Monday, July 13, 2015

I have been asked what about Lloyds of London, too many times during the last week. Here is some clarity:

1. Yes, in May 2015, Tom Bolt wrote to the U.S Syndicates that it will no longer write for the Cannabis Industry. He is the Director of Performance Management so when he wrote: “Any policies of this type that are currently in force should not be renewed and no new business should be written. Existing quotes issued before today should be notified to your Syndicate Underwriting Performance account executive who will consider on a case by case basis whether the quote may be honoured,” it should be taken seriously.


2. In February 2015, Insurebud began transitioning its new and renewal customers to new carriers. The new carriers are higher rated. There is a wide selection of coverages. When I compared pricing directly, the new carriers were saving the clients hundreds of dollars. The response time has been better with one quote taking a two hour turnaround time when I needed a rush.

3. When shopping for your marijuana insurance for your business. You want to look for a couple of things:
a. Is your agent knowledgeable with the product line? A poorly written application can cost you money.
b. Are they adding on fees? If they are going through multiple brokerages then there are multiple fees. Yes, there are some policies that my agency takes home $80.
c. Do they offer discounts? Some agencies offer discounts and are resources to your business.
d. Are they a part time player or are they serious? The same person that does your auto policy might not be the best for your Cannabis policy. A change in law or even how an insurance policy can cost time and money to your business, an agent is another resource about your industry.

4. With Lloyd’s leaving the business, there have been fears that there will be an increase in cost. I have not found those fears to be justified. I would rather have one good carrier than ten lousy ones. There are probably 2000 policies in the United States so your common carriers such as Allstate, State Farm, etc. will probably never have a policy for the marijuana industry. They don’t want the fund an insurance pool nor do they want the risk associated with a Schedule 1 Drug.

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