Some Policies Have Tails, But This One Has Legs!

So think about this for a second: what was the most bizarre risk that you have ever insured? Where did the risk originate from? How did it end up in your office? Were you well versed in the type of coverage that was applicable to the risk? Where did you place it…direct with an admitted carrier, or an Excess Surplus lines carrier, or perhaps through another broker or MGA? Was there a claim on the policy, and was the coverage procured adequate for the claim that occurred?

I ask this question because so many times I chat with agents, who tell me that they ran into a risk that they really don’t know much about, and they ask me if I am familiar with an agency or carrier that might be able to assist them with this particular prospect. Although many times I am able to refer them to someone who can help, sometimes I come across risks that are extremely different, very interesting, and many times extraordinarily unusual!

With this thought in mind, I decided to do some insurance searching to see what were some of the strangest policies ever written, and figured if I wanted “strange” I would start with celebrities!

Well according to Property Casualty 360, the following are what ten different celebrities have insured…on their bodies (the list is from Property Casualty 360… the silly jokes are mine)!

1) For number 1, there is certainly no better place to start than with Taylor Swift’s legs! Ms. Swift, who stands tall at 5’10” (anything over 5’7” is standing tall for me!), recently insured those things for a mere $40 million. Unfortunately, her cat Meredith decided to jump up on her lap and inflicted a fairly deep scratch across her thigh that probably caused some insurer to wince and wish that they had declined the risk! …how come I never get to go on EMS calls like THAT?!

2) Next up is Bette Davis, who in the 1940s insured herself for $28,000 in the event her corset size grew larger than 25”…I think that was my waist in 6th grade!

3) Our next celebrity is Bruce Springsteen. This Jersey boy insured his vocal chords for $6 mil- lion…I can hear Stevie Van Zandt saying “Fuggedaboudit” when he heard that!

4) Bond, James Bond, actor Daniel Craig insured his body for $7.7 mil- lion when filming “Casino Royale,” and upped the ante to $9.5 million for the sequel. I guess he was afraid of being shaken AND stirred!

5) So what would you pay for Dolly Parton’s breasts? Some insurer decided that $600 “big ones” would just about “cover them”! (Sometimes I just crack myself up!)

6) Keith Richards, of Rolling Stones fame, insured his hands for $1.6 million…I wonder if he would be covered if he burnt them while lighting up?

7) So one time I was on an airplane enroute to L.A., and J Lo was sitting in front of me…and of course I easily recognized her recently insured “piece of equipment” that was priced at $27 million! That is some “booty” to collect in the event of a claim!

8) European soccer club Real Madrid insured the legs of its star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, for $144 million (David Beckham’s legs were only $70 million). Now collecting on that would be a “SCOOOOOOOOR- RRRRRRRRRRE!”

9) One of America’s favorite actresses, Julia Roberts, who is known for her famous smile, had her teeth insured for $30 million…now that’s one “Pretty Payout”!

10) Of course, this one deserves to be the last in our list, and it involves David Lee Roth. The Van Halen star had a fear of impregnating a groupie, so he insured his sperm for $1 million…just to protect against a paternity suit. Now I have a great joke here, but I’m not going to “blow it” on this one!

As you can see this thing of ours is certainly a very interesting business, as you never know what you might be faced with when it comes to people and what they value to be irreplaceable. If you have insured an unusual risk and would like to share it with us, please send it over and I am sure that I’ll have some wise crack remark as a tag line!

So before I close today’s column, I would be remiss if I did not add one more thought of a very personal nature to this particular article: today (exactly to the day!) marks the 7th anniversary that I have been writing this column in the Insurance Advocate magazine!

Much has changed since I penned my first piece (sitting by the pool at 0600 at the Marriott Hotel in Orlando, wondering what I was going to talk about…I remember it as though it was yesterday) both in this thing of ours and in my personal life, but to that point so much has remained the same. My dedication, appreciation, and admiration of you, our loyal readers, has grown stronger with every article that I have written, and for that I cannot be more

thankful. It has been unbelievably exciting to bring you this column for the past seven years, and it is truly my pleasure to continue this tradition for many years to come.

For that, all I can say is “Thank you” from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to come into your world and to share my thoughts, words, and feelings with you. I ask that you please continue to share yours with me, as so many of you have done over all these years. I look forward to continuing to meet you at trade shows, conferences, networking events, and in your offices, and please continue to keep those cards and letters coming as I always look forward to hearing from you!

..and with that said, I say “Happy Anniversary”, and ciao for now![IA]