Independent, family-owned agency since 1932
Business name: Fitts Insurance Agency
Address: 2 Willow St., Southborough
President: Christopher Fitts
Contact Information: 888-697-6542
Southborough – Fitts Insurance was started in 1932 in Framingham, in a building built by the great-grandfather of the current president, Christopher Fitts. The firm moved to Southborough in 2015.
“My father was president, before moving to chairman. The agency is now run by myself, my brother Tim, and my two cousins, George and Bruce Hulme,” Fitts said. “Tim and George do most of our commercial lines, and Bruce does all our life, health and financial services work.”
In the ever changing world of insurance, the staff is always attending seminars and taking courses to stay up to date with all of the ongoing changes in the industry. That knowledge, coupled with their extensive experience, is a major benefit to the company’s clients, Fitts said.
“Our Operations Director has been with us for over 35 years. We have people who have been here 10, 20, 25 years,” he said. “They take the time to listen, answer your questions and provide proper guidance.
For home, auto and watercraft, Fitts represents the top insurance companies in Massachusetts. For business insurance, they have 11 direct appointments and access to specialty programs from many other insurance companies.
“We are very selective to make sure we represent reputable, A-rated, financially stable and responsible companies. That gives us the ability to shop around for our customers,” Fitts said. “By partnering with top companies, we feel confident we can compete on price, although our priority is protection.”
The company offers all types of insurance including life, business, home, auto, and watercraft. The majority of their customers live or work in eastern and central Massachusetts, although the company does insure second homes and watercraft outside of Massachusetts.
Fitts prides itself on its superior customer service. When you call the company during its business hours, a live friendly voice always answers, not a recording. In-office meetings with clients take place in private client meeting rooms so that sensitive, personal information can be discussed in a privately and securely.
As far as what types of insurance you should carry, Fitts stresses that umbrella insurance—catastrophe liability coverage—is vital.
“It sits on top of your other policies. If someone is severely injured in a car accident or falls down your stairs and sustains a serious injury, an umbrella policy provides at least $1 million of additional liability protection,” he said.
“These policies are very inexpensive because it is a low-frequency, high-severity type of claim. You don’t see many umbrella claims, but when you do, they pay out a lot of money. For the average homeowner, it would probably be less than $200 a year for an additional million dollars of protection.”
Businesses should also consider cyber liability, he noted.
“It’s one of the fastest growing exposures but most businesses are not insured for this,” he said.
