Castle Rock Insurance Agency. Business - Personal, Restaurant Insurance, Builders Risk, Auto, Home and coastal properties. Property & Casualty Insurance. NY, NJ & PA http://www.castlerockagency.com Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:38:33 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.castlerockagency.com/images/M_images/castle_rock_insurance_agency.png http://www.castlerockagency.com Castle Rock Insurance Agency. Business - Personal, Restaurant Insurance, Builders Risk, Auto, Home and coastal properties. Property & Casualty Insurance. NY, NJ & PA http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/insurance/insurance-defense-costs---what-is-covered.html Does Your Business Insurance Policy Cover Defense Costs Within the Insurance Limit or Defense Costs Outside of the Insurance Limit? Did you know that a liability policy, which is part of any typical business insurance policy or commercial insurance policy coverage, has two distinct obligations? A liability insurance policy, if it is a general liability, product liability or professional liability insurance policy is designed to protect you against your legal obligation to pay others because you have hurt them and/or have damaged their property. A policy also defends you against claims or lawsuits. In other words, besides paying for claims or suits, a liability policy also pays for their related legal costs and court fees. News - Insurance Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:28:42 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/insurance/insuring-an-internet-based-business.html Does Your Internet Based Business Have the Proper Business Insurance Many businesses are making increasing use of the Internet to promote their products & services. Due to this medium’s connection to savvy, technologically astute consumers, it is an ideal method for promoting and selling products. However, even as greater advantage is being taken of electronic transactions, it is important to keep a bit of old, yet still excellent advice - "Let the buyer beware." News - Insurance Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:31:21 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/insurance/irs-gives-employers-partial-amnesty-on-employees-misclassified-as-independent-contractors.html The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is offering a partial amnesty to employers who openly come forth about having misclassified employees as independent contractors, or "1099's" to avoid paying federal payroll taxes, the IRS announced this week. Why do Employers Classify workers as Independent Contractors vs Putting them on the Books as Employees? News - Insurance Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:39:49 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/agency-news/client-care-news/preparing-for-a-hurricane.html With Hurricane Irene quickly approaching the North East the following are some tips in preparing for a Hurricane. Preparing for a Hurricane Before a windstorm or hurricane hits your area, there are some important steps you should take to stay safe and help minimize damage to your property. Stock up on such necessities as food and bottled water, as well as a first aid kit, a portable radio, warm clothing, and clean blankets. Keep a supply of flashlights and extra batteries handy. Since open flames can be hazardous, avoid relying upon candles and kerosene lamps as potential light sources. Protect windows with boards or shutters. Look around your property and reduce the threat of flying debris. Move all outdoor items (patio furniture, garbage cans, garden tools) indoors. If possible, remove any tree limbs that may be too close to your home, or appear to be diseased or damaged. Check mobile home tie-downs. If you live in an identified surge zone, elevate furniture – or move it to a higher floor – to protect it from flooding. Agency News - Client Care News Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:30:30 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/insurance/new-york-city-process-server-bond---license---permit-bond.html New York City Process Server Bonds Now AvailableCastle Rock Insurance Agency is now offering the newly mandated New York City Process Server License Bonds required by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.The Process Server Bonds are Available in both required $10,000 for individuals and $100,000 for Process Server Companies.See below from the NYC.Gov Website (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/licenses/110.shtml) .The deliberate failure by some process servers to deliver the notification of a court filing followed by a false affidavit of successful delivery has been described “as a rising problem” in New York City and was outlined in our article “Fraudulent Service of Process Continues to Plague New York” published in October 2009. In response, the New York City Council has passed legislation with new, stringent regulations for service of process in their effort to directly protect consumers from improper delivery of court filing notifications, known as’ ‘Sewer Service’. The newly passed bill requires all process servers serving process in New York City adhere to the following: News - Insurance Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:31:30 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/agency-articles/new-york-state-construction-industry-fair-play-actnew-york-state-construction-industry-fair-play-act.html Effective Oct. 26, 2010, New York State will officially change the view of workers in construction trades, due to enactment of “The New York State Construction Industry Fair Play Act.” The law makes it very difficult to qualify construction workers as Independent Contractors or sub-contractors. Also, the new law makes it clear that someone cannot qualify as an independent contractor merely by maintaining a workers' compensation policy, as some may have assumed in the past. Presumption-of-employment established. This new law (S.5847-F) creates a strong legal presumption that construction workers are employees. This represents quite a paradigm shift in an industry where a large portion of workers traditionally have been treated as Independent Contractors. The “presumption” of employment can be overcome, so these workers can be classified as Independent Contractors—but only if they meet certain very specific criteria. To be treated as Independent Contractors, they must qualify as a separate business entity (see below), plus meet certain qualifications showing true separation from the general contractor that does the hiring, or sub-contracting. As an insurance broker at Castle Rock Agency (http://www.castlerockagency.com) we often... News - Agency Articles Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:09:11 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/agency-news/client-care-news/insuring-for-household-hazards.html Brett Lipton of Castle Rock Agency was cited in the August, 2010 Edition of The Cooperator The Co-op Condo Monthly regarding insurance coverage concerns for co-op condo buildings owners. Read the Entire Article Here (http://cooperator.com/articles/2125/1/Insuring-for-Household-Hazards/Page1.html) Agency News - Client Care News Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:28:42 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/day-cares-schools-churches-physical-abuse-sexual-molestation-insurance.html Reading this article may be the first step in protecting you and your business from the ruthless personal injury attorneys that lurk in the shadows of our society and make a living suing people.Yes, there are legitimate claims being brought to the doors of our courthouses, but many of them are frivolous and unwarranted. News - Agency Articles Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:33:25 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/agency-articles/renovation-contractors-may-face-fines-with-new-epa-regulations.html Effective 04-22-2010 New EPA Regulations may face renovation contractors with $37,000 a day fines.The New EPA Regulations apply to the following: Any contractor renovating any of the following buildings built before 1978HomesOfficesSchoolGovernmentEtc.Work now must be performed by a certified contractorFailure to comply results in $37,000 fine per day News - Agency Articles Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:39:55 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/agency-articles/media-liability-insurance-a-growing-issue-in-a-world-of-wire-and-print.html Media Liability Insurance Concerns Reach Beyond Authors Writers As insurance brokers Jon Lipton Brett Lipton of Castle Rock Insurance Agency NY often receive phone calls from individuals and organizations looking for general liability coverage. The variety of these organizations run the gamut, from your basic contractor to the adult model day care. But it is not this gamut they are concerned about, at least not for this article, it is the individual and/or organizations that calls seeking general liability insurance for a media related company and are unaware that they need a very specific and obscure coverage called media liability insurance, Authors Liability or Communication Liability Insurance. News - Agency Articles Tue, 30 Mar 2010 07:18:00 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/personal-lines/coop---condo-insurance-negligence-question.html When Negligence Is SuspectedQ. I am a shareholder in a co-op. Last year, my radiator sprang a leak, causing damage to my neighbor below. The board fixed the radiator, and I was not asked to pay for the repair. Now, however, I am being asked to pay for damages to my downstairs neighbor. Am I responsible? News - Personal Lines Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:30:57 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/insurance/new-york-cracks-down-on-general-contractors-liability-insurance.html New York City Building Department Issues Notice to General ContractorsIn a recent release the New York City Building Department has ceased accepting Insurance Certificates from General Contractors brandishing Certificates of General Liability Insurance for Artisan Insurance Policies. Reason being, these policies do not offer coverage the the General Contractors as General Contractors, these are very specifically, Contractor Policies, big difference. News - Insurance Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/newsflashes/agency-articles/jewelry-insurance-concerns.html Homeowner insurance carriers often have restrictions and capacity limitations for jewelry. Many carriers are not willing to write higher-value jewelry. It can be difficult to find a policy that adequately covers jewelry and also offers the client a competitive price. A stand-alone jewelry policy (personal articles floater—PAF) addresses the jewelry need without impacting the homeowners policy. Newsflashes - Agency Articles Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:33:29 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/agency-news/client-care-news/online-new-york-state-defensive-driving-course.html Online New York State Defensive Driving Course NYThe 6 Hour New York State Defensive Driving Course is now available Online.Online New York Defensive Driving Course (external/online-defensive-driving-course.html) Agency News - Client Care News Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:49:57 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/newsflashes/newsflash/employee-or-independent-contractor.html Employee or Independent Contractor? Most employers in our industry, whether the management company or the homeowners association directly, believe that substantial costs can be saved by their associations utilizing independent contractors in lieu of employees. By hiring independent contractors the employer attempts to avoid costs related to: Salaries Benefits Payroll and unemployment taxes Labor law disputes Wage and hour claims Overtime Workers compensation coverage Responsibility for most worker negligence occurrences The employer also avoids having to supply office space, overhead, and equipment/supplies normally associated with an employer/employee relationship. Furthermore, if the employer becomes unhappy with the worker's performance, it can easily change to another independent contractor without having to experience the trauma associated with terminating an employee. Newsflashes - Newsflash Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:42:52 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/business-insurance-news/products-liability-insurance/6-largest-products-liability-insurance-suits.html Product Liability (products-liability-insurance.html) Suit. However, from time to time, and lately more frequently, issues arise that cause damages, injury and even death. When they do lawsuits ensue. When several people get involved in the lawsuit, class action lawsuits ensue which have the potential to be catastrophic, often costing manufacturers or their insurance companies millions or even billions of dollars.The following are major instances of Product Liability Claims, and they include recalls. Ironically recalls are often excluded from Product Liability Insurance (products-liability-insurance.html) Policies. Aside from severe cases, product Liability Suits can strike small jewelry designers, toy manufactures, clothing designers manufacturers and to this day the thundering repercussions of paint manufacturing companies that used lead still echo through real estate owners looking for insurance. The following are the 6 of the largest Product Liability Suits, in order of smallest to largest by claim value adjusted for 2008 inflationary factors. Business Insurance News - Products Liability Insurance Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:29:42 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/newsflashes/business-insurance/top-5-employment-practice-myths.-epli.html EPLI - Failing Economy Plus Layoffs Equals A Lethal Combination… A Company can be Financially Devastated when a Savvy Trial Lawyer Teams up with a Disgruntled Employee to File an Employment Practices Related Lawsuit. Take steps to protect your client by purchasing Employment Practices Liability Insurance, EPLI, through Castle Rock Agency, Inc. Here are The Top 5 Expensive Employment - Law Myths . . . Newsflashes - Business Insurance Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:26:41 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/business-insurance-news/film-video-production-insurance/stunt-coverage-for-film-production-and-video-production-insurance.html Stunt Coverage now available for Film Production Insurance and Video Production Insurance CoverageStunt Insurance is avail for the following classifications of Production Insurance Coverages we Offer: Short Term ProductionsSingle low budget production taking place in the US.Short Term Productions IISingle production or series taking place in the US.Annual ProductionsMultiple productions taking place in the US.For Insurance Purposes, stunts are categorized as follows: Business Insurance News - Film Video Production Insurance Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:36:40 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/news/agency-articles/how-much-should-i-insure-my-home-for.html As an Insurance Agent that specializes in Home Insurance, I am without exception, always asked the same question when people are shopping for home insurance:Q: How Much Should I Insure My Home For?Here are a list of resources not to use when trying to determine how much you should insure your home for:Real Estate AgentsLegal Advice from Lawyers Mortgage Companies Home LendersBanksThere is only one real answer and only one reliable source to turn to:A Skilled, Experienced and Licensed Home Insurance Agent (home-insurance.html) News - Agency Articles Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:28:47 +0100 http://www.castlerockagency.com/employment-practices-liability-insurance-epli-insurance-claims-on-the-rise.html Employment Practices Liability Insurance Claims are Increasing According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC*1) the average number of Employment Practices Liability cases filed from 1996 to 1999 was a staggering 80,000 per year. Employment Practice Liability Insurance Judgments, or EPLI Judgment awards increased almost 3 fold at 275% from 1994 to 1999. The total employment practices liability judgments awarded exceeded $100 million. The average verdict in Employment Practices Liability cases now approaches a half million by 1999, at over $450,000 per judgment, and Employment Practices Liability issues comprise 30% of all civil litigation in the U.S. Court. Age discrimination liability suits are rising more than any other sector of EPL Cases. The fact about Employment Practices Liability cases is that, according to court verdicts, the employee is deemed right most of the time. The Department of Labor cites that, employees and other plaintiffs won almost half or 41% of all jury decided trials and 26% of all non-jury trials in 1999, with punitive damages being assessed 19% of the time. News - Agency Articles Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:07:28 +0100