Mercury Insurance: 50 Years of Service Excellence
Low rates, great benefits and more than 50 years of providing top-notch service…see why more than 4,000 people a day choose Mercury insurance.
Carrier Spotlight- MetLife Auto & Home
In June, 2009, Ken May Insurance Services was proud to add MetLife to our stable of fine insurance partners. Though we have companies that target all types of risks, from the ultra good driver (or ultra-preferred) to the high risk (or non-standard) driver, I am excited to have an old (but forward thinking), solid company like MetLife in which to place our top-tiered drivers.
MetLife, or as some of you know them as the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was founded in March, 1868. That’s right, 1868. That is over 144 years ago. So I am pretty sure that they aren’t going anywhere. MetLife has over 90 Million customers in over 60 countries. It is the largest life insurance company in the U.S. and serves 90 of the Fortune 500 companies.
Ken & Kim with Snoopy at The Alliance Convention 2010
I’m sure that you have seen the MetLife adds on television with the Peanuts characters, primarily Snoopy. And I’m pretty sure that you have seen the MetLife blimp floating above major sporting events (actually, there are 6 blimps in their stable). The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants and the New York Jets share the fabulous new MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands (New Jersey), across the Hudson River from Manhattan (Hey, how about a new stadium for the San Diego Chargers?).
I am proud to tell you that I have had the honor of being asked to sit on the MetLife Producer Council to offer insights to the company into what we the agents and you the consumers need from them to make the partnership strong and long-term. There are only a handful of us on the council so I take this responsibility very seriously and am proud to be involved with a company that not only listens to what we have to say but actually solicit our opinions and make changes that can be made. My first meeting of the Producer Council occurred near Monterey earlier this year where our group was invited to watch the Pebble Beach Golf Tournament in the MetLife sponsor tent overlooking the 17th green of the Pebble Beach course. As expected from a 1st class company like MetLife, we were treated in a 1st class manner.
2012 Pebble Beach Pro Am
So, when you see Snoopy, Lucy, Schroeder, Linus, or even good ole’ Charlie Brown, please think of us and think of MetLife, another solid, financially strong carrier that Ken May Insurance Services has to offer to you.
Ken May has been serving North County since 1982 offering quality insurance products with strong carriers. He is currently the president of the American Agents Alliance of California, the local chairperson of the North San Diego County Chapter of the Alliance, and a member of the MetLife producer council. He can be contacted at ken@kenmayinsurance.com.
Umbrella Policies Fill In Some Gaps
AFTER sorting out health, home, life and car insurance, personal liability coverage may seem like a policy too far. But in a world filled with lawyers and bad luck, financial advisers find it vital. A personal liability policy, commonly called an umbrella policy, is a last line of defense
To read more…. Umbrella Policies Fill In Some Gaps.
The above article was recently published in the New York Times and was pulled from the most recent addition of the American Agents Alliance newsletter.
Yes, You Do Need Earthquake Insurance!
We as agents hear a laundry list of excuses for not purchasing earthquake insurance: I don’t live in Los Angeles so I don’t need it. It is too expensive, the deductible’s too high or I just can’t afford it. Let me tell you, you do need it, it is not too expensive and you can’t afford NOT to have it!
Earthquake Damage from Northridge Quake 1994
I have experienced two major earthquakes here in California in my almost 30 years, the Landers earthquake in 1992 and the Northridge earthquake in 1994. Although both earthquakes were more than 100 miles from my home in Carlsbad, the shaking was severe and some items, including a small TV, were knocked to the ground. The damages from the Northridge earthquake alone exceeded $20 billion. Homes were destroyed, freeways collapsed, and more than a dozen people were killed in an apartment complex collapse. The Northridge Quake bankrupted many insurance companies in California which led to the creation of the California Earthquake Authority, a state run earthquake insurance provider.
The San Andreas Fault, which runs the length of California, gets the most attention because it has been the most active. However, the Rose Canyon Fault which runs through the heart of San Diego County has not produced a major earthquake in centuries but it is considered active because there is a history of earthquakes in the last 11,000 years. Nonetheless, the lack of recent earthquake activity in our region has created a false sense of immunity for the residents of San Diego County. If an earthquake were to occur along the Rose Canyon Fault, our infrastructure could be destroyed and it could take months or even years to rebuild.
Who Said There Are No Earthquake Faults in San Diego?
Every insurance company that sells residential property insurance (homeowners insurance) is required by law to offer its insured’s earthquake insurance. Many carriers in California use the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) for earthquake insurance but if your insurance company does not use the CEA program, you may purchase earthquake insurance directly from your insurance company or from another company that offers stand alone earthquake insurance. The basic earthquake policy in California includes dwelling coverage equal to the dwelling amount on your home insurance, $5,000 in personal property coverage and $1,500 in additional living expense with a 15% deductible. Below is a premium breakdown for basic earthquake insurance for a 2-story home that is approximately 1700 square feet built after 1991 using zip codes from San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Earthquake Activity In the Last Week!
Coverage (All Zip Codes)
Dwelling Amount $300,000
Personal Property $5,000
Loss of Use $1,500
Deductible (15%) $45,000
(Damages would need to exceed $45,000 before earthquake coverage would apply)
Annual Cost
San Diego $168
(That is only $14/month for basic coverage)
Los Angeles $516
San Francisco $939
Of course the illustration above is only for a basic earthquake policy but more coverage is available for additional premium. The CEA also announced a rate reduction for many homeowners effective January 1, 2012. So please give us a call for a quote or visit our website at www.kenmayinsurance.com.
Ken May Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency in Oceanside, CA. We offer auto, home, earthquake insurance and other types of insurance for residents of Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos and Fallbrook, CA.