Press Releases
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2006 |
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Contact: |
Bob O’Brien |
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Blake, Hall & Allen to merge with Noyes and Chapman forming Noyes, Hall & Allen Insurance
Two of Greater Portland’s Oldest and Largest Independent Agencies Join Forces, Father and Son Reunite
South Portland, ME, (June 15, 2006) — Noyes and Chapman and Blake, Hall & Allen today announced they will merge to form Noyes, Hall & Allen Insurance. The merger marks the union of Greater Portland’s oldest and largest independent insurance agencies and the merging of two like-minded business philosophies during an age of corporate competition from large national firms. It also marks the professional reunion of Edward D. “Ted” Noyes, III, co-owner of Noyes and Chapman of Portland, and his son, Thomas Noyes, a co-owner and president of Blake, Hall & Allen of South Portland.
“We are very pleased to offer Greater Portland the kind of customer service that only a locally-owned, independent agency can,” said Ted. Noyes. “In the 60 years that my family has been in the insurance business, we’ve learned there are no substitutes for paying attention to our customers’ needs. With Tom and his team joining us, we have new product offerings, fresh industry relationships, and additional resources to benefit our policyholders. It continues to be all about our clients and how we can best serve them.”
The Noyes family has served the personal and commercial insurance needs of the Greater Portland community for more than 60 years. In 1945, Edward D. Noyes, Jr. and Lawrence D. Chapman founded Noyes and Chapman. In 1986, Edward D. Noyes, III purchased Chapman’s interest in the firm, and expanded its offerings to include personal lines accounts, small to mid-size commercial lines accounts and professional liability programs for health care providers and other professionals.
Thomas Noyes joined his father to learn the family business in 1991. He then left Noyes and Chapman in 1993 for Acadia Insurance, a Portland-based insurance carrier, where he perfected his trade and got an underwriter’s perspective on the industry. In 2001, he purchased Soule-Allen Insurance of South Portland and served as president. Two years later, Soule-Allen merged with Blake, Hall & Sprague, also of South Portland, and renamed the agency Blake, Hall & Allen, where Noyes continued to serve as an owner and president.
“This merger is about making our independent, family-run agency the best it can be,” said Thomas “Tom” Noyes. “Our strategy is part David and Goliath, part community and family commitment. There are plenty of big national providers our clients could go to. But they come to us because they know we are looking out for their best interests. It feels great to return to the family business after several years of succeeding on my own, together with Bob O’Brien [co-owner of Blake, Hall & Allen] and the entire Blake, Hall & Allen team. It’s the right choice, and we will be even stronger as a merged agency.”
Tom Noyes will serve as president of Noyes, Hall & Allen. Ted Noyes will serve as chairman. Ron Hall, a 30-year veteran of Noyes and Chapman, is a co-owner of the newly formed entity, as is Bob O’Brien. Julia Noyes Goss of Noyes and Chapman, daughter of Ted Noyes and sister of Tom Noyes and an agency owner, will also continue with the Noyes, Hall & Allen team. Noyes, Hall & Allen will be located at 170 Ocean Avenue in South Portland, currently the home of Blake, Hall & Allen.
About Noyes, Hall & Allen
Based in South Portland, ME, Noyes, Hall & Allen is a locally owned independent insurance agency with a long family history of serving the Greater Portland community. Noyes, Hall & Allen was founded in 2006 as a result of the merger of two of the area’s oldest and largest independent agencies, Blake, Hall & Allen and Noyes and Chapman. The newly formed agency was created out of a shared desire to combine like-minded business philosophies and best serve client needs. Noyes, Hall & Allen provides personal, commercial and healthcare professional liability insurance, partnering with four of the leading national medical malpractice providers. For more information, visit www.noyeshallallen.com.
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New Insurance Cancellation Law Makes Paying Attention to Details Important
Imagine driving down the Turnpike, staying in the flow of traffic. Suddenly, blue lights flash in your rear-view mirror, and a trooper pulls you over to tell you that your taillights are out. After taking your license, insurance card and registration, he leans into your window and asks you “were you aware that your vehicle’s registration is under suspension for failure to provide proof of insurance?” It could happen – even if you have never had any lapse of insurance.
Beginning January 1, a new law (29-A MRSA 1601-A) requires insurance companies to immediately notify the Secretary of State when auto insurance coverage is canceled, terminated or lapses – regardless of reason. The State will then notify the owner that their registration is about to be canceled, and require them to turn in the plates and registration. Even if their registration is reinstated, vehicle owners will have to pay a $35 fee.
Due to lack of publicity, the public knows almost nothing about the new law. But insurance agents and companies and the Department of Motor Vehicles have been feverishly preparing for its implementation. Insurance companies will have to provide information to the State that they have not historically gathered (e.g. the registered owner of the vehicle, which may be different that the insured). Some insurers will therefore require copies of the vehicle registration before issuing, canceling or renewing a policy.
Any interruption of insurance on a vehicle – even changing insurance carriers or suspending coverage - triggers the new law. This means that vehicle owners who fail to follow the proper notification procedures risk having their registration pulled. Most vehicle owners will rely on their insurance agent or company to notify the State about a new policy. Owners who seasonally suspend vehicles (off the road for more than 90 consecutive days) may avoid the $35 reinstatement fee by completing a State form.
The new law applies per vehicle – not per policy - to all vehicles registered for road use, personal and commercial. Owners of large fleets should review their record-keeping procedures to account for vehicle suspensions, registrations, additions and deletions. At least one of Maine’s largest insurers of commercial auto fleets is requiring copies of vehicle registrations before processing these common changes.
Three ways to avoid trouble
1) Notify DMV of any change of address. Every year, our agency has a client or two whose driver’s license has been suspended or lapsed, and they never saw the mailed notice because they failed to notify the State that they had moved. Unfortunately, they usually find out when a police officer pulls them over for some other violation, and tacks on an “operating after suspension”. Operating a vehicle after suspension is considered a serious violation by insurance companies, and carries a hefty fine from the State. Operating an unregistered and uninsured vehicle is even worse. The State’s notice of suspension will be mailed to the registered owner at the last known address. Your insurance and registration could be canceled without your knowledge, if your mail doesn’t follow you.
2) Pay your insurance premiums on time. Maine insurance companies issue thousands of cancellation notices each month. The law of averages invariably catches up with those who repeatedly pay late, and insurance companies are increasingly unwilling to reinstate coverage for these customers. If your policy actually cancels, you will get a notice of suspension from the State, and if your insurance company refuses to reinstate your coverage, you could lose your registration. You will pay a lot more for insurance after a lapse, and you will have to pay a fee to the State to get your registration back. If you have a hard time organizing your bills, consider Electronic Funds Transfer as a payment method. Most insurers offer considerable savings for customers who pay by EFT. It’s also a great way to make sure your payment is always on time.
3) Choose your insurance agent wisely. Let’s say you shopped for new car insurance and decided to change. Your former company must notify the State immediately that your coverage has lapsed or canceled. The agent who placed your new coverage should notify the State as soon as possible to avoid a Suspension Notice being sent to you. The same goes for a seasonal suspension of coverage. More than ever, it’s important to do business with an agency that pays attention to the details.
Media Contact:
Bob O'Brien, Blake Hall & Allen Insurance
207-799-5541
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New! Identity Fraud Expense Coverage
Over 100,000 Americans, including hundreds of Mainers, will get a peek at the dark side of the digital age when they open their mail this week. They will receive a notice that their social security numbers, names, addresses, credit information, driving record and other personal information was stolen by cybertheives. They will be one of the estimated 10 million victims of identity theft in the U.S. this year.
After the initial feelings of violation, anger and fear subside - after the credit cards have been canceled, the bank accounts closed, the phone numbers changed - then they will realize the true cost of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that it costs the average victim up to 175 hours and over $800 in out-of-pocket expenses (not including lost earnings) to clear their names and repair the damage.
South Portland insurance agent Bob O'Brien of Blake, Hall & Allen Insurance says that most people worry about the wrong thing when they think of identity theft. "If they're lucky, the criminals will only use it to steal money. Provided that they advise their financial institutions on a timely basis, their exposure to fraudulent electronic purchases should be negligible. But about 15% of identity thefts involve use of the victim's personal information in non-financial ways, such as giving the stolen name when charged with a crime. The real cost is protecting and repairing their identity: notifying their creditors; loss of earnings from taking time off to meet with police, creditors and attorneys; attorney fees involved with removing any criminal or civil judgements wrongly entered against them."
O'Brien says that most people don't know about a relatively new coverage offered by some insurers: Identity Fraud Expense Coverage. "Only a few pro-active companies offer it at this point, but it is available. It can be added to a homeowners policy, at a cost of about $25.00 a year, for $15,000 of coverage. It can't prevent the crime, but it takes some of the sting out of its impact".
For more information about identity theft prevention, detection and insurance protection, contact:
Bob O'Brien, Blake Hall & Allen Insurance
207-799-5541
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