How to Get 4 Overlooked Business Risks Covered

The success of any business depends on hard work and ingenuity. Should disaster strike, business insurance helps protect the effort and money you’ve invested in your business. But because businesses are so diverse, you should consider a variety of optional coverages too. These extras are added to your business insurance policy as endorsements. Here’s how endorsements can help cover four common business risks.

1. Data breaches: Any business that has personal or medical information about its customers, tenants or employees is at risk for a data breach. Most states have breach notification laws that not only require a business owner to inform any affected individuals (customers) of a data breach but also specify the manner and period in which the business owner must inform customers. Here are coverages you may want to consider:

• Data Breach Response Expenses: It could cover the expenses you incur when notifying affected individuals of a breach per state laws.
• Data Breach Liability Coverage: It could cover damages that you are legally obligated to pay when your customers’ nonpublic personal information that is lost, stolen or accidentally released is used fraudulently. It also covers the cost to defend lawsuits seeking damages.

2. Employment practices liability: These days, hiring, firing and day-to-day employee management can be risky business. You’d like to think that your employees would never dream of filing a claim or suit against you or your business for discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment or sexual harassment. Unfortunately, it does happen. Responding to claims or suits like these will require time and money.

With Employment Practices Liability Coverage, you will not have to face an employment claim on your own. It can help protect you against liability damages and cover defense costs.

3. Professional liability: You’re expected to have technical knowledge or training in a particular area of expertise or perform certain services according to the standards of your profession. If you fail, you could be held responsible for any harm that you caused to another person or business. Professional liability coverage can provide you with protection for claims arising from negligent business or professional practices.

4. Identity theft: As a small business owner, your personal credit may be tied closely to your business. Having your own identity stolen, could jeopardize your credit and affect your business operations. ERIE’s Identity Theft Recovery coverage can be added to a business insurance policy¹ and provide coverage for:

• Certain legal fees, such as those incurred while defending any civil suits brought against you by creditors or collection agencies.
• Lost wages.²
• Credit reports and postage, phone and shipping fees related to resolving identity theft and fraud.

Your business needs protection provided by a company and insurance advisor that you can trust. You can count on Erie Insurance and our agents to help protect the business that means so much to you. As an ERIE customer, you also have access to risk control tools and services to help you identify and reduce common business risks. Talk to an Erie Insurance agent to learn more.

 This story was original published on December 9, 2015. It was updated with new information.

¹Available with Erie Insurance Ultraflex^SM and Ultrapack Plus^SM policies. See individual policies for specific coverage details. Certain terms and limitations may apply. Refer to ERIE’s disclaimer.

²The coverage is limited up to $25,000.