Mennonite Insurance

Our commitment is to provide you with competitively priced, superior insurance products with the highest quality service.

Jerry Linscheid

Smoke Damage Claims from the 2020 Creek Fire

an image of a letter going out to people in the contamination area of the 2020 Creek Fire

Recently Mennonite Aid Plan has received a number of claims from people in the Fresno/Sanger/Reedley area for smoke damage from the Creek Fire last year.  Smoke is a covered cause of loss, but there has to be actual damage for us to pay a claim.  What will happen if you file a claim is that we will schedule a smoke detection company to assess whether there is smoke damage.  They will take samples from inside and outside your home and send them to a laboratory for testing.  If the tests and photos show nominal amounts of smoke and dust, there is no damage and therefore nothing to pay.  This will be a claim on your policy.  Our advice is that if you believe you have smoke damage, turn in a claim.  If you are being encouraged to turn in a claim from an outside source and hadn’t noticed anything before, you might reconsider.

The Rise in Catalytic Converter Thefts

By Lorie Ham

According to an NBC News article in July of 2021, as prices of precious metals spiked,thefts of catalytic converters skyrocketed from an average of 108 per month in 2018 to 2,347 in December 2020.

Recently, one of Mennonite Insurance’s customers experienced such a theft. We will call him John for the sake of this article. John woke up one morning to go to work and heard a roar when he started his car. He soon realized the cause was that his catalytic converter had been stolen. Though he didn’t hear anything during the night, he knew it had to have been stolen then. John’s car had been parked on the street, and based on security camera videos it appeared that they had jacked up one side and cut out the converter in just about two minutes time.

Photo credit Rick Fletes

Since he hasn’t yet heard back from the claims department, John doesn’t know how much his out of pocket cost will be to replace it, but he does know how much the overall cost was. “It was $674, but my mechanic said it can vary greatly from one vehicle to another. I’ve heard of repairs costing over $2,000.”

Thankfully, John has comprehensive coverage instead of just liability coverage. “If you just have auto liability coverage, you are out the several thousand dollars to replace the converter,” says Jerry Linscheid, Chief Executive Officer with Mennonite Aid Plan/Mennonite Insurance Services.

“In auto insurance, we often think of the property and liability coverages independently,” continues Jerry. “The state requires minimum liability coverage. The liability coverage is the amount the insurance company would pay to someone who you injure or whose property you damage.”

However, the property coverage is the amount the insurance company would pay to you to fix your car. The state does not require that you carry property coverage, but if you have a loan, your lender will require it. “Property coverage has two components: collision (when you run into another car) and comprehensive (other than collision, like theft, hail, etc.) You will almost always have a deductible for comprehensive and collision coverages.”

Hopefully, you will never experience this kind of theft, but if you do, John says that it is important to contact [your insurance claims department] before you get it repaired. “And be sure to take photos to document the damage.”

The City of Garden Grove, one of many cities that have recently noticed a rise in the theft of catalytic converters, shares tips on their website of things you can do to help prevent such a theft, such as parking in a well-lit area, parking in a garage where possible, and attaching a security device to the converter.

If you are unsure of what your auto coverage is, we highly recommend finding out so you aren’t caught unprepared if something like this happens to you. Mennonite Insurance writes auto insurance and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

While Mennonite Insurance is the actual company (pays the claims) for homeowners coverage, they are just the agent for auto insurance. “We would be able to write for companies like Personal Express, Safeco, Travelers, and others,” shares Jerry.

You can contact Mennonite Insurance by calling 559-638-2327. If you have experienced this kind of theft, we would like to hear about your experiences and if there is any wisdom you can share from the experience. Feel free to share on our Facebook page.

Tired of Pumpkin Spice? Try Ginger!

By Lorie Ham

It’s that time of year again when we are surrounded by pumpkin everything! Pumpkin spice latte, pies, breads, yogurt, bagels, and even Pumpkin Spice Cheerios. According to Adweek, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, is now the most popular seasonal beverage in the chain’s history, with north of 200 million cups sold.

But what if you are tired of pumpkin? Or, maybe you are one of the few who don’t like Pumpkin Spice anything? WebstaurantStore blog lists many other classic fall flavors that can get people into the spirit of the season, no pumpkin needed. They have a list of 10 other autumn flavors that are not only great in baked goods and creative entrees, but also as coffee flavors and holiday drinks! One of those flavors is ginger. Sadly, Starbucks no longer sells their Gingerbread Latte, but there are many other ways to enjoy the great flavor of ginger, including making your own latte!

Wikipedia states that ginger originated from Maritime Southeast Asia. In 2018, global production of ginger was 2.8 million metric tons. It is a popular spice used worldwide to spice up meals, and even as medicine. According to the McCormick Science Institute, ginger is one of the most used spices in the world! Ginger, along with green onion and garlic, is considered part of the “holy trinity” of Chinese cooking.

If you are looking for ways to use ginger, on the Kitchn website you can find 10 late fall recipes with ginger that include Pear and Ginger Upside-Down Cake, Coconut Ginger Candy Drops, and Double Ginger Scones. Cooking Light shares 101 ways to cook with ginger.

One of the most popular sweets using ginger are gingerbread cookies, of which there are many different varieties. They are not only popular at Christmas time, but all throughout the year. If you would like a new gingerbread recipe to try this fall, mystery author Cleo Coyle, whose books feature the owner of a coffee shop and include many wonderful recipes for sweets and coffees, has a fun recipe for iced gingerbread cookie sticks, which are elegant, edible coffee stirrers. You can find even more recipes on her website, and in the back of her books, which make for a perfect read while enjoying your gingerbread latte and cookies!

Cleo Coyle’s Iced Gingerbread Cookie Sticks

Gingerbread Cookie Sticks by Cleo Coyle

Makes about 4-5 dozen cookie sticks, depending on size

For cookies:

  • 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves)
  • 10 tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
  • 2⁄3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/4 cup molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap)
  • 1⁄3 whole milk (or brewed coffee)*

To finish:

  • Vanilla Glaze (see recipe below) and
  • Coarse finishing sugar (about 1/4 cup)

*Note: To make this recipe dairy free replace butter with non-dairy margarine and the whole milk with coffee or almond milk.

What is your favorite fall or holiday spice that isn’t pumpkin? Do you have a favorite recipe using ginger? We would love it if you would share some of those with us on our Facebook page.

Your Child is Heading Off To College, What Does That Mean For Your Insurance?

By Lorie Ham

Another fall is upon us, which for some, means sending our kids off to college. If they are living away from home, it can bring a lot of changes to your life—an emptier house, less food to cook, and perhaps some extra quiet time. It can also bring other changes that need to be considered—such as, does your insurance need to change?

Mennonite Insurance agent Michelle Heinrichs faced those same questions recently. The first thing they did was review their contents and liability coverage under their renter’s policy to make sure that the policy coverage would extend to their son while in the dorms.

”We confirmed that while he considers our home his primary home—comes home at Christmas and Summer vacations—he can be considered an insured under the policy until he is 25. When he moves into an apartment at the beginning of the next school year, most companies would consider him on his own and this will not allow him to fall under our policy. So, we plan to get him his own contents policy then.”

So what if your student is living in an apartment already? Mennonite Aid Plan offers a Renter’s policy if the student lives in a home. If a student needs coverage for living in an apartment, they can offer them coverage through their agency side. “Just note that coverage is for the named insured and not the roommate,” continues Michelle. “A common misunderstanding is that the policy coverage extends to all residents of the home/apartment. These policies are not able to be written that way. Each roommate would need their own coverage for their own risk exposures.”

Another insurance question may come up if the student has their own car. Michelle’s son does have his own car, and he took it with him to school. What they did in this instance was to update their auto policy to show the new “garaging address.” According to Michelle, all vehicles should have an accurate garaging location. “There are possibly different risks depending on locations.”

Kid sitting in a dorm room working on a computer

However, many kids do not take a car to college with them. In trying to save on their premium, their parents might choose to remove them from the policy while they are away at college. “If there is ANY chance a student might drive a friend’s car, the exposure is still there, and it is best to not exclude them from the policy,” shares Michelle. “If an accident occurs while the student is driving, it could be catastrophic if no coverage is in place on their behalf. If you are wondering, review this with your own insurance agency.”

So make sure that you do your homework so your college student has all of the coverage they need. If you have questions about any of these situations, feel free to reach out to Mennonite Insurance Services and they will be happy to help. Mennonite Insurance offers coverage for all of these needs. Be sure to visit their website, and give them a call with any questions at (559) 638-2327.