Around the P&C insurance industry: Oct. 28, 2015

Mertz Insurance Agency is the newest member of Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a collection of nearly 100 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Southern Illinois. Owned by Christine Mertz, the insurance agency specializes in life, auto, home and commercial insurance. Mertz has more than 20 years of insurance industry expertise. VIAA is the regional founding member in Missouri and Southern Illinois for the Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA), and generates more than $125 million in written premiums. SIAA is the nation's largest partnership of independent insurance agencies.

ACE Commercial Risk Services is offering a new coverage option to address Lessors' Risk Operations for one- or two-story real estate investment property owners, especially in mixed-use developments, which includes residential, retail and commercial spaces. The new coverage protects property owners should legal action be brought by tenants or lessees. The coverage is available on a business owners policy for properties maintained by the insured or by tenants. Additional features of the coverage include: 

• Ability to quote policies for investment properties of one or two stories and up to 10,000 square feet of gross floor area.
• Eligible tenants include retail, service providers, contractors, offices, apartments and mixed-use combinations.
• Up to $5 million in total property values.
• Business income coverage offered on an actual loss-sustained basis.
• Up to $2 million in general liability limits.
• $5 million umbrella coverage available.

Intuit has begun offering pay-as-you-go workers' compensation, a platform that makes it possible for small businesses to select a pay-as-you-go option from 20 top insurance providers. Premiums are calculated in real-time based on QuickBooks payroll data. The platform allows small businesses to make payments based on actual payroll instead of estimates of employee activity.

Philadelphia Insurance Cos. (PHLY) is offering a new Integrated Technology product, a suite of tailored coverages for complex, multifaceted technology organizations, such as light assembly, telecommunications, computer hardware and software distributors, programmers, IT consultants, data processing schools, computer training facilities, and government contractors. The Integrated Technology product also includes subcontractors, and offers multiple coverages for liability exposures that would generally fall under general liability or product loss. It also provides access to risk management services, including legal and data breach coaches.