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<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" media="screen" href="/~d/styles/rss2full.xsl"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" media="screen" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~d/styles/itemcontent.css"?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:34:13 +0000</lastBuildDate><title>Gordon B. Roberts Agency</title><description /><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (News)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>43</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/GordonBRobertsAgency" /><feedburner:info xmlns:feedburner="http://rssnamespace.org/feedburner/ext/1.0" uri="gordonbrobertsagency" /><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/" /><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-8725624454204907280</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:34:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-02-22T08:34:13.748-05:00</atom:updated><title>Your Identity Belongs to You. Protect it!</title><description>&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjwgSnR51CQ/T0Tuwwq99RI/AAAAAAAAABY/mdbE3-uUaJ4/s1600/what-identity-theft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjwgSnR51CQ/T0Tuwwq99RI/AAAAAAAAABY/mdbE3-uUaJ4/s320/what-identity-theft.jpg" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;A 2009 survey shows that identity theft is on the rise – and it’s more likely to start with a stolen wallet than an online phishing expedition.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Researchers at Javelin Strategy &amp;amp; Research reported that the number of identity theft cases increased 22 percent to 9.9 million in 2008.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Crimes of opportunity, such as stolen wallets,      represented 43 percent of cases, compared to 33 percent in 2007,      indicating an increase in the desperation of criminals. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Women were 26 percent more likely to be victims of      identity theft, reporting a higher incidence of lost or stolen information      during purchases in stores. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Only 11 percent of cases involved online access. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;The smartest way to protect yourself from identity theft is to prevent it from happening to you. However, if your identity is stolen, you’ll be able to lessen problems by acting quickly. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Call your      credit card companies immediately. Explain what happened, and ask where to      send a copy of the police report. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Call and      report to the police. Make several copies of police report. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Complete a      Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Theft Affidavit and FTC report (call      1-887-ID-THEFT to request the forms). &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Call your      bank. They can place an alert on your Driver's License number and Social      Security Number, and freeze your account. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Call fraud      units of credit report agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Fortunately, identity theft protection is available as an endorsement on most homeowners’ policies at a small cost. For example, Safeco offers Identity Theft Protection for $12 a year to homeowner policy holders. The coverage reimburses certain expenses associated with identity recovery. Customers can also get guidance on how to protect themselves from ID theft before it happens and may receive assistance with identity restoration. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;If you’re interested in learning more we are just a call or click away! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;GBR Agency, Inc.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;607.432.2022&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-8725624454204907280?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2012/02/your-identity-belongs-to-you-protect-it.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KjwgSnR51CQ/T0Tuwwq99RI/AAAAAAAAABY/mdbE3-uUaJ4/s72-c/what-identity-theft.jpg" height="72" width="72" /></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-4302183427353831169</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-02-15T09:04:36.282-05:00</atom:updated><title>Don't Get Soaked!</title><description>&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;img height="283" id="il_fi" src="http://avalancheclean.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Water-Damage-Repair.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="400" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;Of all the appliances found in the home, the water heater and washing machine are the most likely to cause serious damage, and cost home owners a bundle.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;According to a nationwide analysis by Safeco Insurance, one out of every 10 water-damage claims can be traced back to a malfunctioning hot water tank or washing machine. These two appliances are more likely than Mother Nature to inflict damage on the home.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;“Water is the most common cause of home damage today – even more likely than fire,” said Jim Swegle, vice president of personal property for Safeco Insurance.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;“Americans are spending twice what they were 10 years ago to repair water damage. In most cases, home owners can save themselves a lot of time and money by adding a few simple protective devices and doing routine maintenance. These tasks usually take just a few minutes and the parts often cost less than $20,” Swegle said. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;Some water damage is covered under homeowners insurance, but some damage is not, he noted. Home owners who fail to maintain appliances and plumbing systems may face thousands of dollars in repair costs and weeks of invasive home repairs. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="margin: 6pt 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;Simple fixes, such as installing a $10 stainless steel hose or replacing an aging water heater, could save a homeowner thousands of dollars and a lot of hassle. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;But home owners can take simple steps to reduce their chances of water damage.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Replace      old water heaters.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;      Water heaters do damage when they get too old and the tank rusts and      bursts. Replace your tank once a decade. Today's energy-efficient systems      also will be cheaper to operate.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Stainless      steel hoses&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;: Inspect      standard rubber or plastic hoses used with washing machines, refrigerators      and dishwashers and consider replacing them with stainless steel-braided      or mesh hoses. Worn-out hoses with kinks, cracks or bulges need to be      replaced immediately. A $10 braided steel hose can save thousands.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Turn      it off before you leave.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;      Don't leave dishwashers and washing machines running if you leave the      house.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Check      attic air conditioners.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;      At least once a year, go up to the attic or roof to check these appliances      before they wear out. Look for wear and tear and loose connections.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;A full list of water prevention tips for consumers is available at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.safeco.com/drip"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"&gt;www.safeco.com/drip&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;. &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;Questions? We're just a call or a click away! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;607.432.2022&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"&gt;&lt;span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: large;"&gt;  &lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-4302183427353831169?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2012/02/dont-get-soaked.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-7323754334933985122</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:32:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-01-25T08:32:53.906-05:00</atom:updated><title>Tim McGraw Honored with United Way Presidents Award</title><description>GBR Agency's very own Tim McGraw was presented with the 2011 Presidents Award by the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties.&amp;nbsp; This award&amp;nbsp;is given in grateful appreciation and recognition of Tim's outstanding and dedicated service to the poor and working poor of Delaware and Otsego Counties.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2BFT7SPRiE/TyAEOUNsMoI/AAAAAAAAABQ/WrKFnyFXLmM/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2BFT7SPRiE/TyAEOUNsMoI/AAAAAAAAABQ/WrKFnyFXLmM/s320/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" width="207" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Congratulations and Good Work Tim! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;GBR Agency&lt;br /&gt;"Insurance from People You Know" &lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-7323754334933985122?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2012/01/tim-mcgraw-honored-with-united-way.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2BFT7SPRiE/TyAEOUNsMoI/AAAAAAAAABQ/WrKFnyFXLmM/s72-c/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" height="72" width="72" /></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-6791004993776028141</guid><pubDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:20:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2012-01-04T10:20:12.531-05:00</atom:updated><title>Baby, It's Cold Outside ~</title><description>Well, we started out 2012 with a day that felt more like Spring.&amp;nbsp;It was gorgeous and we all knew it was just a matter of time before the bitter cold would set in. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And the next day we woke up to our wintery world. Yesterday we saw a high of 16 degrees&amp;nbsp;with blustery winds making it feel&amp;nbsp;so much colder.&amp;nbsp;This&amp;nbsp;sends me&amp;nbsp;straight into hibernation mode. When it comes to hibernating, there is no better heat produced than that of a wood stove.&amp;nbsp; It keeps our home cozy and warm. We save loads of money on oil each year and&amp;nbsp;this heat is accessible even if the power goes out. I could not&amp;nbsp;imagine giving up our&amp;nbsp;trusty wood stove.&amp;nbsp; However,&amp;nbsp;with the&amp;nbsp;positive come a few negatives.&amp;nbsp;I have to dust more and I am constantly picking up&amp;nbsp;wood chips strewn about by my dogs who get much enjoyment out of chewing a stick of wood here and there. There is of course the added risk of a fire and my husband is diligent in taking steps to maintain the stove and the chimney. This is key to preventing a fire. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New York Central Mutual has put together a great resource for woodstove owners. There are some great tips here!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.nycm.com/besafe/woodstoves.asp"&gt;http://www.nycm.com/besafe/woodstoves.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Happy 2012 everyone! Stay warm!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-6791004993776028141?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2012/01/baby-its-cold-outside.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-7738650512990313372</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-12-21T08:37:55.330-05:00</atom:updated><title>Happy Holidays!</title><description>From our family to yours, &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We would like to wish all our clients and their families a happy and safe holiday season! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;May you&amp;nbsp;have a 2012 filled with heatlh, wealth and happiness!! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umEYxK97aqM/TvHg0CjBLgI/AAAAAAAAABI/8dIVMgrJ_xc/s1600/happy-holidays-webcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umEYxK97aqM/TvHg0CjBLgI/AAAAAAAAABI/8dIVMgrJ_xc/s320/happy-holidays-webcopy.jpg" width="299" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;The GBR Agency&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;607.432.2022&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbragency.com/"&gt;www.gbragency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-7738650512990313372?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-holidays.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-umEYxK97aqM/TvHg0CjBLgI/AAAAAAAAABI/8dIVMgrJ_xc/s72-c/happy-holidays-webcopy.jpg" height="72" width="72" /></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-5629802141029285015</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:25:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-11-30T09:25:14.099-05:00</atom:updated><title>NYCM is having a great contest for students!</title><description>Attention all students:&amp;nbsp; NYCM is&amp;nbsp;having a Distracted Driving Video Contest.&amp;nbsp; Entries are being accepted until 12/31/11.&amp;nbsp; Great prizes and a fun project for a worthwhile cause! Get the details below! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://contest.nycm.com/agent/video.asp"&gt;http://contest.nycm.com/agent/video.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-5629802141029285015?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/11/nycm-is-having-great-contest-for.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-200835036449847556</guid><pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:50:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-11-02T08:50:39.768-04:00</atom:updated><title>"Insurance is good, but without documentation your bases aren’t fully-covered." ~ Some tips documenting your possessions.</title><description>Below is a link to a great article on the importance of documenting your possessions.&amp;nbsp; This is just as important as purchasing the policy.&amp;nbsp; In the event of a claim one needs to provide some sort of proof to the insurance company that the items&amp;nbsp;being claimed&amp;nbsp;were in fact owned.&amp;nbsp; Receipts are good, however you may not have receipts for all the items you own. Click on the link for more information! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://financefreelancelife.com/2010/03/01/how-to-document-possessions-insurance/"&gt;http://financefreelancelife.com/2010/03/01/how-to-document-possessions-insurance/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As always if you have any questions we are only a call or a click away!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-200835036449847556?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/11/insurance-is-good-but-without.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-6235886900430148633</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:21:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-10-05T09:21:31.703-04:00</atom:updated><title>October is Fire Safety Month!</title><description>October is Fire Safety Month.&amp;nbsp;Just in time for heating season. Homeowners across the country are turning on the furnace and many will be lighting the woodstove or pellet stove. There are steps we can take to prevent a fire from happening and make our homes safer if a fire does occur.&amp;nbsp; The following links contain valuable information about both. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=1438&amp;amp;cookie_test=1"&gt;http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=1438&amp;amp;cookie_test=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-spotlight/fire-prevention-month/"&gt;http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-spotlight/fire-prevention-month/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/SafetyGuide/sg_fire_w001.asp"&gt;http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/SafetyGuide/sg_fire_w001.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalmonths/10_october/fire_safety_month/"&gt;http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalmonths/10_october/fire_safety_month/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As always, if you have any questions we are only a call or a click away!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-6235886900430148633?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-is-fire-safety-month.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-3824962026661529815</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-09-21T08:28:47.833-04:00</atom:updated><title>Be Independant but Never Alone.</title><description>Why choose an independant agent?&amp;nbsp; Check out this video from Travelers Insurance Company.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://youtu.be/5nnROVqUDgM"&gt;http://youtu.be/5nnROVqUDgM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-3824962026661529815?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/09/be-independant-but-never-alone.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-8602646598637124544</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Aug 2011 12:46:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-08-10T08:47:06.144-04:00</atom:updated><title>Meet Christy Llewellyn</title><description>Christy is our Commercial Lines Customer Service Representative. If you need assistance with your commercial account Christy will&amp;nbsp;help you with changes to your policy, identification cards and&amp;nbsp;certificates of insurance.&amp;nbsp; She also works on renewals and endorsements within the office. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christy has been married for 27 years to her husband Steve.&amp;nbsp; She lives in Oneonta.&amp;nbsp; Christy and Steve have a daughter.&amp;nbsp; Christy is a huge sports fan and enjoys watching the Yankee's, Giants and Knicks but her favorite is to watch her daughter play softball. Christy also has a&amp;nbsp;Boston Bull Terrier&amp;nbsp;named "Jete" who is a very special member of the family.&amp;nbsp; Christy enjoys spending time with her family and friends. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Christy enjoys helping customers of the GBR Agency and her advice&amp;nbsp;to any consumer was to "keep your insurance, because you never know when you might need it."&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Questions? We are just a call or a click away! &lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-8602646598637124544?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/08/meet-christy-llewellyn.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-7792834800233576116</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:13:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-27T09:13:38.436-04:00</atom:updated><title>Meet Jennifer Beames!</title><description>Jennifer Beames is our Commercial Underwriter here at the agency.&amp;nbsp; She has been with&amp;nbsp; GBR for 13 years.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer oversees all the commercial lines quoting and servicing.&amp;nbsp; This includes commercial auto, business owners, workers compensation and bonds.&amp;nbsp; Jennifer's daily mission is to provide our agents with the most competitive premiums while including the best coverage's for the client.&amp;nbsp;The goal is to come up with creative ways to add needed coverage's while keeping costs down.&amp;nbsp; Jennifer also works on auditing and underwriting resolutions for our clients and maintains a good relationship with the underwriters at the insurance companies.&amp;nbsp; This relationship is what makes the difference in keeping our clients happy. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What is Jennifer's advice to our business owners in the community?&amp;nbsp; Working with a good agent can make all the difference.&amp;nbsp; Many businesses are struggling with their profit margin. Insurance has only risen in cost and is not only a necessity but a requirement.&amp;nbsp; We try to make this process of insurance as painless and cost effective as possible.&amp;nbsp; Our goal is to provide you with the right coverage at an affordable premium.&amp;nbsp; Being part of the community we serve means we do business with our clients, we know them,&amp;nbsp;and that's why The GBR Agency is a friendlier place to do business. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I asked Jenn what she enjoys most about her position.&amp;nbsp;She said the most rewarding part of her job is helping the agents and clients resolve the issues that come up.&amp;nbsp; Over the years we have assisted clients resolve auditing issues, compensation board fines and payment problems.&amp;nbsp; The nicest feedback she's ever received was "I couldn't have done it without you!" &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And to that I have to agree! There are many days when I know I couldn't have accomplished my goal without Jenn's help! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Jennifer is married to Matt Beames and lives in Otego with their two children; Derek (age 12) and Shane (7 months).&amp;nbsp; Most of her family lives within three blocks of their home;&amp;nbsp;Jenn's parents neighboring one side and Matt's parents on the other.&amp;nbsp; They enjoy sports, camping and relaxing with their friends and family.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Questions? We are only a call or a click away! &lt;br /&gt;607-432-2022&lt;br /&gt;gbrobertsagency.com&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-7792834800233576116?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/07/meet-jennifer-beames.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-8692950810643457411</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-13T11:43:10.768-04:00</atom:updated><title>Meet LaDonna Lilley</title><description>LaDonna Lilley is our Operations Manager. LaDonna is involved with all aspects of the agency management. LaDonna is our "go-to" person for whatever we need,&amp;nbsp;from answers to underwriting and risk management questions to fixing our computers and much more in between. She is a true wealth of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LaDonna lives in Edmeston with her husband and son.&amp;nbsp; She started working in the insurance industry 23 years ago and joined the GBR Agency in 1999.&amp;nbsp; She enjoys camping with her family and friends.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I asked&amp;nbsp;LaDonna what she likes most about her job she said it was the diversity of her responsibilities.&amp;nbsp; She is involved in many different projects along with the day to day responsibilities of managing the agency including building maintenance&amp;nbsp;and negotiating contracts. She enjoys that each day has new challenges.&amp;nbsp; LaDonna said that The GBR agents and staff are a dedicated group that are a pleasure to work with. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I asked LaDonna what general advice she would give to an insurance consumer and she replied, "Each person's insurance needs are different and you should carefully consider your options to properly protect your assets.&amp;nbsp; Being an independent agent allows us to provide clients with several options to meet their needs." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Questions? We are just a call or a click away!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-8692950810643457411?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/07/meet-ladonna-lilley.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-6091043771263289264</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-07-06T10:45:24.464-04:00</atom:updated><title>Meet Paula Young!</title><description>Paula Young is an "Accounts Specialist" here at our office.&amp;nbsp; If you are a client of our agency you may have&amp;nbsp;spoken with her before.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Paula has been with our agency for three and a half years and is here to assist our clients in the management of their insurance policies.&amp;nbsp; If you need to make a change to your policy, pay your bill or just have questions Paula can assist you with these tasks and many more that may pop up.&amp;nbsp; Paula lives outside of Laurens with her husband and two children.&amp;nbsp; She enjoys being with her family, archery, reading, kayaking, hunting and fishing!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I asked Paula what she likes the most about her job she said "Helping people. I also enjoy talking to the people because you always learn something interesting about them!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Questions? Please don't hesitate to call. 607.432.2022.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;GBR Agency.... Insurance From People You Know!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-6091043771263289264?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/07/meet-paula-young.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-6737915996129572521</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:48:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-06-29T11:52:11.596-04:00</atom:updated><title>Getting to know....Kimberly Hendrick!</title><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Over the next several weeks I would like to&amp;nbsp;introduce you to the members of our staff here at the agency.&amp;nbsp; First up, Kimberly Hendrick, our claims "queen!"&amp;nbsp; I took a moment to sit down with Kim and ask her a few questions about herself and her position.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Q:&amp;nbsp; What is your position at the agency and how long have you been with GBR Agency? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;A:&amp;nbsp; I handle&amp;nbsp;all the claims, auto, home, liability, workers comp and disability claims&amp;nbsp;for&amp;nbsp;all our insured's.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;I have been with the&amp;nbsp;Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc&amp;nbsp; for 17 years.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Q:&amp;nbsp; What&amp;nbsp;is your favorite part of your job?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;A:&amp;nbsp; Every day is different!&amp;nbsp; There is no claim the same.&amp;nbsp; It's rewarding to help our customers&amp;nbsp;make a difficult situation as easy as possible. We are NOT an 800#,&amp;nbsp;our clients&amp;nbsp;are names not&amp;nbsp;numbers.&amp;nbsp; Remember,&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;the Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc, your&amp;nbsp;local agency is filled with your friends,&amp;nbsp;neighbors and family.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Q:&amp;nbsp; What advice would you give to people? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;A:&amp;nbsp; Always let us help you, that is what we are here for!&amp;nbsp; Most&amp;nbsp;people have never read an insurance policy line by line.&amp;nbsp; I am here to be your advocate in the event of a claim.&amp;nbsp;That means knowing your cov&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;e&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;rages and we are here to find you coverage, that's our goal.&amp;nbsp; For instance, did you know with some &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;personal auto &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;policies the&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt; company will &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;waive your deductible if your car is parked and unoccupied?&amp;nbsp; Has anyone here ever been to Walmart and get dinged?&amp;nbsp;.......&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I have too!&amp;nbsp; Did you know that most of our &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;personal auto &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;policies have a rental provision when you are in an accident? These&amp;nbsp;coverages&amp;nbsp; are not always&amp;nbsp;listed on&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;declarations page of your policy. These are just a&amp;nbsp;couple of examples of the assistance I can offer and the questions I can answer.&amp;nbsp; If you have questions please don't hesitate to call!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: purple;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: #006666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;GBR Agency ~ Insurance from People You Know ~&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-6737915996129572521?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/06/getting-to-knowkim-hendrick.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-705870431101130828</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:42:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-06-22T09:42:08.449-04:00</atom:updated><title>Teen drivers in the Summer time.....</title><description>According to a recent AAA study Summer is a peak time&amp;nbsp;for deadly traffic crashes involving teens.&amp;nbsp; Please check out this link for more information. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://aaanewsroom.net/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=7&amp;amp;ArticleID=854"&gt;http://aaanewsroom.net/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=7&amp;amp;ArticleID=854&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-705870431101130828?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/06/teen-drivers-in-summer-time.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-2489323781084048441</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 13:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-05-25T09:10:50.134-04:00</atom:updated><title>NHTSA Releases New Child Seat Guidelines</title><description>Were you aware of the changes made the child restraint guidelines?&amp;nbsp; See the attached link to get these important updates! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://new%20age-focused%20guidelines%20help%20parents%20make%20more%20informed%20choices/"&gt;New Age-Focused Guidelines Help Parents Make More Informed Choices&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-2489323781084048441?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/05/nhtsa-releases-new-child-seat.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-254202416288317669</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 13:26:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-05-18T09:26:59.498-04:00</atom:updated><title>Thanking Ben Franklin for the lightning rod, bifocals and.....insurance?</title><description>&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;You probably wonder a lot of things about insurance. Where do your premium payments go? Why is your premium the amount that it is? Ever wonder where this idea of insurance came from? Who started this industry and why? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;Most of us are accustomed to our modern day monetary based industry but the idea of insurance began and developed from the ideal of barter and trade. It wasn’t about money.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Those folks most likely did not refer to it as “insurance.”&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It was an agreement for protection.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;If something bad happened to you and your family someone would be there to help you get back on your feet. The cost was no matter, only the end result. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;In the primitive insurance years, agreements of mutual aid were common.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This meant if a family’s house was destroyed the neighbors would commit to aide the owners in rebuilding.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This type of insurance still exists today in areas of the world without a modern economy or financial system.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;Insurance means risk management.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;When purchasing a policy you retain a certain amount of risk in the deductible you choose.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;By saying you will only be accountable for $500 (your deductible) should you suffer a loss to your home that will cost $150,000 to rebuild you are managing your risk by transferring $149,500 of that loss to the insurance company.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;In the 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; millennia BC Chinese merchants traveling dangerous waters would manage their risk by splitting up their inventory across many boats.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This decreased their risk of losing their entire inventory should one boat capsize. &lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;This is a very early example of personal risk management. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;It was recorded in the Code of Hammurabi in 1750 BC that the Babylonians developed a system of insuring the loss of shipments that was connected to the merchant’s loans.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;If the merchant had received a loan to fund his shipment he could pay an additional premium to the lender.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This premium was exchanged for the lender’s guarantee that the loan would be void if the shipment was lost or stolen at sea.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I wonder what that premium may have been!&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;In Ancient Persia it was recorded that the Achaemenian monarchs were the first to insure their people.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;They practiced a procedure of registering the insuring process with the governmental notary offices.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;I was surprised to learn that this form of insurance was tied into politics.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It began with gifts being given to the monarch.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;When a gift was given that was valued at more than 10,000 Derrik (Archaemenian gold coin) the gift was registered with the notary office.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;What was the purpose of the register? And what does insurance have to do with gifts?&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Well, it was understood that if the gift giver was in trouble or needed assistance in the future the monarch and the court would come to his aide.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This would include events such as a large feast, marriage, building projects etc. Interesting! &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;In &lt;city&gt;&lt;place&gt;London&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/city&gt; insurance was developed in the early 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century. The first property and life insurance contract was discovered in the will of an English colonist Robert Hayman.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This will included two “policies of insurance” taken out with the diocesan Chancellor of London, Arthur Duck.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;The value was 100 pounds each.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;One policy insured the safe arrival of Hayman’s ship in &lt;country-region&gt;&lt;place&gt;Guyana&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/country-region&gt; and the other stated: “one hundred pounds assured by the said Doctor Arthur Ducke on my life.”&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This will was signed on &lt;date day="17" month="11" year="1628"&gt;November 17&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; 1628&lt;/date&gt; but took five years to be proven.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;It was the Great Fire of London that seemed to change insurance “from a matter of convenience into one of urgency” stated Sir Christopher Wren.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Wren included a site for “the Insurance office” in his new plan for &lt;city&gt;&lt;place&gt;London&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/city&gt; in 1667.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In 1666 a fire devastated more than 13,000 homeowners.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Finally, in 1681 after a number of failed attempts Nicholas Barbon and eleven of his associates established the first fire insurance company in &lt;country-region&gt;&lt;place&gt;England&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/country-region&gt;.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;It insured against fire and was called the “Insurance Office for Houses.”&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Originally it insured 5,000 homes. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;In the &lt;country-region&gt;&lt;place&gt;United States&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/country-region&gt; the first insurance company was established in Charles Town (now known as &lt;city&gt;&lt;place&gt;Charleston&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/city&gt;) in &lt;state&gt;&lt;place&gt;South Carolina&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/state&gt;.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In 1732 Benjamin &lt;personname&gt;Frank&lt;/personname&gt;lin became a spokesperson for the standard practice of insurance.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;In 1752 he founded Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;city&gt;&lt;place&gt;&lt;personname&gt;Frank&lt;/personname&gt;lin&lt;/place&gt;&lt;/city&gt;’s company was the first to establish underwriting guidelines by refusing to insure certain properties where the risk of loss was too great.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;This included all houses made of wood. This company was also the first to make contributions toward the prevention of fire. These two practices have been studied and developed since 1752.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;Both underwriting and consumer education are a key to operating a financially sound insurance company that is ready and able to pay it’s policy holders for losses when they occur.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;Ben &lt;personname&gt;Frank&lt;/personname&gt;lin, the man responsible for bringing us bifocals, a glass armonica, the lightning rod, an odometer, and the wood stove (called the &lt;personname&gt;Frank&lt;/personname&gt;lin stove) was our industries first advocate and a key player in developing our modern insurance practices.&lt;span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-254202416288317669?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/05/thanking-ben-franklin-for-lightning-rod.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-1575563208167204606</guid><pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 12:34:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-05-11T08:34:53.097-04:00</atom:updated><title>NY Alert</title><description>In recent New York news it has been announced that a website has been established to keep NY civilians in the know.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;NYALERT.gov&amp;nbsp;has been set up to&amp;nbsp;post&amp;nbsp;emergency related information and if you sign up for alerts you can receive messages regarding events such as highway closures and weather warnings.&amp;nbsp; These messages may be sent via email&amp;nbsp;or a text message!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;The website also contains press releases,&amp;nbsp;information on local "shred your documents for days," traffic and accident updates&amp;nbsp;as well as emergency preparedness information. To find out more or sign up for alerts visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="http://www.nyalert.gov/home.aspx"&gt;http://www.nyalert.gov/home.aspx&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-1575563208167204606?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/05/ny-alert.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-7845642587077606636</guid><pubDate>Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-04-27T09:45:48.736-04:00</atom:updated><title>Insurance Fraud -- The Crime YOU Pay For</title><description>&lt;span class="LowerLeftHandArea"&gt; &lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;Insurance fraud is the second most costly "white-collar" crime in America.&amp;nbsp;This crime is being committed by individuals and groups. Several professional organized crime rings have been uncovered all over the country.&amp;nbsp; Of all claims received by an insurance company those that are fraudulent&amp;nbsp;account for a significant portion and cost billions of dollars annually.&amp;nbsp; According to the NYCM website, insurance fraud accounts for $80 billion a year. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;The types of fraud&amp;nbsp;are diverse and occur in all lines of insurance. The severity in each situation varies from&amp;nbsp;slightly exaggerating claims to deliberately causing accidents or damage. These fraudulent activities&amp;nbsp;affect the lives of innocent people.&amp;nbsp; Victims may be harmed directly through physical loss or in a more indirect manner as&amp;nbsp;these crimes cause insurance premiums to be higher.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;According to&amp;nbsp;the The National Insurance Crime Bureau insurance fraud translates into $200-$300 in additional insurance premiums each year for the individual. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;To find out more about insurance fraud and what you can do to avoid it please visit this link:&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.nycm.com/fraud/avoidfraud.asp"&gt;http://www.nycm.com/fraud/avoidfraud.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;If you have any questions as always, we are just a click or a call away!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;607.432.2022 &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;www.gbrobertsagency.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="BoldMedium"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="LowerLeftHandArea"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-7845642587077606636?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/04/insurance-fraud-crime-you-pay-for.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-1466549563562502963</guid><pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:47:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-04-20T08:47:54.520-04:00</atom:updated><title>It's Spring!</title><description>Finally! Spring is HERE!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The flowers are peeking out of the ground, the peepers are back and the grass is getting greener by the day.&amp;nbsp;It's also time for our Spring chores! Regular attention to&amp;nbsp;the exterior areas of your home is essential to preventing a loss&amp;nbsp;that could result&amp;nbsp;in damage to your home and contents.&amp;nbsp;Check out this video for tips on maintaining your home and property.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www2.iii.org/video/spring-cleaning-the-exterior-of-your-home.html"&gt;http://www2.iii.org/video/spring-cleaning-the-exterior-of-your-home.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As always if you have any questions we are only a call or a click away!&lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-1466549563562502963?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/04/its-spring.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-5558890327215079491</guid><pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-04-13T09:00:21.643-04:00</atom:updated><title>Important steps to take after an auto accident....</title><description>by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's unfortunate&amp;nbsp;but it happens every day.&amp;nbsp; From fender benders to&amp;nbsp;major collisions car accidents are a reality. Below is a link to an important check list you may want to tuck into your glove box to refer to if the time comes you need it.&amp;nbsp; You may not be thinking clearly after a collision happens and understandably so!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As always, if you have any questions we are only a call or a click away! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;607.432.2022&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: right;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.iiaba.net/main/CB_Website/Affiliated/StateAssociation/NY/01_ConsumerInformation/05_HotTopics/NY20090115111343?ContentPreference=NY&amp;amp;ActiveState=NY&amp;amp;ActiveTab=STATE&amp;amp;ContentLevel1=CONSINFO&amp;amp;ContentLevel2=CITOP&amp;amp;ContentLevel3=&amp;amp;ObjectID=/main/CB_Website/Affiliated/StateAssociation/NY/01_ConsumerInformation/05_HotTopics/NY20090115111343"&gt;http://www.iiaba.net/main/CB_Website/Affiliated/StateAssociation/NY/01_ConsumerInformation/05_HotTopics/NY20090115111343?ContentPreference=NY&amp;amp;ActiveState=NY&amp;amp;ActiveTab=STATE&amp;amp;ContentLevel1=CONSINFO&amp;amp;ContentLevel2=CITOP&amp;amp;ContentLevel3=&amp;amp;ObjectID=/main/CB_Website/Affiliated/StateAssociation/NY/01_ConsumerInformation/05_HotTopics/NY20090115111343&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-5558890327215079491?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/04/important-steps-to-take-after-auto.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-8461082651697095549</guid><pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-04-06T08:32:16.034-04:00</atom:updated><title>Water and Sewer Backup Protection</title><description>by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This week in Oneonta there was a major backup in the sewer lines causing thousands of dollars in damage to multiple homes.&amp;nbsp; Several feet of sewer waste entered the basements of these homeowners ruining their contents that were stored&amp;nbsp;as well as causing significant physical damage to finished living areas. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This type of loss occurs so often,&amp;nbsp;it is the top&amp;nbsp;property&amp;nbsp;claim taken by insurance companies.&amp;nbsp; One of our agents and owners Vince Foti was on the scene on Sunday assisting our policy holders.&amp;nbsp; The adjuster from Travelers Insurance Company was also present and indicated that 80% of the claims he tends to are for water and sewer back up.&amp;nbsp; This figure includes losses caused by fire and auto claims. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Even if you do not have a finished basement you may still want to consider this type of coverage.&amp;nbsp; The clean up alone can be costly.&amp;nbsp; I am attaching a link to an article I found on the NYCM website.&amp;nbsp; It contains some great information. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.nycm.com/home/sump.asp"&gt;http://www.nycm.com/home/sump.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As always, if you have any questions or want further information about this coverage (or any other), we are only a phone call or a click away! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;607.432.2022&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-8461082651697095549?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/04/water-and-sewer-backup-protection.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-8580731045829278898</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:12:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-03-30T09:12:37.199-04:00</atom:updated><title>Do you know your stuff?</title><description>&lt;iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zfStVGjaHJ4?fs=1" width="425"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By: Shannon Stockdale&lt;br /&gt;How do you know how much insurance you should have to cover your personal belongings if you are unsure of the value of those belongings, or even how many things you have? Do you know how many plates are in your cupboard? How many forks are in your drawer? How many towels do you own? While standard homeowners policies include a basic limit based on the coverage of the dwelling, how do you know if that is enough coverage? You start with knowing what you own. This can be a daunting task however, a necessary one. Lets face it, we buy insurance to protect us, to ensure that we can be "put back together" after the unthinkable happens. The time of loss is a time of great stress for an individual. It is not the time when the insured should be presented with the task of remembering ALL of the things that were in a closet, a room, a whole house! We always recommend our clients document their belongings with photo or video. Simply, take a walk around your home with your camera. The next step is imperative.... keep those photos or digital files at a location away from your home. This way if disaster strikes, you will have a basis for making your insurance claim. You may THINK you know your stuff, but there are many things we take for granted in our daily lives that we may not think of when the time comes to make a claim. This simple software program makes this process a bit easier and better organized. To top it off the company will store the files for you so that they will be accessible from anywhere! Check out the video, if you have any questions we're only a phone call or a click away! 607.432.2022 &lt;a href="http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/"&gt;http://www.gbrobertsagency.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-8580731045829278898?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/03/do-you-know-your-stuff.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/zfStVGjaHJ4/default.jpg" height="72" width="72" /></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-6169044970539512341</guid><pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:38:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-03-23T08:38:10.013-04:00</atom:updated><title>It's Pothole Season!!</title><description>by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;br /&gt;The snow is melting, the birds are chirping. These are welcome signs of Spring!&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As you are driving your car you may have noticed some new "bumps" in the road.&amp;nbsp; City and rural roads alike, these potholes are popping up everywhere. They&amp;nbsp;cause&amp;nbsp;wear and tear&amp;nbsp;to our cars or in the worst case scenario may cause damage&amp;nbsp;that&amp;nbsp; requires immediate repair.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;New York Central Mutual posted a link to this article this morning and I thought it was worth sharing.&amp;nbsp; Check out this link to find out what you can do during pot hole season to protect your car! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.aaany.com/CarandTravel/Archive/2009/March/Avoiding_Damage_During_Pothole_Season.asp"&gt;http://www.aaany.com/CarandTravel/Archive/2009/March/Avoiding_Damage_During_Pothole_Season.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-6169044970539512341?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-pothole-season.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8843244797736696971.post-1486808343733507847</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:17:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-03-16T09:18:38.069-04:00</atom:updated><title>So, what IS an Umbrella policy?</title><description>&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Georgia, &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;, serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;by: Shannon Stockdale&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Georgia, &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;, serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;The umbrella policy is probably the best kept secret in the business.&amp;nbsp; This type of policy is referred to as an umbrella because it is designed to cover losses that go above and beyond your typical auto and home policy.&amp;nbsp;There are&amp;nbsp;different types of umbrella policies.&amp;nbsp; Some offer only&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt; an&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt; increased amount of liability coverage and others offer coverage for losses that may not be covered otherwise under your standard automobile or home policy for example: liable and slander.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white; color: black;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Georgia, &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;, serif; font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;On average a person can purchase a $1 million policy for a couple hundred dollars a year.&amp;nbsp; When you compare the premium to the possible coverage in the event of a loss, it's the best bang for your buck when purchasing insurance coverage.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white; color: black;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Georgia, &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;, serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;In today's climate of multimillion dollar lawsuits&amp;nbsp;and jury&amp;nbsp;awards, having adequate liability coverage is important for individuals and businesses.&amp;nbsp; A person may sue you claiming negligence.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter if you are guilty of that negligence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;; j&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;ust&amp;nbsp;being taken into court you will incur&amp;nbsp;legal expenses in order to defend yourself&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt; a&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;nd that is&amp;nbsp;when this type of policy may&amp;nbsp;seem invaluable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white; color: black;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Georgia, &amp;quot;Times New Roman&amp;quot;, serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black;"&gt;&lt;span style="background-color: white;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;Questions? We've got answers! Call 607.432.2022 for your quote today! &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: x-small;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8843244797736696971-1486808343733507847?l=gbragency.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description><link>http://gbragency.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-what-is-umbrella-policy.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Gordon B Roberts Agency Inc)</author></item></channel></rss>

