Merle B. Grindle Agency

11/13/2024

12/11/2023

Mariah Carey's voice was once insured at Lloyd's of London for $35 million.

The policy was taken out for her Sweet, Sweet Fantasy tour. She also insured her legs for the same amount in case she was injured and unable to perform. Mariah's legs were also insured when she signed a contract for Gillette's 'Legs of a Goddess' campaign in 2006. The firm covered her legs at Lloyd's as a publicity stunt - for $1 billion.

Another voice you'll soon be hearing lots of over the next few weeks is that of Bing Crosby and like Mariah, he also insured his voice at Lloyd's. As part of his policy, he was told that he could not remove a node on his vocal chords as it was said to be the cause of his distinctive huskiness.

One man who wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas was William Yonkus, the owner of a jewellery store in Michigan. In 1995, he promised customers that anything they bought between November 20th and Christmas Eve would be refunded if three inches of snow fell on Christmas Day. He had studied snowfall patterns for 25 years and realised he had a 30-1 shot at losing.

Mr. Yonkus stood to pay refunds of $500,000 to 2,500 customers but luckily, snowfall stopped at two inches. He had taken out a prize indemnity policy at Lloyd's - just in case!



Post courtesy of Paul Miller, Insurance Museum Trustee

02/03/2023

In 1963, an insurance salesman named Rodney Fox was competing in a spearfishing contest near Adelaide when he suddenly felt a force smash into his side.

At the time, the attack by a great white shark was the worst in which the victim had survived. Rodney suffered shattered ribs, a collapsed lung, a ruptured spleen and deep lacerations that stretched from his shoulder to his waist. He had a total of 462 stitches and still has a shark tooth embedded in his wrist. To conquer his fear in the aftermath of the attack, he moved away from the insurance profession and began to study great whites. Ten years after the attack, he received a phone call from Steven Spielberg. The director needed Rodney’s help with a film project named Jaws.

Although an oversized mechanical shark was used for close-up scenes in Jaws (which was insured by Chubb against loss or damage), live underwater footage was also required and Mr. Fox played an important part in that. He located the sharks, operated cages and advised Mr. Spielberg on how to shoot the sharks to fit the screenplay. Photographs of his injuries were also shown in the film.

The release of the 1975 movie and the fear that people suddenly felt about setting foot in the sea led to the introduction of "shark bite insurance". The Hallmark Insurance Company put together a policy that covered people swimming in waters off of the United States, Canada, Mexico and across the Caribbean. The policy cost $25 and would pay up to $10,000 if a swimmer was killed or dismembered "incurred as a result of bodily injury sustained because of bite, mauling or unfriendly contact."

Like Rodney Fox, a 14-year-old cabin boy named Brook Watson was also the victim of a horrific shark attack. Born in Plymouth in 1730, Watson worked on his uncle’s merchant ship from the age of 14, trading between Massachusetts and the West Indies.

While the ship was in Havana Harbour, he went swimming and was attacked by a great white. He was rescued by his crew-mates but was so badly injured that his right leg had to be amputated and for the rest of his life, he walked with the aid of a wooden leg.

Mr. Watson went on to have a very successful career. In 1772 he was one of the founding members of Lloyds of London; later serving as the market's chairman for ten years. He gained his reputation conducting business between the United Kingdom and Revolutionary America.



Via Paul Miller on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paulmillerinsurance_insurance-lloydsoflondon-activity-7026962390034325504-Rx5E?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

02/02/2023

Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Here are some great tips from our Diamond Partner, MMG Insurance. Based out of Presque Isle they know a thing or two about dealing with the cold!! Bundle up and stay safe! 🥶

01/23/2023

Congrats on your opening! We are looking forward to stopping by!

12/23/2020

From our family to yours...wishing you a cozy holiday season!

11/26/2020

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

10/31/2020

No matter how you plan to celebrate Halloween this year, we hope you have a fun and safe Halloween.

03/18/2020

In light of the evolving circumstances surrounding the COVID 19 virus, and with our community and office family well-being in mind, we have made the difficult decision to close our office to the public for the foreseeable future. The office will remain open for phone and email communication with any in-person visits by appointment only. The health and safety of our customers, employees, and communities is our top priority, along with the ability to continue to provide the service you have come to expect from us. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this situation together.
Please feel free to call us at 207-374-2871 or email to [email protected].

03/16/2020

We are open and providing our usual customer service this week. However, due to the unusual circumstances surrounding COVID-19 please try to do business with us over the phone ( 207-374-2871) or through email unless absolutely necessary. Payments can be made online or over the phone in most situations. Our website has online payment and claims information. E-mail inquiries can be sent to [email protected]

Thank you for your understanding.

09/19/2019

Time passes, bringing changes and, each year, a birthday. This year, the Merle B. Grindle Agency celebrates its 100th year of providing insurance to local residents and businesses. Started in 1919 by Merle Grindle Sr., the first offices were located in Ellsworth, and South Blue Hill, where the Grind...