HOW UMBRELLA INSURANCE WORKS
Umbrella insurance is an affordable way to increase the protection of your existing homeowner’s or auto insurance policies against the risk of a large claim. Umbrella insurance, which is also known as excess liability, offers you a strong defense in the event an accident, injury, or other covered loss exceeds the limits of your existing insurance policies.
You have insurance coverage to protect you from a large financial loss in the event of an unexpected event, such as a fire at your home or an auto accident on your way to work.
Your insurance policies will cover the costs of a covered loss, up to your policy limits. A policy limit is the highest amount that you will be paid out for any one claim. If your claim total exceeds this limit, you are responsible for the remaining balance.
Let’s say you are at fault in an auto accident and the total due for medical care injuries and damage to the other vehicles totals $150,000. If your auto insurance policy limit is $50,000 but the claim totals $150,000, you would be responsible for the remaining $100,000 out of your own pocket. Unless you have umbrella insurance.
With umbrella insurance, you can extend your coverage and protect yourself from the high-cost of a large claim with one affordable monthly premium. Umbrella insurance is available in $1 million increments up to $5 million, so you can have peace-of-mind that a single accident or incident won’t deplete your savings and other personal assets.
What Does Umbrella Insurance Cover?
Umbrella insurance can protect you from the high cost of bodily injury or property damage that may lead to costly legal settlements or judgements, such as:
- Auto accidents that are your fault
- Accidents occurring at your home or on your property
- Accidents caused by operating a watercraft
- Accidents occurring at rental property you own
In addition, umbrella insurance may also provide additional coverage for lawsuits not generally covered by your homeowner’s or auto policies, such as personal injury lawsuits for libel, slander, or defamation of character.
Umbrella insurance increases the limits of your existing policies in the event you are faced with a large claim. In today’s litigious society, a costly lawsuit is not unheard of if you are at fault for an accident on the road or at your home. If this should happen to you, umbrella coverage provides peace-of-mind that your insurance protection won’t run out right when you need it most. Umbrella insurance is a cost-effective way to ensure that your insurance will be there to protect you against even the largest of claims.