Distinguished Blog - Community Associations
Market insights and industry news.
Distinguished Programs and Berkley Program Specialists Partner for Community Associations D&O and Crime Coverage
New York – Distinguished Programs (“Distinguished”), a national insurance program manager, announced an expanded partnership with Berkley Program Specialists (“BPS”), a leading provider in the industry, to underwrite its Community Associations Crime and D&O products. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, Distinguished will begin to consolidate their Crime, D&O, and Package coverages under one carrier. “This expanded…
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Broker’s Guide to Planned Unit Developments (PUD) Insurance
Statistics provided by iPropertyManagement reveal that homeowners associations (HOAs) manage 355,000 communities in the U.S., with an average of 22 new associations created each day. More than 50% of all homeowners live in HOA communities. Residential planned unit developments (PUDs), which include single-family homes, are governed by an HOA. Single-family homeowners in PUD communities are…
Community Association Insurance: The Who, What, and How for Brokers
Community associations come in all shapes and sizes. However, no matter whether your client represents an HOA, a COA, or some other collection of letters, they’ll need community association insurance to keep them financially secure. Insurance brokers who are working to grow their clientele need to understand who they’re selling to, what they want, and…
What You Need to Know About Condo Association Insurance
Selling condominium association insurance (COA insurance) for the first time comes with a steep learning curve. On the surface, COA insurance is simply coverage for the common areas and shared amenities within the building or complex. However, dig deeper and you’ll find layers of complexity that make every COA’s insurance needs unique. Everything from state…
HOA Insurance: Everything You and Your Clients Need to Know
Homeowners associations are complicated. They’re comprised of dozens of families, include shared public amenities, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on renovations, repairs, and general operations each year. With all of these responsibilities and people involved, problems will arise — and when they do, they’ll need a good broker with the right HOA insurance…
Inside the Complex Issue of Security Negligence in Community Associations
Community associations are responsible for the safety and security of its residents. It is important for the board of directors to review the association’s bylaws to understand their responsibilities to provide a safe and secure community. Proper security measures and enforcement of them helps mitigate an unfortunate accident from occurring and the potential of a…
Express Umbrella Insurance Q+A [Webinar Recording]
We enjoyed talking with insurance brokers during our latest webinar, a 30-minute session entitled, “Build Your Business: Community Association & Small Real Estate Umbrella Coverage.” Watch the full webinar recording below: Our attendees challenged us with questions that went right to the heart of their current business issues. The session covered a broad range of…
Umbrella Insurance for Community Associations – Why You Need It Today
In a highly litigious environment, umbrella insurance for community associations is crucial. It can often mean the difference between financial stability and ruin. Below, we review a few exposures and recent settlements where umbrella insurance can help. Defining Community Association Community associations include the following: The Role of the Board of Directors An association’s board…
What’s New in Our Express Umbrella Insurance Program?
This article highlights: Differences and similarities between Express Real Estate and Express Community Association Key coverages and limits How to submit business Distinguished Programs’ long-standing footprint and reputation as a pioneer in developing niche-focused Umbrella insurance products enable us to tap into what the market needs to both improve and expand our offerings. We recently…
Why Community Associations Need D&O Insurance
Community association boards and their members have broad fiduciary responsibilities. This leaves them vulnerable to liability lawsuits from both residents and employees. Additionally, board members are typically volunteers who don’t necessarily have the knowledge or experience regarding good governance. It creates an even greater risk of liability claims against these non-profit organizations. The need for…
How Community Associations Can Protect Against Fraud
In recognition of International Fraud Awareness Week, we are taking a look back at a past post where we discuss navigating fraud in community associations. Enjoy! Fraud, embezzlement, and other types of employee theft are among the biggest exposures community associations face. Exacerbating this significant risk is that it typically takes 18 months before the…