Articles by Bill Wilson

Wilson, CPCU, ARM, AIM is the founder and CEO of InsuranceCommentary.com and the author of the book "When Words Collide: Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes." His column, "Is It Covered?", is published in Insurance Journal Magazine.

All Additional Insureds Aren’t the Same

For at least the past couple of decades, it seems that in just about every contract, the upstream party wants to be an additional insured (AI) on the downstream party’s insurance. Most commonly, the request is for AI status under …

I See Dead People… Are They Covered?

The title of this month’s column is obviously a cinematic play on words, referencing the well-known catchphrase from the movie “The Sixth Sense.” For those of you who saw the movie, you were probably shocked, or at least surprised, the …

Ho Ho Homeowners Questions

A consumer contacted me via email with an interesting coverage inquiry: “Two questions, please: “I have an in-home ‘business’ involving the manufacturing and distribution of toys for children. I do not charge for these toys and earn no income from …

The Match Game

In over 30 years of assisting agents and others in resolving insurance claims, some issues just keep coming up over, and over, again. One such dilemma involves “matching” issues, especially in homeowners insurance claims where hail or windstorm cause damage …

Logic & Language and Forms & Facts Oh the Tangled Web We Weave….

To paraphrase Sir Walter Scott, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we try to figure out coverage under multiple insurance policies.” This month, I’d like to feature a real-life coverage scenario involving both personal and commercial lines policies …

Unintended Consequences

Sometimes, in responding to coverage requests or loss exposure identification, we make decisions that may result in unintended (often bad) consequences. Too often, these decisions involve what I refer to as “premium games.” More on this later. To illustrate, one …

Is a Fence a Fence?

A question that often arises in homeowners insurance is whether a structure is insured under Coverage A – Dwelling or under Coverage B – Other Structures. The answer can impact both the limit and valuation method that applies. With regard …

Logic & Language and Forms & Facts. Coinsurance… Even WE Don’t Understand It

A book I’m considering writing, probably next year, is about how to make insurance more understandable, not only to policyholders, but also to the industry itself. For example, whether the use of a vehicle, from lawn mowers to watercraft and …

Logic & Language and Forms & Facts Homeowners Coverage for Watercraft

It’s now boating season in most parts of the country, so let’s explore some watercraft coverage issues under homeowners insurance. For the educational and illustrative purposes of this article, we’re using the 2011 ISO HO 00 03 (hereinafter, the HO3). …

Top 5 Certificate of Insurance Questions

Over the past 20-plus years, I have answered many hundreds of questions about certificates of insurance (COIs). The first webinar I did on COIs sold out 1,000 connections and a second session had to be scheduled. About 7,000 people attended …