A not very surprising thing has happened during the Coronavirus lockdown. With fewer cars on the road auto insurance companies are discovering that people are having fewer car accidents. I know, who would have put those two pieces together?
No one likes having accidents so one upside of not traveling very far is that the frequency of accidents has gone down significantly. I saw one report stating that there have been 50% less auto accidents reported since the stay at home orders began. I'm sure each insurance company is experiencing different rates of accident reduction. But, that's still a pretty huge number if that is one auto carriers experience.
The good news is that a lot of auto insurance companies have decided to give some of their premiums back. Most are giving a percentage of the premiums back during the months we have been told to stay home. I've seen percentages from 15-20%. 
Why if there is possibly a 50% reduction in accidents are the insurance companies only giving back a much smaller percentage? Well, remember employees are still going to work and they might be processing less claims but they are still showing up everyday. So, the true savings for auto insurance companies is probably only a fraction of the money they are saving paying out on less claims.
Enjoy the emptier roads while you can. Enjoy your auto insurance premium returns while they last. And drive carefully out there. If you are bored at home and want to shop your auto insurance rates give us a call at 951-395-0754. 

Ah, the mysteries of how to replace your homeowners insurance. Most people buy home insurance once for a home. They set up impound accounts and then they don't think about their home insurance again for a long time.
Well, in a perfect world that's the way it would work. You would buy a policy, it would cover your house properly and the price would stay the same forever. Unfortunately, home insurance rates have seen large increases over the last few years. And, in certain situations some home insurance companies have been non renewing policies. That means you will need to look into buying a new policy. Now, how do you do that when you have an impound account?
The good news is that it really is a simple process. This year I replaced my own home insurance policy. My premium went up 800 dollars from the prior year. Even with going with a higher deductible and a less expensive policy it was still expensive with the old company. 
When I decided to shop the policy the first thing I did was call my mortgage company. And, that's what you should do to. Let your mortgage company know that they shouldn't pay your old company until you ask them to. That saves you from having to get a refund from your old company and reapply it to your account. Once you decide on your new company you can have that new home insurance company bill your impound account. They will then pay the new company and you have successfully replaced your insurance.
Now, if you are mid term you can also cancel your home policy. You would set up the new policy with your insurance agent. Call and cancel the old policy with your old insurance company. Get the refund mailed to you. Then take those funds and add them back into your impound account. Let your mortgage company know you switched and have them pay the new company. 
If you are buying a new home you just need to pick your home insurance company. Let the agent know who is handling your escrow. They will then get in touch with them and make sure proof of insurance gets sent over along with a bill. The escrow company will pay the year and you will be good to go.
Now, if you pay for your home insurance yourself. All you need to do is pay the new company and have get a refund from your old company.
There is no reason to be afraid to switch your home insurance. It is an easy process. Your insurance agent will be happy to help you along the way. If you need a quote for home insurance give us a call at 951-395-0754. We have great options along with great rates.

Things are challenging right now in all aspects of life.  So, we need to look for positive things along the way.  Auto Insurance companies have been responding to the crisis in a positive way.  It makes me feel good to see insurance companies I represent doing good things for their customers. Here are a few positive things that have come across my email over the last week.
Mercury Insurance is removing the exclusion for delivery drivers. They took a look to see how they could help their customers and decided this was a great way to help. Some restaurants now are only doing delivery and curb side pick up. By removing this exclusion restaurant workers can now feel comfortable driving their cars if asked to deliver meals to peoples homes. This is only a temporary change but I thought it was a very nice thing that the company did.
Mercury Auto Insurance is also working on a rate reduction for April and May for their customers. They realize that people are driving less and they decided this was another way they could help out.
​Nationwide has also decided to do a premium give back. They will be issuing $50.00 credits to peoples accounts during the next month. It's their way of helping out.
Not all companies are returning premiums or changing their policies. But, it is nice that I am able represent these companies and to pass on some good news.
​If you are in the market for auto insurance give me a call at 951-395-0754.