Every company has a potential environmental exposure:
- Property owner
- Buyer
- Tenant/operator
- Lender
- Contractor
- Transporter
- Manufacturer
A review of ongoing and past operations should be performed to identify environmental exposures:
- Review manufacturing/operating processes, especially the use and disposal of hazardous materials. Don't forget about discontinued operations!
- Most common contaminants include asbestos and lead. But don't forget about PCB's, Perc and the latest fad, Mold.
- Conduct air and soil samples
Whether an environmental condition does or does not exist, insurance is available. In fact, you can insure a "burning building":
- On-site and off-site clean-up costs
- New and pre-existing conditions
- Transit
- Landfills
Policy limits are generally available up to $100mm
Deductibles go as low as $1,000
Premiums go as low as $5,000
Policy terms range from 1 to 10 years
Underwriters can provide a program indication with one or more of the following:
- Formal environmental report (Phase I)
- Address of a particular location
- Description of the operations
Our professionals understand the unique challenges and requirements of environmental liability during M&A transactions.
Recent transactions include:
- A building owner insured pre-existing conditions as part of the sale agreement.
- An acquiring company identified environmental conditions and purchased insurance over the expected clean-up cost.