Business News: Navigators, Travelers, Engle Martin/vrs Adjusters

Navigators Stockholders Approve Merger with The Hartford

The Navigators Group, Inc., announced at a special meeting of stockholders that stockholders approved the adoption of the previously announced merger agreement relating to the proposed transaction between Navigators and The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., whereby Navigators will become a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hartford.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement, at the effective time of the merger, each eligible share of Navigators common stock will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive $70.00 in cash. The merger remains subject to various closing conditions, including receipt of various regulatory approvals, and is expected to close during the first half of 2019.

Travelers Expands Its Amazon Smart Home Solutions to 11 Additional States

The Travelers Companies announced 11 new states where eligible customers can access discounts on smart home kits through the insurance industry’s first digital storefront on Amazon: Amazon.com/Travelers.

The additional states are Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Home insurance customers in these states can also receive a free Amazon Echo Dot from Travelers — even without the purchase of a kit — subject to program terms.

The discounts and free Amazon Echo Dot were initially available to Travelers home insurance customers in California and Travelers Quantum Home 2.0 customers in Colorado, Missouri and Wisconsin.

The smart home kits are designed to help protect homeowners from some of the most common causes of loss. The smart home kits include:

• Security cameras.
• Water sensors.
• Motion detectors with multi-sensor capabilities.
• A smart home hub that wirelessly connects a wide range of smart devices and enables them to work together.
• An Amazon Echo Dot.

Eligible Travelers home insurance customers can receive a discount on their policy with the purchase of a smart home kit. Discounted kit installation through Amazon Smart Home Services is also offered where available.

Travelers also recently introduced new Alexa skills: the “Travelers” skill, which assists the company’s home insurance policyholders with questions regarding billing and payments; and the “Travelers Home Central” skill, which enables all consumers to access property maintenance and home safety tips. For example, “Alexa, ask Travelers when is my bill due,” or “Alexa, ask Home Central for a fall home maintenance tip.” The company plans to add to its Alexa skills over time.

For more information, visit the Travelers digital storefront at Amazon.com/Travelers.

Engle Martin & Associates Partners With vrs Adjusters to Expand International Reach

Engle Martin & Associates, a national independent loss adjusting and claims management provider, has elected to join vrs Adjusters, a global organization of loss adjusting companies operating in over 140 countries around the world.

The vrs Adjusters organization offers loss adjusting and claims management services to global risk management and insurance markets, with over 300 offices in more than 140 countries. vrs Adjusters’ members are independent claims service providers with a long-standing tradition of excellence in their home territories and leaders in their respective claims handling markets. Each of the professional companies have a deep understanding of their local territories and of the finer cultural nuances that make all the difference to achieving a well-resolved claim. Experienced loss adjusters and technical staff provide client-focused, local claims services across all lines of the insurance business, managing hundreds of major global corporate programs and thousands of single territory corporate programs around the world.

For additional information, visit www.vrsadjusters.com.