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Risk Mitigation

Lender Insurance Requirements

The Baldwin Group
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Updated: April 24, 2024
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1 minute read

In today’s dynamic real estate landscape, it has become increasingly crucial for property owners and developers to meticulously examine, understand, and potentially negotiate their lender’s insurance requirements. The paramount objective for both the property owner or developer and their lender should be aligned—safeguard the asset with proper insurance coverage.

Key considerations

Here are some common negotiation topics to consider when reviewing your lender’s requirements:

Umbrella limits

The cost per-million remains high. Some previously executed loan agreements include excess/umbrella limits once more readily available and cost-effective limits that are now more difficult to secure and potentially cost prohibitive.

Catastrophic weather (CAT) limit

It is essential to work with your advisor to obtain CAT modeling data. Despite increasing weather events, not all geographies and assets pose the identical risk for earthquake, windstorm, flood, and convective storms. The goal should be appropriate CAT limits commensurate with your geography and construction type.

Deductibles

The once ubiquitous $10k-$25k all-risk deductibles are increasingly more difficult to achieve, especially on wood frame, residential, and industrial assets. If available, they may come at a significant cost. All owners should prepare for higher deductibles on all-risk, water damage, and CAT events that may require lender negotiation.

Phased construction policies

Some construction lenders do not readily accept a phased policy approach, wanting the totality of a project’s risk insured at once. Their concerns are not without merit and can often be quelled with proper placement, negotiation, and accurate policy limits.

Key takeaway:

A borrower must comply with their lender’s insurance requirements—this piece by no means suggests noncompliance. However, challenging market conditions coupled with often boilerplate lender insurance requirements may create an insurance situation that warrants discussion and possible variance from standard issue lender insurance requirements. Your advisor should assist you by collaborating on the proper due diligence and negotiation needed to achieve satisfactory resolution and continued compliance.

We’re here for you with more tips and information regarding lender insurance requirements.
Authored by: BRP Construction Practice Group Sarah Shepard McGuinness, Partner


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