Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency

Welcome

Welcome!

Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency, Inc. has been servicing the residents of Belchertown, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns of Hampshire and Hampden Counties for well over 100 years! In fact, our roots go back to Civil War Days.

The mission of Bell & Hudson is to provide our customers with the best advice on insurance to protect their property, casualty, life, disability, health, and commercial insurance needs. We work to assure that our customers secure appropriate insurance at a fair and reasonable cost from a financially strong insurer. We encourage our customers to communicate and meet with us as often as possible to keep us up to date on the changing risks that they face in this fast paced, ever changing world.

At Bell & Hudson, we take the time to fully understand your needs and present solutions that meet those needs...explaining everything along the way, and ensuring that you're protected no matter what happens.

We will give you the time to get the protection you need because we always have time for you.

Important Changes in Law and Insurance!!!

Update on Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law

Effective July 1, 2010, a new law is effective in Massachusetts addressing oil leaks from home heating systems (per Chapter 453 of the Acts of 2008). The law has two major provisions requiring:

FLASH UPDATE AS OF 6/25/2010!!!!!

We just learned that the deadline for compliance for the upgrade of unprotected fuel lines, defined in Massachusetts General Law Chapter 453, has been exteded from July 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011. The insurance companies continue to be required to offer remediation insurance coverage as of July 1, 2010.

1. the installation of either an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with protective sleeve on systems that do not currently have those devices; and

2. Insurance companies that write homeowner policies to offer coverage for leaks from heating systems that use oil.

If an insured is in compliance with the new law, coverage will be made available via endorsement(s) to the homeowner insurance policy. Evidence may be required by the insurer to determine that the homeowner is in compliance with the law.

Insurance losses that occur due to leaks of home heating oil are never small losses! Without the inclusion of this endorsement on your home policy, there is a strong likelihood that losses caused by the escape of heating oil will not be covered.

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you include this coverage on your home insurance policy. The annual cost for this coverage varies by company. Please call our office for a quote for your policy and with any other questions or concerns about this new law!

The link below will provide you with much more detailed information on the Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law.

http://mass.gov/dep/cleanup/laws/hhsl.htm

Our Annual Fundraiser

Thank you everyone! Together again we made history!

$48,000.00 for the Jimmy Fund

Many thanks to all our contributors, sponsors, players, and volunteers who helped make our 6th Annual Bell & Hudson/Evergreene Putt-a-thon such a success! We could not have done it without you!

In just six years of mini-golf fun,

the Putt-A-Thon has raised over $218,000 for the Jimmy Fund!

For more information about our fundraiser...www.jimmyfundputtathon.org

or email us at: puttathon@bellandhudson.com

click HERE to view pictures of our Putt-a-thon fun!

FIVE STAR RATING AWARDED BY MAIA

Bell & Hudson was the first insurance agency in Hampshire County to be awarded the "Five Star Rating" by the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents. What does this mean for our customers? It means our agency passed a comprehensive exam in five critical areas - all of which are designed around customer focus. There are over 2,000 insurance agencies in Massachusetts - only 28 of which currently have the Five Star Rating. By doing business with Bell & Hudson, you are choosing to do business with one of the best agencies in Massachusetts!

2007 BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARDED BY QUABOAG VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Bell & Hudson has been named the business of the year for 2007 by the Quaboag Valley Chamber of Commerce.

INDEPENDENT AGENT

Bell & Hudson is an INDEPENDENT INSURANCE AGENCY, and therefore is not tied or obligated to any one insurance company. This independence gives us an added measure of flexibility and integrity.

WHY AN INDEPENDENT AGENT?

There is a difference in where you buy your protection. Many people don't realize there are three sources for insurance:

Captive Agents, who can sell you the insurance of only one company.
Telephone Representatives, who can offer you the insurance of one company, and only on the telephone.
Independent Insurance Agents, who represent a number insurance companies, and research with these firms to find you the best combination of price, coverage and service.

Your Independent Insurance Agent:

Is a licensed professional with strong customer and community ties.
Gives you excellent service and competitive prices because your agent can access the insurance coverage from more than one company.
Unlike other agents, is not beholden to any one company; thus, you don't need to change agencies as your insurance and service needs change.
Assists you when you have a claim.
Is your consultant working with you as you determine your needs.
Offers you a choice of insurance plans and programs.
Is a value hunter who looks after your pocketbook in finding the best combination of price, coverage and service.
Offers one-stop shopping for a full range of products-home, renters, auto, business, life and health.
Can periodically review your coverage to keep up with your changing insurance needs.
Treats you like a person, not just another number.

There is a difference!

THE COMPANIES WE REPRESENT

We are proud to list the following insurance companies among those that we represent:

Hanover Insurance Company
Commerce Insurance Company
Safety Insurance Company
Peerless
Quincy Mutual
National Grange Mutual
Andover Insurance Companies
Zurich Insurance Group
Grundy Worldwide
OUR STAFF

We are proud that our dedicated and committed staff members continually pursue training courses and educational programs to hone professional skills. Members of our staff hold professional designations such as C.P.C.U. (Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter), C.I.C. (Certified Insurance Counselor), and C.I.S.R. (Certified Insurance Service Representative). In addition, most members of our staff are licensed insurance brokers.

To our customers this means professional and knowledgeable service representatives. The insurance business is very complicated! If we don’t know about something or have an answer to your questions, we will get you a prompt and accurate answer.
We believe that our customers appreciate our honest, straightforward approach to doing business.

CLAIMS

When one of our customers experiences a loss, the “intangible” policy suddenly becomes tangible. We understand the need for sensitive treatment and fast action. Fair and prompt payment of a loss settlement is our immediate goal.

We are working with our companies to develop claim reporting alternatives for our customers. Many of our customers still want to report their claims to us during regular business hours. But a growing number seek to have extended and weekend hours. Several of the companies we represent now have the availability of 24 hour – 7 day claim reporting directly to the insurance company! This new option streamlines the process and gets the claim settlement wheels in motion immediately.

Beth Gouin is our claims representative, and she handles all the claims that are reported to Bell and Hudson. 95% of clients responding to our claim surveys indicate levels of good, very good, or excellent claim service overall, and 98% note levels of good, very good or excellent service level with the Bell & Hudson staff.

COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

We take an active role in the communities that we serve and support worthwhile community activities with pride. Over the years we have supported activities of the schools, police and fire departments, recreation departments, library, hospital, and senior citizens. Recently, our employees have “dressed down for charity”. Each Friday we work in casual clothes, and our employees make a weekly contribution to a local charity or cause that is important to one of our staff members.

Commitment to our customers, professional expertise, prompt and sensitive claims action, community pride-----these are some of the reasons why people have insured through Bell & Hudson for more than a century!

The Goal of Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency

Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency is committed to being the premier independent insurance agency in Belchertown, MA. Our commitment is to provide customers with the best insurance value and service available, while maintaining the highest ethical standards and credibility with our clients, carriers, and the public.

Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency is a general independent insurance agency with a broad range of Commercial, Personal, Life, and Health products. We’ve aligned ourselves with some of the finest carriers to deliver these products to you.

The History of Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency

The agency was founded by Mr. George Bell of Granby, MA as the George F. Bell Insurance Agency. According to an early article in the Belchertown Sentinel, Mr. Bell had taken over the insurance business from Mr. Frederick Taylor of Granby who started the business around the time of the Civil War to protect his factory building.

After taking on Mr. Byron Hudson as a partner, the agency was incorporated as the Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency, Inc. in 1940. From 1954 to 1992 the agency was owned and operated by the Fuller family of Belchertown; first by Louis Fuller, Belchertown's former fire chief, and then by his son Edward L. Fuller. Mr. Fuller sold the agency in 1992 to James Phaneuf who has owned and operated the business since that time.


G. F. Bell	B.A. Hudson	James R. Phaneuf

Notice of Privacy Practices

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through representatives of Tower Square Securities, Inc., a securities broker/dealer (Member FINRA/SIPC) and a Registered Investment Advisor. Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency is a separate entity from Tower Square Securities, Inc. David Anton is a registered representative of Tower Square Securities, Inc. He is registered in MA,CT,MD,NY and VA for the sale of securities products and is licensed to sell life products in CT, MA and MD.

Link to Securities Investor Protection Corporation www.sipc.org

Link to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority www.finra.org

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