Pricing for workers compensation insurance continued to harden in California during the first half of 2013, according to a report published Wednesday by SNL Financial L.C. California's 10 largest workers compensation insurers by premium volume, which account for roughly 60% of the state's marketplace, increased their rates an average of 4.3% during the first half of the year, based on filings for new business effective between Jan. 1 and July 1, according to SNL Financial's report. Excluding a 7% decrease filed in March by the State Compensation Insurance Fund, which is the state's largest workers comp insurer, the average rate increase among California's market leaders through July 1 was 5.9%. Within that group, the largest rate increases belonged to American International Group Inc. and Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc., which submitted rate hikes of 10.0% and 10.9%, respectively. Statewide, rates for new workers compensation accounts were at their highest in February, when insurers in California filed average rate increases of 9.8% on $1.1 billion in premiums written, according to SNL Financial's report. At least 20 insurers in California included in SNL Financial's analysis filed rate increases of 15% or more for new business in the first half of the year. Seven firms — including units of Liberty Mutual, CNA Financial Corp. and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. — filed rate increases of 20% or more, while units of Hanover Insurance Group Inc. and American Financial Group Inc. filed rate increases in excess of 30%.

Few decreased rates

Only a handful of companies included in SNL Financial's analysis reported rate decreases in the first half of 2013. Among them was Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, Church Mutual Insurance Co. and units of Nationwide and Utica National Insurance Group. California's workers comp market has been particularly bothersome for Tower Group International Ltd., SNL Financial said in the report. Tower Group cited market conditions in California, where roughly 44% of the company's workers compensation premiums are written, as one key driver behind the $326.7 million reserve charge it reported in its second-quarter earnings statement. Several of the company's operating units in March were granted rate hikes of 6.2% for new business in California, and one unit — Preserver Insurance Co. — filed a rate increase of 17.1%. Read the entire article here. Contact Scurich Insurance Services today at 831-722-3541 to find out how we can assist you with all of your business insurance needs including workers compensation. Content provided by http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20131218/NEWS08/131219828?tags=%7C338%7C309%7C305%7C87%7C304%7C92  

This weekend we will crown the 2013 AFC and NCF champions and then the two teams will go head to head on February 2nd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to become the coveted 2013 Superbowl Champions.

The Showdown for the NFC:  49ers v. Seahawks    

San Francisco 49ers Once again we find the 49ers back in the running to the NFC championship and quite possibly the Superbowl.  Jim Harbaugh joined the 49ers in 2011 after winning the Orange Bowl.  That year was an anticipated rebuilding year with not much expected.  However, Jim brought the 49ers to a 13-3 season winning the NFC West division.   In the 2012 season, Jim took a chance and replaced starter Alex Smith with the backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick.   Kaepernick proved to be a more powerful asset as a starter than as a backup.  The 49ers won the NFC championship and went on to the Superbowl.   Seattle Seahawks Pete Carroll has developed the Seahawks into a formidable football machine.  Pete joined the Seahawks in 2010 coming from the head coaching job at USC.  Pete also took the reigns of becoming the Seahawks executive vice president of football operations at the same time.  In the first year of Carroll's leadership, the Seahawks struggled, however still managing to become the first 7-9 team to win the division title by beating the Rams.  In 2011, the Seahawks had the same 7-9 stats but lost to division rival, 49ers and did not make it into the playoffs.  In 2012, the Seahawks's turned things around with a 11-5 record in the regular season.  Seattle lost to the Falcons in the 2012 playoffs.  

The Showdown for the AFC:  Broncos v. Patriots

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos started this season with a 9-0 record.  Peyton Manning is playing his best this year coming after 4 neck surgeries and having to relearn how to throw the ball.  The Broncos this year are 13-3 in the regular season.  With great ease in the first three quarters in the game against the Chargers, they seemed to have the game in the bag.  The Chargers came back, but the Broncos held on tight to win the game.  Manning brought the Broncos to the playoffs in 2012, however lost to the Baltimore Ravens in double overtime. New England Patriots Tom Brady and the Pats are no stranger to the playoffs.  The Pats have been in the playoffs every year since 2009 and winning the AFC in 2011.  Being 12-4 in the regular season, the Pats have been a formidable force in the AFC.  The Pats won by a field goal when the Broncos met them at Gillette Stadium in November.  This time the Pats are heading to Mile High Stadium where the Broncos have home field advantage. Bottom Line Any rivalry game is going to be an exciting game.  These two are no exception.  Carroll vs. Harbaugh and Manning vs. Brady. The NFC championship game will be marked with a formidable rivalry that will prove to be an exciting game.   The Seahawks will have home advantage but will that be enough to beat the 49ers who have beaten the Seahawks in the regular season? The Pats narrowly won the game against the Broncos in the regular season and with home field advantage.  Manning is playing his best, and he is ready to win.  One thing is for sure, both teams are eager for another shot at the Superbowl. To top it off both home team stadiums have limited ticket sales to the surrounding areas.  Sorry, 49er and Patriots fans, you'll have to cheer your team on from your home. Content provided by Transformer Marketing.  

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." Abraham Lincoln

 

Identity theft is moving a lighting speed.  Credit scores get destroyed, bank accounts and investments get heisted, and people's lives are ruined.  And it's so swift, it's practically unnoticeable until you get to the bank. Unfortunately, you may be giving the thieves everything they need to take everything you have.  Here are a few tips that you can start doing today to protect yourself from identity theft.

• Log off all public computers.  Using the public library's computer is a good tool if you don't have your own computer.  But be cautious while you are using it.  Make sure you log off from all of your programs and applications.  Staying logged in may give the person who uses the computer after you, all the information they need.
• Change your passwords.  Don't write your passwords out for everyone to see.  Keep your passwords in a safe location that only you know of.  Every so often, change out your passwords.  Hackers can get your information if you have a weak or the same password for everything.
• You fall for phishing scams.  Phishing scams are commonly seen in your email.  You receive a notification from your bank telling you that you have a problem with your account, and they need you to sign in.  Don't fall for it!  Those are scams trying to get your information.  You may also find emails that say you're entitled to a large sum of money when some unknown relative in a distant country died and left you all of their fortune.  If you don't know this unknown relative, chances are they never existed, along with this large inheritance.
• Get that paper shredder out.  Don't just throw out papers with your personal information on it.  Shred them.
• Shop on secured sites.  Make sure when you do your online shopping the address starts with https://.  Make sure your anti-virus program is up to date.
• Don't give out information over the phone.  If you get an unsolicited call from your bank or credit card company chances are, they are scammers.
• Hold on to your belongings.  Keep your bag and your phone with you at all times.  It may seem like a quick  trip to the store and, "Why not?  I'll be out in a jiffy."  Problem is, it takes just a jiffy for thieves to break into your car and grab your belongings.  It's not worth it.
• Don't text confidential information.  Your phone can easily be hacked by hackers.  Keep your confidential information off the phone.
• Don't store your personal information on your computer.  If your computer gets stolen, so does all of that information.
• Public WiFi.  Don't use public WiFi to do transactions.  It's never a good idea, your information is out there and ready for others to grab a hold of.

Keep your personal information safe and out of the hackers grasp.

Content provided by Transformer Marketing.

   

December's Mega Millions Jackpot reached $636million by the time two winning lottery tickets were sold.  One was sold in Georgia and the winner came forward right away. The second winner has finally emerged. Steven Tran had watched as winners were announced.  Steven thought to himself, "must be a lucky man."  Little did he know he was the lucky man. Steven had purchased tickets at Jennifer's Gift Shop.  The owner of the gift shop will receive $1 million. Steven has since retired and plans on taking a long vacation after claiming the lump sum of $173 million before taxes. Congratulations to Steven Tran and your family! Content provided by Transformer Marketing & http://www.calottery.com/Media/Press-Releases/Press-Release?Item=%7B124F8F5E-5A23-484C-803F-85CCC827E2FB%7D

 

Seven principles lay the foundation for effective wellness.  The principles are think, breathe, drink, eat, sleep, exercise, detox and environmental.  Within these principles are the keys to a well-balanced wellness program.   Here are just ten tips to get you started.

1.  Pay attention to your thoughts.  It’s real easy to get caught up in the negativity with this world today.  Don’t let that happen to you.  Stay positive.  Positive thoughts include gratitude, forgiveness, courage, happiness and there’s so much more I haven’t even touched on.
2.  Learn to breathe.  Breathing exercises have been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, heart rate, circulation, digestion and many more!
3. Drink lots of water.  Water helps maintain the body’s fluid levels, helps control calories, energizes muscles, water helps your skin maintain a good look and many more!  Water is essential to your overall healthy lifestyle.
4. Get in touch with your spiritual side.  Pray, meditate, and go for a walk in the labyrinth.
5. Eat organically.  Fresh fruit, vegetables, little starch and carbohydrates.  Blueberries, beans, broccoli, oats, oranges, salmon, pumpkin, soy, spinach, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, tea (green and black) and yogurt are just a few of the super foods.   Olive oil is another favorite of mine.  I use it exclusively for everything.
6. Get plenty of sleep.  Sleep helps improve your memory, sleep can help you live longer, spurs creativity, sharpens attention span and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
7. Get out and move.   Yoga is great for stretching the tired muscles, going for a brisk walk benefits your heart, running helps your relieve stress and even can eliminate depression, do a high impact cardio workout.  Twenty minutes a day three days a week and you’ll be seeing a change in yourself.
8. Get rid of all the junk.  Throw out the processed macaroni and chesses boxes, pass by McDonald’s and see how differently your body will react.  It’s a known fact that the fast and processed foods that we eat everyday drag us down.  Get rid of it and feel more energized.
9. Get away from it all.  Go up the mountains and surround yourself with peace or go to the beach and soak up the sun.  The concrete jungle is not going to cut it.  Make a monthly effort to get away from it, even if it’s for a nice long day hike.
10. Have fun.  Anything and everything that you do, make sure that you have fun doing it.

Content provided by Transformer Marketing.

 

There are often benefits to middle-market companies emulating their larger counterparts' risk management examples. “There is a basic risk management process, methodology that has been around for years,” said Patrick Donnelly, co-leader of U.S. broking at Aon Risk Solutions in Chicago. “But only larger companies have been able to make the investment to create the framework to go through those steps.” Carol Fox, director of strategic and enterprise risk practice for the Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. in New York, said it's critical for midsize firms to focus on how they're embedding risk management in the organization. Here are 10 risk management lessons middle-market companies should heed in 2014: 1. Business continuity planning One of the steps many larger companies have taken that middle-market companies could benefit from is business continuity planning. “In order to have a good business continuity plan, you really need to understand your business — and that's inside and out,” said Jim Hedrick, area vice president of business continuity planning at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in Cincinnati. “A middle-market company may not have the bandwidth to do that,” he said. 2. Establishing a crisis plan Hand in hand with the business continuity process is establishing a crisis management plan. A crisis management plan helps drive decision-making when a crisis occurs and helps ensure that information gets to the right people. 3. Testing the crisis plan A crisis management plan alone isn't enough; it needs to be regularly tested. “To me, if you don't test your plans you might as well not have them,” Mr. Hedrick said. “Not only does it test the validity of the plan, but also it's a terrific training mechanism.” Testing the plan also helps identify “who should be in your plan and shouldn't be in your plan,” he said. “Sometimes you have people in these events who just melt down because they can't handle the stress.” 4. Managing supply chain risks While the effort can be challenging, large companies have increasingly recognized the need to identify and address supply chain risks. Middle-market companies that haven't should do so as well, experts say. Supply chain risk is “the one exposure that I believe has changed significantly since the credit crisis,” said Mark Moreland, executive vice president for strategic consulting at Lockton Cos. L.L.C. in Kansas City, Mo. In trying to squeeze costs out of their supply chains some companies have taken steps to narrow their supply chains, reduce the number of suppliers and change their risk profile in the process, something that must be addressed, he said. 5. Defining a risk appetite Mid-market companies should develop a clearly defined risk appetite. “This is the one thing that we are trying to do with all our clients and prospects: establishing a very clear risk appetite,” Mr. Moreland said. “What may happen in a middle-market organization is they believe, "We know what our risk appetite is because we aren't that large an organization,'” Ms. Fox said. But middle-market companies can find value in having that conversation, clarifying their risks and specifying how much risk they're willing to assume and how much insurance to buy. 6. Benchmarking risk management performance The process of defining a risk appetite also could help middle-market companies recognize how they might differ from companies they're benchmarking their risk management efforts against. “It allows them to benchmark on areas that are different from just insurance buying,” RIMS' Ms. Fox said. “It gives them more data points.” “Benchmarking is always something that clients are interested in. I think the real challenge is to get benchmarking that you can draw clear conclusions from,” Mr. Moreland said. “Benchmarking is one of those underrated tools that I think midsize companies can use in understanding their risk,” said Mark Moitoso, executive vice president and general manager national accounts casualty at Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc. in Boston. “What's really nirvana in this is it helps them establish goals.” 7. Using captives to self-insure risks As middle-market companies become more familiar with their risks and their risk appetites, they may choose to retain more risk or find risk financing alternatives and captives can be a useful tool. Middle-market companies are increasingly embracing alternative risk transfer. “The big growth is with the middle-market companies,” said Karl Huish, president of the Captive Services Division of Artex Risk Solutions Inc. in Mesa, Ariz. “These businesses are recognizing they have exactly the same sorts of risks that the larger companies have, they're just smaller in size.” Middle-market companies are starting to use captives both for risks they didn't previously insure and in financing large-deductible workers compensation, automobile liability, general liability and property programs. And the larger middle-market companies are often doing that through stand-alone captives, while smaller middle-market firms frequently opt for group captives. 8. Addressing cyber risks With cyber threats cutting across companies of all sizes, middle-market companies also are increasingly aware of the need to address those risks. When insurers first introduced cyber risk policies, many buyers questioned their value, recognizing the number of incidents that were occurring but not sure about the extent of potential damage, said Patrick Donnelly, co-leader of U.S. broking at Aon Risk Solutions in Chicago. Now nearly every company is recognizing that they have some sort of exposure. “That's extended into the middle markets more in the past 18 months or so,” Mr. Donnelly said. 9. Return-to-work efforts Middle-market companies can also benefit by following larger companies' example in adopting return-to-work programs. Such programs can produce significant workers compensation savings while allowing injured workers to participate in modified work assignments while they recover from injuries. 10. Continuing education Middle market companies always can benefit from following many large company risk managers' lead in looking for continuing education and networking opportunities through organizations like RIMS. “It's not just the courses, the workshops, the online webinars, they can benefit from but the conferences and the networking by belonging to an organization,” Ms. Fox explained. Content provided by http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20131229/NEWS05/312299996?tags=%7C60%7C299%7C305%7C340%7C342

 

On Monday, December 30, 2014 in a small farming community just outside of Salinas, an unusual discovery was made.  A crop circle appeared on a small farm in Chualar. Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjaIvfvfVzw Debra Flanager, who is a braille transcriber from New Jersey said that the dots that were placed in the middle of the circle translate to: 192 192 B 192 1 192 192 Now we just need to figure out what that means. Contact Scurich Insurance Services today for an agriculture insurance quote. Content provided by Charles Walton and Youtube.

 

 

Commercial insurance is a must-have for every business.  Some businesses have specialty needs for additional commercial insurance that are not covered under the standard policy. Maybe you have had some changes in your business.  You have recently purchased delivery vehicles, you have expanded your business and purchased more property.  There are any number of possible changes that have occurred to your business that would require an analysis of your commercial insurance policies. Your cash flow has changed You have two forms of payment for your insurance, a regular monthly payment and a deductible that you will need to cover for damages and/or injuries before your provider will start to cover anymore.  The monthly payment you can factor into your standard business finances.  You will need to be diligent in planning for the unknown. The more cash you have readily available, you should think about increasing your deductible.  Higher deductibles will decrease your monthly premiums, and you will be able to save money.  Make sure the deductible will be affordable, just in case. Lower your deductible so that you can pay as needed if you are short on cash.  Contact our office so that we can shop around for the best deal possible and discuss bundling options. Congratulations!  Your business is thriving! Your business has increased since the last time you sat down with your agent.  You’ve hired more people, added a delivery service and more!  That means that your insurance will need to change also. Start with your workers compensation and disability insurance policies. Make sure that your employees are covered, and your policies are up to date. You’ve added a fleet!  You will need to get your vehicles insured under a commercial auto policy. You are remodeling or moving Commercial property insurance comprises an important part of your overall insurance needs.  If you are expanding or moving, you will need to contact our office to do a review of your new /improved digs and the policies.  Please remember that any changes you make, will affect your coverage and costs. Content provided by Transformer Marketing.