look out for, first the step down provisions. If you have a risky younger driver, your policy may have full coverage for you and partial coverage if they are driving or if you lend your car out to someone other than you to use. Another thing to look out for is depreciation, if your car is in an accident or even going for repairs they will take into account depreciation, so you will only get a percent of the full cost to replace or repair something. A third thing to look out for is excluded liability and physical coverage if you use your car for business in any way. For example, if you decide to take a part time job delivering pizza or newspapers, this would be considered using your car for business, even if your car is your own. Finally if you have a specialty car, they may have a cap for how much mileage you can have that they cover.

Concerned? Here are some things you can do:

• Ask your agent/CSR whether you fall into the category of nonstandard
• Explain to your agent/CSR how you plan to use the vehicle and who will drive the car
• Read your full policy to learn what is covered and what is excluded
• Ask any questions you might have to make sure you understand how the rules apply before you need to make a claim

The bottom line is to be aware of your coverage’s, and make sure that you are comparing apples to apples and getting the same or better coverage’s. We at the Chittenden Group, always try to make sure our customers are fully covered and aware of what their coverage’s entail. If you have any questions, feel free to call or speak with Dawn or Liz, your Chittenden Customer Service Representatives.

Your Friends at the Chittenden Group,

Personal Lines

The Chittenden Group has given us peace of mind and exceptional service when it comes to our business insurance needs.  They were able to better meet our needs than we thought possible.  Their friendly and knowledgeable staff is wonderful to work with and always exceed our expectations.  Service and timeliness as well as quality service are very important to us.   Knowing we can trust that something has been done to completion without double checking is the most important.  The Chittenden Group has given us that piece of mind and responsive service. We couldn’t be more pleased!

Dina Palmese

Vice-President

EDCO Engineering Inc

Photo courtesy of Heidi Curran Photography

Snow…Snow everywhere…like many of you, that is all that I could see when I looked out of my windows a few weeks ago on Saturday morning.At first it was amazing, until I realized how much I had to shovel and snow blow! As I started to undig myself, the thought crossed my mind of what it would mean when it all started to melt.

Most people do not realize that flooding is not covered under typical homeowner’s policy, and many people don’t realize that if you DO have flood insurance, water that seeps into your basement still may not be covered. Why?

Flood is defined by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as a condition of partial inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land, or two or more properties (one of which is yours) from:

• overflow or tidal waters
• rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
• mudflows
• collapse of land along the shore of a lake as a result of erosion, or undermining, caused by waves or currents of water exceeding cyclical levels that result in a floor.

**Remember if two or more acres do not flood, or if your house “floods” but your neighbor’s doesn’t, chances are it may not be covered under your home, or flood insurance policy.

We at the Chittenden Group are urging our customers to “know” before you buy. Melting snow doesn’t pose a concern to all home and business owners,but an unnecessary purchase of a policy can melt your checking account if the coverage is inadequate. Don’t be flooded by all the misinformation regarding flood insurance, and please feel free to call with any questions in regard to all of this melting that is going on!

Yours Truly,

The Chittenden Group Personal Lines

We are very proud to have Joseph on our staff, giving back to our community is important to Chittenden Group and we commend a job well done.

Here is the link to the full news article from Citizens News.

http://www.mycitizensnews.com/news/2013/02/united-way-announces-van-allen-medal-recipients/

Here are some good tips to be prepared!

http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/wacky-and-safe-motor-vehicle-laws-for-2013-212413740.html

What do you think of some of these crazy laws?

The service Chittenden offers is world-class.  It begins with Joe Ferry’s detailed presentation of his competitively priced quote.  Upon purchasing your policy, Ferry teams up with Elaine Sigel to make your transition is a smooth one.  Elaine, Chittenden’s Benefits Specialist, is absolutely the best!  Her work is prompt, professional and is always accompanied by her positive outlook.  Elaine’s technical knowledge about the products she services is extremely well-versed and thorough.  She has explained many different products to me with complete detail and much patience.  If I am working remotely, I can phone  Elaine and get the information needed to get my work done off site.

Chittenden has been servicing our company’s medical benefits for over 14 years now.  I highly recommend Chittenden Agency for all your insurance needs.

S. Bartley Rivera
Bartley Mfg. Co. Inc.