Our agency has represented Safeco Insurance as an Independent Insurance Agent for the past 9 years.  We represent many home and car insurance companies but Safeco is our largest.  In a typical year,  they payout out over $1M to our customers in home insurance and car insurance related claims.  Safeco Insurance pays all of our customer’s claims quickly and fairly and is very easy to do business with!   So why are you seeing negative reviews on the internet??

The Biggest Reason:  Lead generation companies that sell home and car insurance leads to insurance agents are cleverly disguising their objectives by hosting insurance review sites that offer customers a place to voice their opinion.  Unhappy customers are 10 times more likely to want to share their story than a satisfied customer making it easy to provide a forum for, and attract, unhappy customers.   Their objective is to create doubt about the company you are looking at so that you will be more likely to get a quote from them or the advertiser on the site.

How do you know if a site is trying to manipulate you with fake reviews?  This one is easy…. if the review site is trying to offer you a quote or if it has advertisers on the site trying to entice you to get a homeowners insurance quote, you are probably being manipulated.  If you are not being asked to get a quote, there is a much higher probability that the site is legitimate.  Keep in mind that Safeco and other nationwide carriers are very large.  They pay out hundreds of millions of dollars each year and some consumers are not going to be happy with the settlement of their claim…..which brings me to my last point…

Why are some consumers dissatisfied with their claim payment (regardless of the company)?  Again, I think this question is pretty easy….there are 3 reasons:  First, the agent that sold the policy failed to explain the coverages in an understandable way or the agent didn’t understand them will enough himself/herself to explain them.   Second, the agent sold lesser/inferior coverage just to make the sale.  Lastly, the consumer didn’t ask enough questions to understand what he/she was buying and/or the consumer doesn’t have the legal, technical expertise to interpret the written policy contract.

Violation of the written insurance contract leads to bad faith lawsuits that will cost an insurance company dearly.  Any competent attorney will take this type of case if the contract has been violated.  My point is that insurance companies rarely violate the written contract and so the problem goes back to consumers not knowing what they have purchased due to the shortcomings of the agent or their failure to do their due diligence in shopping.

Von Nix, Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter

The post Safeco Insurance Ratings: Fake Homeowners Insurance Reviews in Oklahoma first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

Here is a helpful link to assist you in making decisions about your young driver: http://j.mp/1GCrFQk

The post Buying Car Insurance: Young Drivers first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

Our Specialty: Home and car insurance in Oklahoma….we don’t try to be experts in all lines of insurance.

Our Experience:  As of this writing, every staff person has an Oklahoma Agents License to service and sale and our staff of 7 has 108 years of combined personal insurance experience.

Our Motivation:  We desire slow, steady growth through long term client relationships.

Our Commitment:  To place your best interest above our own.

Statewide Insurance Agency

“Okstatewide.com – when you tired of fighting homeowners insurance in Oklahoma”

The post Meet our home insurance professionals….now and at renewal first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

1. Most home insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage.
2. Even if you don’t live in an area where earthquakes are common, you may still need earthquake insurance.

Earthquakes have occurred in 39 states since 1900, and about 90% of Americans live in areas considered seismically active. For many of our neighbors in Oklahoma, earthquake insurance can be inexpensive – contact Statewide Insurance Agency to find out what the costs would be for your home.

Earthquake insurance can have many options

Most homeowner, condo and rental insurance policies do not cover damage caused by an earthquake, but coverage can be purchased as an endorsement or a separate policy. You may be able to choose to purchase earthquake insurance from the same company that provides your home insurance, from a specialized earthquake insurance provider, or from an independent organization.

Does Oklahoma really need earthquake insurance?

In all likelihood, almost the entire US would be better protected by purchasing earthquake insurance. Consider the facts:

In the West: According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is a 70 percent probability that one or more damaging earthquakes of magnitude 6.7 or larger will strike the San Francisco Bay area during the next 30 years.

In the East: The Earthquake Education Center at Charleston Southern University claims there’s a 40 to 60 percent chance of a major earthquake somewhere in the eastern United States in the next 20 years.

In the Midwest: According to the Insurance Information Institute, there’s a 40 to 63 percent chance the New Madrid Fault (which runs through Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee) region will suffer an earthquake with a 6.0 magnitude in the next 15 years.

What does earthquake insurance cover?

Earthquake insurance provides coverage if your home is damaged by an earthquake. Standard homeowner and renters policies will not cover earthquake damage. Earthquake insurance is a separate endorsement you must buy and add to your homeowner or renters policy.

An earthquake endorsement generally excludes damages or losses from floods and tidal waves – even when caused or compounded by an earthquake. However, if you experience a loss due to a landslide, settlement, mudflow, or the rising, sinking and contracting of earth, your endorsement may cover it if the damage resulted from an earthquake.

There are several options to consider when purchasing earthquake insurance, including:

• Does the policy cover only your home? Are other structures, such as garages, also included?
• Will your policy pay for the contents of your home and for additional living expenses if your home is badly damaged or destroyed?
• Are there any exclusions or limitations to coverage?
• What deductible must you pay before the insurance kicks in?

Earthquakes are happening in Oklahoma – here’s how you can protect yourself

• Make sure your water heater, gas appliances, and other fixtures are fastened securely.
• Check that bookcases and furniture are secure and fastened to walls.
• Have a family emergency plan that all family members know. Designate a meeting place outside the home where family members can gather once the danger has passed.
• Designate a distant relative or friend who can serve as a point of contact and communication for you and your family members if you get separated.
• Plan ahead. Keep flashlights, batteries, and candles on hand. Have a portable radio.
• Be sure everyone in your house knows how to turn off utilities (electricity, water, and gas).
• When shopping for earthquake insurance, ask the company to help you identify possible repairs and other improvements that will make your home safer and minimize damage.

What to do when an earthquake strikes

If you are inside when an earthquake hits, stay inside and get under a heavy table or desk. Stay away from windows. Do not evacuate the building unless emergency personnel direct you to leave.

If you are outside, get away from buildings and power lines, and remember that stone and masonry facings can break loose and fall away from upper parts of buildings.

If you are in a car, stop safely away from structures, large trees, power lines, and other hazards. Stay inside the vehicle.

Keep in mind:

• Don’t use candles until gas lines are checked. Also, check throughout your home before you use certain utilities, such as water and electric, sewage connections, and even chimneys.
• Don’t tie up phone lines except to report emergencies.
• Be prepared. Remember that you will need food and water, even for the short term. Keep your family together and stay alert for aftershocks.

Earthquake insurance needs can vary significantly – talk to us today to find out how to get the best price and value on earthquake insurance for you.

Home Quote

The post What Oklahoma needs to know about Earthquake Insurance first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

We appreciate your business and would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year. 

Holiday Schedule
Christmas Eve 24th / 8:30-2 p.m.        
Christmas Day 25th / Office is Closed. 
New Years Eve 31st / 8:30-2 p.m.        
 New Years Day 1st / Office is Closed.

 Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

The post Merry Christmas from Statewide Insurance Agency first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

Online quotes give very little information: When you get price quotes online, you don’t have the benefit of reading the policy documents or even asking questions about the underlying policy specifics. All you get is a number with some vague information about limits and deductibles. Exclusions to covered incidents and other caveats are not easily visible and therefore cannot be appropriately evaluated against each other.

No human ingenuity: Developing an effective insurance portfolio is an art. It takes an experienced agent to suss out all the possibilities for discounts that your lifestyle presents. Computers are great for solving linear problems and delivering static answers to dynamic questions, but your financial situation and risk assessment needs are much more sophisticated than a computer can actually handle. When you have an insurance agent working with you, human ingenuity steps up to the plate to ask the appropriate questions and analyze the situation in order to help you develop the coverages you need and combine them with hidden opportunities for discounts.

Answers, not solutions: If you have questions during the process of shopping for Oklahoma City home insurance quotes online then you can probably find answers, but if those questions lead you to realize that you have specific planning issues that need to be addressed, you will have hit a dead end. Only a live person can take your questions and handle them as they evolve into situations.

It can be a great idea to get online homeowners quotes when you initially start shopping for insurance products simply so you can learn about how the different products and options can affect price. But when it comes to making buying decisions, it’s always a good idea to have an experienced professional at your side rather than a cold hunk of synthetic materials.

Oklahoma City and Edmond as well as all of Oklahoma continue to trust Statewide Insurance Agency for their home insurance needs as well as their auto insurance needs.

The post Oklahoma City Homeowner Insurance Quotes first appeared on Statewide Insurance Agency.

There are two primary types of homeowner’s insurance: replacement cost and actual cash value. In a replacement-cost policy, the structure is insured for the cost of repairing the damage or building a comparable replacement, regardless of its age. If mandated by the local authorities, the repairs and construction will have to incorporate any upgrades required by the building codes in force at the time of the rebuild.

A key provision is that in a replacement-cost policy, there is no reduction in the payout because of depreciation. A 10-year-old roof is paid out the same as a nearly-new roof. For example, a 15-year-old roof is destroyed in a hailstorm. The roof has multiple layers of shingles, and the sheeting is deteriorated. New building codes require a full tear-off, including new sheeting and rafter repair. A replacement-cost policy will cover the supplemental work, even though the rafter damage isn’t a direct result of the storm.

As the name implies, an actual-cash-value, or ACV, policy pays out the fair market value of the damaged portion of the home at that time of the loss, minus depreciation. For example, a 15-year-old roof destroyed in a hailstorm may only be valued at $2,000 to $3,000. After the typical $1,000 deductible, the homeowner may only receive a single lump-sum payment of $1,000 to $2,000 to apply to the cost of repair or replacement of the roof.

Another consideration is the insurance coverage on the contents of the home. This comes into play after a major loss such as a fire or tornado. Replacement-cost policies pay for a comparable item, without regard to the age or condition of the original.

Some policies may be hybrids, with replacement cost on portions of the house, but ACV on other parts, such as the roof or windows. Contents are often rated at ACV. This is done for many reasons and there is nothing wrong or unprofessional about it. However, the policy owner needs to understand each part of the coverage — what is included and what is excluded.

The difference between replacement cost and actual-cash-value policies is significant, and homeowners need to make an informed choice. The primary reason to choose ACV is cost. The premiums for an ACV policy are significantly less than a full replacement policy. For many homeowners, ACV may be all they think they can afford. However, after a major loss, that cheap policy may not even pay back the premiums paid over many years.

Oklahoma City Homeowners shouldn’t wait for a disaster to take a second look at their insurance. A licensed agent can go over the existing coverage and explain not only what potential payouts might be, but also ways to economically upgrade. Feel free to call us at 405-285-2929 today, and we will answer any questions you have about homeowner’s insurance.

By the way, Statewide Insurance Agency offers Actual Cash Value home insurance policies as well as Replacement homeowners insurance policies!

“We shop up to 10 companies to find you the best coverage and price on your Oklahoma home insurance”