Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

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docj
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:10 pm

Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by docj »

I was denied personal umbrella insurance coverage by two companies and I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Would appreciate some advice.

Primary residence is with my parents and sibling in NJ.

Home is owned by parents and insured through AAA.

Cars are insured through Geico in an account under my name with everyone listed as insured drivers.

I have a secondary rental residency insured from American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (through Geico who acted as the broker).

Coverage levels are all high/adequate for an umbrella.

Geico denied me for umbrella because my parent had a reckless driving charge February of 2015. They referred me to RLI who has different underwriting rules.

RLI rejected me for the same. Interestingly, RLI would have accepted a DUI.

Both companies said that since the reckless driving charge belongs to someone in my household they cannot insure me. Doesn't matter if we completely separate auto coverage from each other or not.

Do I have any other options?

Thank you.
Dottie57
Posts: 12379
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 5:43 pm
Location: Earth Northern Hemisphere

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by Dottie57 »

docj wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:03 am I was denied personal umbrella insurance coverage by two companies and I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Would appreciate some advice.

Primary residence is with my parents and sibling in NJ.

Home is owned by parents and insured through AAA.

Cars are insured through Geico in an account under my name with everyone listed as insured drivers.

I have a secondary rental residency insured from American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (through Geico who acted as the broker).

Coverage levels are all high/adequate for an umbrella.

Geico denied me for umbrella because my parent had a reckless driving charge February of 2015. They referred me to RLI who has different underwriting rules.

RLI rejected me for the same. Interestingly, RLI would have accepted a DUI.

Both companies said that since the reckless driving charge belongs to someone in my household they cannot insure me. Doesn't matter if we completely separate auto coverage from each other or not.

Do I have any other options?

Thank you.
Live separately from your family.
renue74
Posts: 1893
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 7:24 pm

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by renue74 »

Dottie57 wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:07 am
docj wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:03 am I was denied personal umbrella insurance coverage by two companies and I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Would appreciate some advice.

Primary residence is with my parents and sibling in NJ.

Home is owned by parents and insured through AAA.

Cars are insured through Geico in an account under my name with everyone listed as insured drivers.

I have a secondary rental residency insured from American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida (through Geico who acted as the broker).

Coverage levels are all high/adequate for an umbrella.

Geico denied me for umbrella because my parent had a reckless driving charge February of 2015. They referred me to RLI who has different underwriting rules.

RLI rejected me for the same. Interestingly, RLI would have accepted a DUI.

Both companies said that since the reckless driving charge belongs to someone in my household they cannot insure me. Doesn't matter if we completely separate auto coverage from each other or not.

Do I have any other options?

Thank you.
Live separately from your family.
+1

The insurance companies told you why they can't cover you. You should take their information and adjust your life accordingly, if umbrella insurance is that important to get.
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by JBTX »

Max your automobile liability, and shop around to see if other auto insurance carriers have higher limits. If you don't own the home not sure why you would need liability related to the property
masonstone
Posts: 659
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 3:01 pm

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by masonstone »

Just to learn from this, what could cause a reckless driving charge?
livesoft
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Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by livesoft »

I wonder if it doesn't have much to do with living with your family.
Cars are insured through Geico in an account under my name with everyone listed as insured drivers.
Drop everyone else from your car insurance. Make them get their own car insurance or stop driving. You didn't say if you own the cars or they own their own cars.
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DragonJoey3
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:52 am

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by DragonJoey3 »

masonstone wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:34 am Just to learn from this, what could cause a reckless driving charge?
I know in my state (Maryland) going in excess of 30 mph over the speed limit can result in a reckless driving charge. As can not even touching the brakes when you go through a stop sign. The law basically states it as "Operating a motor vehicle without regards to safety" and it can cover a broad range of things. I am aware of someone who was cited with reckless driving for a road-rage incident in which they attempted to run the other driver off the road.
Spirit Rider
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Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:39 pm

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by Spirit Rider »

DragonJoey3 wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:40 am I am aware of someone who was cited with reckless driving for a road-rage incident in which they attempted to run the other driver off the road.
That would certainly qualify. Although, I think attempted murder with a dangerous weapon would be more appropriate.
Iridium
Posts: 768
Joined: Thu May 19, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by Iridium »

Find an independent insurance agent/broker. Look for someone based in your state who represents many companies or is an actual insurance broker (they aren't appointed by anyone, so they can work with any company). Shop your auto at the same time with the agent/broker as most umbrellas require the auto to be with the same insurance company and the $30-$60 commission the agent will make off the umbrella won't to be worth his/her time.

1) They will know the magic words to use on the application to say 'There is a reckless driving conviction in the household, but we are not seeking coverage for him.'

2) Agents deal with smaller insurance companies where common sense is more likely to prevail.

3) Failing that: the agent will know which insurance companies write the high risk, high premium business and will hassle with sending your application to each one (you only have to give your info to the agent once).

4) Failing all of the above: Max your auto liability. Ask your parents to max their home insurance. Many insurance companies will do up to $1MM on each, which will almost always be enough.

Edit: Wherever you end up, retry in March of 2020 when the conviction is more than 5 years old.
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Earl Lemongrab
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Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by Earl Lemongrab »

There was a cop cam video of the cops that were joking about using a coin flip app. The woman got a reckless driving for going 80 on wet roads. At least where they were, that meant she was arrested and taken to jail.
basspond
Posts: 1500
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 3:01 am

Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by basspond »

Interesting. I have an umbrella policy and they put a rider on it taking off our boat because the length and size of motor didn't fit their parameters. See if you can get a company to put a rider on the policy to not cover actions by others in your household.
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FIREchief
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Re: Denied Umbrella Coverage Twice - What now?

Post by FIREchief »

docj wrote: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:03 am RLI rejected me for the same. Interestingly, RLI would have accepted a DUI.
I'm guessing that this is because the umbrella would not cover somebody driving while intoxicated, but the insurance does cover somebody dring in a reckless manner.
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