Search CompleteMarkets

...arefully removed to prevent the uncontrolled release of a cloud of spores into...to building occupants and potential liability for the building owner are minim...

... that it uses proper grammar and punctuation. After all, these documents are often interpreted by the courts, where subtle nuances of word choice, punctuation, and grammar may make the difference between a covered claim and an uninsured loss. Unfortunately, the level of quality control of even the most prestigious of agents, brokers and insurers is sometimes low. Poor English is often the rule, and the readability of some policies can be described as tortuous. One judge reviewing a Directors and Officers liability policy compared the policy wording to a ... Tower of Babel. Along with poor draftsmanship, risk managers we spoke with listed the following common oversights as particularly annoying: Policies delivered without proper authorizing signatures  Incorrect inception, expiration, or retroactive dates  Incorrect spelling of the corporate name  Incomplete or outdated lists of named insured or additional insureds  Property descriptions, locations, limits of liability, and deductibles incorrectly scheduled or outdated  Missing endorsements  Unexpected endorsements Too frequently policies are delivered with such obvious omissions, abominable ... , and flagrant typographical errors that one might question whether the document was ever read, let alone reviewed. Especially disturbing is the practice of some insurers who borrow' wording from a competitor's policy form that's replete with errors! The borrowing problem is most acute with manuscript and heavily endorsed policies. However, we are also aware of similar errors in preprinted policy forms. Risk managers shouldn't accept any type of contract that's less than letter perfect. This is especially true of insurance policies. Brokers and agents should be meticulous in their review ...

... that the documents use proper grammar and punctuation. After all, these documents are often interpreted by the courts, where nuances of word choice, punctuation, and grammar may make the difference between a covered claim and an uninsured loss. Unfortunately, the level of quality control of even the most prestigious of agents, brokers, and insurers is sometimes low. Poor English is often the rule, and the readability of some policies can be described only as tortuous. One judge reviewing a Directors and Officers Liability policy compared the policy wording ... a linguistic Tower of Babel. If you are involved in drafting language for use in insurance policies or other contracts, we recommend finding a copy of a little book by Richard Wincor entitled Contracts in Plain English. One of the contract blunders Wincor commented on nearly 15 years ago still finds its way into modern policy forms. Here's what Wincor had to say about the misuse of the phrase it is understood and agreed': Absurd and sometimes dangerous. There is nothing wrong with we agree as follows' or something to that effect once ... the beginning of a contract, but repetition of it is understood and agreed' adds either nothing or something. If it adds nothing, it ought not to be said. Usually, it is the case that it adds nothing, because every clause in the contract is understood and agreed' or it would not be written into it. On the other hand, if it adds something, what it adds is a bad thing, namely an implication that other clauses not propped up by this phrase are somehow not understood or agreed ...

... exists. Individuals can't always control the environment, but they can control their thoughts. As William James sa...

...fortunately, the level of quality control of even the most prestigious of agen... descriptions, locations, limits of liability and deductibles incorrectly sche...

...fortunately, the level of quality control of even the most prestigious of agen... descriptions, locations, limits of liability, and deductibles incorrectly sch...