Coldwell Banker offers insurance in Florida

August 03, 2006

Some insurance companies many be pulling out of Florida, but Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate is coming in. 

Company officials said they will offer personal lines of insurance from homeowner's to automobile. They will use NRT Insurance Agency, a subsidiary of Coldwell Banker's parent company.

Coldwell Banker began offering the insurance coverage Aug. 1.

"With the issues surrounding homeowner's insurance in the state, we really feel that strategically this service separates us from the competition," said Budge Huskey, president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate.

NRT Insurance, which is licensed in all 50 states, has been operating as an insurance carrier for five years. It offers insurance through a number of providers, including Chubb, American Strategic Insurance, ASI-Lloyd's of London, Fireman's Fund and Liberty Mutual.

Initially, the company will offer residential property and casualty insurance, as well as automobile and watercraft policies. It will have six employees in Florida who will be supported by marketing and telephone representatives at the company's Waltham, Mass., headquarters, executives said.

"Our objective in launching the program in Florida is to provide a source of insurance to ensure our customers' transactions are closed successfully," Huskey said. "Buyers with pending transactions will be offered an opportunity for an insurance quote, and the process will be low-key and hassle-free over the telephone."