Securing insurance coverage for a franchise and all of theparties involved can be a bit more complex than just purchasingcoverage for a typical company. Normally, a franchisee's insuranceagent will secure the coverage needed, and then provide evidence ofinsurance to which they can add the franchisor as additionalinsured. In this case, a franchise operation for water remediationand carpet cleaning had General Liability, Auto, and WorkersCompensation programs available for all of its franchisees. Theywere concerned about pollution and miscellaneous professionalliability exposures for the franchisees and the vicarious liabilityfor the franchisor. The franchisor offered several classes throughthird party educators, from basic water remediation to sewer backup and mold detection, monitoring, and remediation.

The insured received a custom program with Contractors PollutionLiability and Professional Liability for each of the 300owner-operators with coverage tiers dependent on the training andcertification. This included a $15M Contractors Pollution Liabilityand Professional policy for the franchisor. The programprovided:

• Consistent coverage, limits, and competitive pricing for thefranchise operators.
• Coverage for vicarious liability and professionalliability.
• Confidence that the franchise's reputation and assets weresecure for the franchisor.

This is a great example of why it is beneficial for aninsured/agent to work with a single carrier to allow easier accessto the franchise, consistent coverage, a better premium, and morereasonable terms. In this situation, working with onecarrier for all lines on the account allowed the franchisor toreceive the most appropriate products available in the marketplaceto protect their interests.

There are many advantages to offering a multi-line program:(1)Streamlining the insured's account by offering all coverages withthe same carrier will save time and the insured will often receivea multi-line discount on premium. (2) This will simplifycommunication with the carrier. By working with one carrier tohandle all lines of an account, there is typically one contact whohandles all questions and claims. (3) It will eliminate thepossibility of multiple carriers having differing views on a claimor discrepancies on handling the insurance coverages.

For more information, applications, and claim scenarios, visitwww.b-h-a.com or call (800)596-2156.