Forward Mutual Insurance Company

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How to Handle Spring Wind Damage to Your Home

High spring winds cause damage to homes

Last week wind gusts in excess of 60 mph left many southern Wisconsin homeowners with fallen trees, damaged structures, and loss of doors or shingles.

What’s the best course of action if this happens to you?

  1. Call your agent. Report your damage and determine whether you have a claim to report to Forward Mutual.
  2. Ask for an Adjustor: If you and your agent are unsure of the amount of damage, Forward is happy to send our adjustor out to evaluate and guide your wind repairs.

Wind damage is frustrating. It’s one more thing already-busy homeowners sometimes must add to their list of things to do. That’s why Forward Mutual is here to help and make repairs as stress-free for you as possible. Contact us with any questions!

 

Keep Your Household Dry This Spring

Water leak detection devices can protect your home from damage

In 2015, 35% of homeowner damages filed with Forward Mutual occurred when plumbing failed or pipes froze. In 2016, this percentage decreased to only 4.4%. Besides weather, what might be responsible for such a decrease in water damage to our homeowners this past year?

CEO and President Lois Wiedenhoeft believes educating our insureds was an important factor.

“It’s our goal to assist homeowners in protecting themselves,” says Lois. “So many plumbing products have surfaced in the marketplace that help prevent water damage and this is information we want to share. Prevention eliminates frustration.”

Prevention also saves money. This spring, protect your home from expensive water damage. Here are helpful suggestions from Forward Mutual.

Sump Pump Monitoring

Most homeowners discover their sump pump has failed when the basement has already flooded. Monitoring systems alert homeowners before the damage occurs, either by sounding an alarm or by calling/texting your phone.

Water Leak Detection

Dishwashers and washing machines sometimes overflow. Refrigerator ice and water dispensers sometimes fail. These plumbing disasters wreak havoc on a homeowner’s floor unless they are detected and stopped immediately. Water leak detection systems can do just that—detect and stop leaks. Depending on the system, these devices will sense and alert you of water leaks and/or significant changes in humidity within your home. They can also stop the leak by cutting off the water supply.

If you have any questions about preventing water damage in your home, give Forward Mutual a call. We are here to offer personal attention and peace of mind.

Getting to Know Our Staff

Sarah Mueller, Forward Mutual Insurance CompanyDetermining how much coverage a homeowner should receive or whether to even accept the risk to insure them can be difficult, but with Sarah Mueller at the underwriting helm at Forward Mutual you can be confident it’s being done right.

“I help the agents determine if Forward Mutual is the best fit for the risk,” says Sarah, who serves as Forward Mutual’s customer service manager. “I assist them with writing new business and making changes on existing business. I’m in charge of all inspections. I verify that the risks are without hazards and meet our underwriting rules and guidelines.

“If agents are unsure what do with a risk or how to cover something, I’m always willing to listen and help. I want to help them find the best solution for a homeowner or farmowner.”

When insureds call Forward Mutual and are unclear about their policies, Sarah is there for them as well.

Sarah and her husband Lance live in rural Watertown with their sassy cat Gus. When not working their day jobs, they both work at Donny’s Girl Supper Club. So when asked about free time, Sarah responds with a laugh.

“I enjoy the Brewers in summer and the Packer in winter,” says Sarah. “I also enjoy traveling and am planning a trip to Disney World to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.”

As an insurance underwriter, Sarah knows the value of a well-kept home. She and Lance recently remodeled their laundry/mudroom and are now planning to tackle the outside landscaping.

We at Forward Mutual have enjoyed the 13 years Sarah has been with the company and we appreciate the expertise she offers our customers and agents!

Getting to Know Our Staff

Ever wonder who’s behind the friendly voice when you call Forward Mutual? Let us introduce Jessica Hill, our customer service assistant. Jessica offers customers and agents an attentive ear and quick responses to their questions. She also works with policy renewals and changes.

“My favorite things about working for Forward Mutual are learning and understanding more about insurance. I love getting to know our insureds when they come in to pay,” says Jessica. “I’m also excited to reconnect with my high school friend, Sarah!”

Jessica and her husband Eric live in Oconomowoc with their cats Maude and Herbie. They’re vagabonds at heart and love exploring new places, biking and pursuing that good cup of coffee. Their latest home projects: painting, new curtains and dreaming of a kitchen remodel!

Through all this, Jessica always has her camera in tow. She started taking pictures for others about five years ago and now is a lifestyle photographer capturing authentic moments of animals, families, children and an occasional wedding. Check out her gorgeous work at jfiess.com!

We at Forward love having Jessica on our team and appreciate the dedicated service she offers our insureds!

 

What Exactly is a Mutual?

FarmMutual adA question recently came up as to the difference between a mutual insurance company and a stock-owned insurance company. The primary difference is that a mutual is owned entirely by its policyholders—those that pay premiums to receive insurance—and a stock-owned company is owned by a limited amount of shareholders. While a mutual earns profits for all its policyholders, a stock-owned company earns profits only for those few that own its stock.

The concept of mutual insurance companies originated in England in 1696. Less than 50 years later Ben Franklin helped introduce mutual insurance to the United States. By the 1870s, when Wisconsin was still in its early statehood, immigrants began settling the area and building homes and farms. They heated their homes with a wood fire, cooked with a wood fire, and used oil lanterns for light. Fire was a great risk for these homesteads. As a result, the state of Wisconsin allowed the formation of town mutual insurance companies.

Forward Mutual is a town mutual insurance company. It originated in the 1870s as two companies; the Town of Watertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company and Ixonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Today Forward is one of 64 mutual companies associated with the Wisconsin Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (WAMIC) and one of more than 1,400 companies with the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).

All of this is very impressive, but what does it mean to you, the individual property owner?

As a mutual insurance company, Forward follows a “neighbor helping neighbor” policy. It’s a sharing between the company and its policyholders the responsibility of protecting property owners. As NAMIC explains, “Policyholders who work with a mutual have a shared purpose: getting the best coverage and protection available. And mutuals deliver…because we serve policyholders, not shareholders. Our decisions are always based on what’s best for you.”

If you have any questions about being part of this mutual sharing, give Forward a call at 920-261-6616. Or contact any one of our independent agencies that are proud to sell our product.