Consumers should take the time to review their auto insurance to make sure they don’t have gaps in regards to coverages and limits of coverages. Many people make the decision to purchase auto insurance based on cost and remaining legal in their state.

Liability Limits- damage that you cause to someone else, body or property

The state of Texas requires that drivers carry minimum limits of –

$25,000 per person/ $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury

$25,000 per occurrence for property damage

A stay in the hospital can range from $850 per day and up based on the severity.

National Automobile Dealers Association report that the average price of a new car in 2010 is $28,400.

Uninsured/Underinsured Coverage – protects you, people in your car or your property that is damaged by an uninsured or underinsured drive

The state of Texas requires the same minimum limits as liability or signed rejection of the coverage.

TexasSure estimates that 20% of the vehicles in Texas are uninsured. These drivers cost the rest of us over $1 billion each year in additional insurance cost. TexasSure was begun by TxDMV in 2008 to help curtail this practice. This is a verification system that allows law enforcement officials to confirm insurance coverage.

Personal Injury Protection –pays medical, funeral, lost income and some other expenses for injuries sustained in an auto accident.

The state of Texas requires minimum limit of $2500 per person or signed rejection of the coverage.

Full Coverage- refers to Comprehensive and Collision coverage. Collision covers your vehicle for damages sustained in an accident. Comprehensive refers to all of the other ways your vehicle can be damaged such as vandalism or theft. This coverage typically includes a deductible amount ranging from 0 to $1500

This coverage isn’t required by the state, but is required by a lien holder or financing company.

Rental Reimbursement- provides replacement vehicle while your vehicle for repairs that are covered by your auto policy

Towing/Roadside Assistance-provides towing service and roadside assistance for accident and non-accident occurrences such as dead batteries, lockouts, out of gas etc. The extent of coverage varies by carrier.

Damage to homes, businesses and property is a real threat to those of us living and doing business in Houston and Harris County. Flood insurance should be a basic piece of everyone’s insurance package, whether you are in a “high risk” area or not.

FEMA is beginning the process of revising the flood mapping for area. They are currently crunching the storm surge data from Hurricane Ike. The information will then move on to the mapping engineers, with preliminary maps out sometime next spring. From there it will move into public hearings for more revisions and eventually becoming effective 18 months or so down the line.

What does that mean to you? Based on some of the recent remapping projects, the “high risk” flood zones have expanded by 25%. For homeowners with mortgages, they can find themselves with a sudden requirement for flood insurance. In most cases the mortgage company will add it automatically after a specified period of time. This can then drive up your monthly mortgage payment, sometimes dramatically.

So, what can I do? First and foremost, understand that if you live in Houston and Harris County today you should have Flood Insurance as a basic piece of your insurance package, whether your mortgage company requires it or not. Purchasing the insurance today can help you maintain a more affordable policy when the maps are revised. An existing policy allows you to be grandfathered into the rating zone that you had when the original policy is purchased. This can save you substantially on your future cost of insurance.

What does it cost? Consider the first, the cost of damages to your home. Typically, 1 inch of water will cause a minimum of $7800 in damages.

The cost for a Preferred Package policy at the maximum coverage provided through National Flood Insurance Program is $355 per year. This includes coverage limits of $250,000 for the structure and $100,000 for contents.

May Group LLC. Insurance Services

2621 S. Shepherd, Suite 260

Houston, TX 77098

713-807-8264

Hurricane Season Preparedness—

In the Houston area, Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to November 30, with “prime time” of August through Season.   Hurricanes are a real threat for our area because of our proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.   They seem to be getting more and more costly with 7 of the top 10 costliest hurricanes occurring since 2000.

So what do you need to do to be prepared?

Have and evacuation plan                       Canned and RTE foods

Stocked First Aid Kit                                 3 Gallons of water for each person

Batteries and Gasoline                             Thin out tree limbs

Check your backup supplies

Meet with your personal insurance agent in person or over the telephone to review your policies.   10 minutes taken now is well spent to protect the largest single investment of your lifetime.

Insurance checklist:

What are my deductibles with my homeowner policy and how will they apply in the event of a loss.  Check your home and auto policies.

How is wind and wind driven rain covered by my policy?

If my home becomes unlivable, will my policy cover living expenses?

Do I have flood insurance?

What if my car gets caught in floodwaters?

Contact information for your agent and claim filing for all of your insurance companies.

Have conversation with your professional now, while you’re high and dry.

The May Group LLC is an insurance agency serving the Houston and San Antonio markets with seven locations. Tony May, owner, started the business in November of 1998 with one location and two employees. The main office was and is located and serving the Inner Loop area of Houston. Additionally, The May Group has 4 other offices around Houston serving Sugar Land, Katy, Garden Oaks and Jensen Drive. Over the last couple of years they have branched out to serve the San Antonio market with two agencies.

Since 1998 the agency has grown to be one of the larger agencies in the state through an ongoing of commitment to customer service and satisfaction. The staff of the agency is well trained to handle the ever-changing insurance. Face to face marketing to prospects and referral partners has been the hallmark of their success.

Originally the agency served primarily the auto and home insurance markets. As they have matured in he business many more products have been added to mix to service small business and their myriad of insurance needs. The agency can help with the obvious, such as general liability and property, but in also capable of handling continuation and succession plans, employee benefits workers compensation.

The May Group LLC takes pride in combining today’s technology with “old fashioned” customer service. Give us a try; you will be glad you did. We have built this business one client at a time serving the needs of people just like you every single day.