QBE North America has teamed up with a company to expand access to some of its professional liability coverage. GuideOne Insurance has started offering Roost Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detectors in a new pilot program. Zurich and CoverWallet are marketing an online platform in Spain to sell business insurance for small and medium-sized businesses.

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QBE North America’s professional liability coverage for small to mid-size architectural engineering and contractor businesses will be offered nationally through Huntersure, a company focused on professional liability underwriting.

The “strategic program underwriting alliance” is designed to expand QBE’s footprint, and will be provided on a non-admitted basis through QBE North America’s A.M. Best “A” rated insurance companies. Huntersure will underwrite these QBE North America risks and offer coverage for these accounts through a variety of specialized distribution sources including retail and wholesale partners.

The program appetite includes professional liability insurance products for architects, engineers, surveyors, planners and other design professionals. In addition, professional liability insurance is offered for contractors operating in the agricultural, residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, heavy civil, and environmental sectors.

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GuideOne Insurance is now offering Roost Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detectors by a property insurance carrier. The insurer said this is the first commercial use of the product, via a pilot program.

The pilot places 4,000 sensors in churches across the country starting March 1, aiming to demonstrate the value of detection and responsiveness in minimizing loss and disruption.

Roost’s Smart Water Leak and Freeze Detector senses water leaks as well as humidity and freezing temperatures, delivering alerts via mobile app to help minimize damage and loss. The Wi-Fi enabled detectors set up quickly, located in places around a facility that are most prone to water leaks and frozen pipes.

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Zurich has launched ZurichEmpress.es in Spain, an initiative developed with CoverWallet that it said is the first online platform to offer insurance products to small and medium-sized businesses there.

The platform uses technology developed by CoverWallet, an InsurTech founded in the U.S. that operates essentially as a digital business insurance agency. The agreement between both companies is exclusive to Europe, and it will provide end-to-end insurance products for business owners.

ZurichEmpresas.es is designed to allow business customers to quickly analyze and understand their business insurance needs. As well, it provides custom products. Customers can work from quotation to final sale within a minute, and clients can gain asses to a follow-up service through Zurich’s MiZurich smartphone application or the company’s website.

Sources: QBE North America, GuideOne Insurance/Roost, Zurich/CoverWallet