Business name:?Northeast Insurance Agency, Inc.
Address: 45 East Main Street, Westborough
Co-owners:?Stan Szajna and Scott Bulger
Contact Information:?508-898-2902
By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
What types of insurance does your agency offer?
“We sell property and casualty insurance. We specialize in auto, homeowner, life and business insurance,” said Stan Szajna, co-owner and treasurer of Northeast Insurance. The agency's Westborough office is in the Colonial Plaza at 45 East Main St. It has five other offices in Massachusetts and is licensed in all New England states.
“We represent approximately 26 different insurance companies. There's a complete list on our website, www.neinsure.com.
“We also specialize in coastal property and high-value homes. We have two offices on Cape Cod, one in Falmouth and one in Provincetown. Most companies shy away from any coastal exposure, but we represent some companies that are doing an excellent job insuring coastal properties.”
What services do you provide?
“We analyze each client's situation, and, with the number of companies we represent, we are able to offer the best possible price for the appropriate coverage. Every company has a little different strength and pricing ability. We can evaluate your needs and match them to a company and possibly improve coverage and price, especially if we combine auto and home insurance together,” Szajna said.
“We stress personal service and direct contact with our clients.”
Is there insurance people need that they may not have?
“If you have a business in the home, especially if you see clients, there is exposure with people coming on the property, so you want to make sure you have a rider that would cover that exposure. If you are selling or distributing merchandise and keep inventory in your home, that inventory needs to be insured, and you may also need to cover business equipment.”
What is umbrella coverage?
“Umbrella coverage is excess liability coverage over your other insurance policies. It provides a higher limit beyond your base home, auto, and other coverage. Umbrella coverage goes into effect after the limits of your other policies are exceeded, and can also help cover legal costs in a liability lawsuit.”
Do people in this area need to be concerned about changes in flood zones?
“There are some changes in flood zoning, but not all are definite yet. Some flood insurance rates are increasing dramatically. We encourage everyone in a flood zone to look into having a flood policy. The flood zones apply along rivers as well as to coastal property. In Worcester County, for example, many areas along rivers are affected. Updated flood zone maps are available at town halls or the FEMA website.”
How often should a person review insurance coverage?
“It's important to review your insurance coverage at least every other year because situations change. The first thing to look at on a homeowner's policy is amount of coverage, to be sure the house is insured to replacement value, not to real estate value or tax value. We have replacement costs estimators to get to a realistic value. On auto insurance, at some point it no longer makes sense to carry collision insurance on an older car.
“An independent agent can help analyze your situation. You don's have to wait until a policy renews. The best thing is to review it beforehand, whenever you'se thinking about it, because changes can be made at any time.”
Editor's Note: The preceding is not an endorsement and is presented for informational purposes only.
