Great American’s Environmental Division was launched in 2008 and is one of the few carriers serving the environmental industry with such longevity. As we enter a new decade with our valued brokers, agents and insureds, we look forward to continuing the work we value the most: keeping businesses strong, and in turn, our world clean for generations to come.
Explore our interactive timeline which captures milestone achievements within the environmental insurance field and Great American’s Environmental Division. Click the dates below to learn more about the key products, services, and enhancements that have been implemented to benefit you and your clients throughout the years.
1872
- Great American Insurance Company issues its first policy.
1906
- German American Insurance Company pays more than $2 million in claims to help victims of the San Francisco earthquake to help the community recover from such a devastating loss.
1918
- Standing the test of time, following World War I, the company changes its name from German American to Great American Insurance Company.
1960
- Rising concerns for the environment led to a number of federal and state laws regarding liability for environmental clean-ups.
1973
- Pollution exclusion was enforced under GL for gradual events which indicated that GL policies were not intended to cover pollution that the insured party intended or expected to produce.
1980
- New Environmental Regulations (RCRA, CERCLA) financial requirements were enforced. CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund, is passed to fund cleaning of the nation's most polluted sites. These new regulations imposed liability for cleanup on polluters, who sought protection under their GL policies.
1981
- Initial Pollution Legal Liability (PLL) Policy for sites entered the market which allowed for limited coverage and annual terms.
1985
- Hard market with only one environmental pollution carrier in the industry.
1986
- Market slowly begins to increase with several environmental carriers entering the field. Pollution Legal Liability coverage expands to include on-site coverage and Contractors Pollution (CPL) policy is developed on a claims-made basis.
1990
- Market continues to expand with several new carriers emerging: Occurrence CPL, Professional Liability added, Multi-Year PLLs, Cost- Cap coverage, Closure/Post Closure.
1995
- AFG combines with American Premier Underwriters to form a publicly traded organization: American Financial Group, Inc.
2000
- Great American debuts a new corporate logo and acquires the naming rights to Great American Ball Park, the new home of the Cincinnati Reds, which brings national visibility.
2002
- 2002 Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (the “Brownfields Amendments”) to CERCLA, required EPA to promulgate regulations establishing standards and practices for conducting “All Appropriate Inquiries” (AAI).
2003
- Great American narrows its focus and divests ownership of its personal line’s insurance holdings, choosing to focus on specialty commercial insurance for businesses.
2005
- Throughout the mid-2000s, environmental coverage continues to evolve with the market offering pollutants expansion to include mold, lender only policies, historical only site coverage, EMF, radioactive, non-certified Terrorism, etc.
2008
- Great American Insurance Company reaches 100 consecutive years of earning an "A" or higher ranking from AM Best.
- Environmental Division forms in Plymouth Meeting, PA with a staff of six under Divisional President, John Reynolds, with Mark Vuono serving as Chief Underwriting Officer.
2010
- Launch our Contracting Services Project-Specific Liability coverage in response to an industry crisis caused by imported drywall containing dangerous carcinogens.
2011
- The Massachusetts Business Development Corporation chooses us as a Selective Insurance Carrier for its Brownfield Redevelopment program.
- Great American Tower opens in Cincinnati, the city's first and largest LEED/Gold certified structure.
2012
- Open our NYC office.
2013
- Launch our Enhanced Premises Liability coverage.
2015
- Begin to offer coverage on international exposures.
- Our loss limits increase to $50 million per loss, with a $100 million policy aggregate limit.
2016
- The Fishing Charter event for agents and brokers kicks off to become a popular annual celebration of collaboration and support.
- Publish the first issue of the Environmental Insider.
- Mark Vuono is appointed Divisional President.
2017
- Open a new office in Boston, MA.
- Welcome a dedicated marketing team is established, based out of the Great American Tower in Cincinnati.
2018
- Celebrate a decade of success in the environmental insurance industry with a series of charitable and specialized events throughout the year.
- Offer specialized coverage for Commercial Lenders.
- Launch Blueprint, a product designed for the specific needs of the contracting sector.
- Environmental Insider goes digital.
2019
- New enhancement endorsement to our Premises Environmental Liability Insurance Policy is made available.
- Begin offering site-related pollution coverage for Special Risks, classes of business that can be higher exposure due to the nature of their operations.
- Financial Strength: As an A.M. Best “A+” (Superior) rated company (rating affirmed September 11, 2019), Great American Insurance Company is dedicated to providing the best coverage and service for brokers and their clients when an event occurs.
2020
- Successful debut of our first product collaboration with a managing general agent (MGA), representing our expansion into the GL market.
- Being responsive to the needs of our brokers, agents, insureds and claimants remained our top priority throughout the uncertainty of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
- Broker Satisfaction Survey conducted to help us ensure we are supporting our brokers’ and their clients' business needs.
- Join the Center for Creative Land Recycling as a national Visionary Sponsor that recognizes our leadership and expertise in the environmental insurance sector, joining other prominent companies aligning with CCLR’s mission of transforming communities through land reuse.
- Launch our new, educational platform, the Broker Toolkit as well as our Construction-Focused Riskopolis series representing the many potential risks contracting professionals face in their line of work.
- Add Products Pollution was added to our suite of environmental products - specifically designed for manufacturers and distributors of various products including but not limited to paints and chemicals, metal goods, automotive parts, machinery and machinery parts, plastic and rubber goods, and other commercial products.
2021
- Expand our collection of various webinars and virtual resources such as our new Claims Scenario Library and Interactive Riskopolis to better assist you in informing your clients of environmental dangers.
- Our exclusive GREAT AMERICAN REWARDS Program, launched in 2018, transitions to a fully digital program. We develop an informative video to demonstrate how to become a member and participate in the program.
- Continue to offer comprehensive product videos illustrates how our products can halt environmental protection concerns by providing a clear, consistent and competitive solution.
- Launch TankAssure Pollution Program, an extremely user-friendly online quoting and binding program for your clients’ storage tank coverage needs.
- Discover What We Cover: A Great American Environmental Podcast successfully launches as the first Great American podcast and provides brokers with insights on the intricacies of environmental insurance.
- Mark Vuono celebrates 40 years within the Environmental Industry.
- Thanks to the support of our brokers, Great American Environmental Division was named a 5-Star Environmental Insurance Provider by Insurance Business America (IBA). The Division was named a Top Environmental Carrier based on many months of research and hundreds of one-on-one interviews and surveys completed with top brokers across the country. The award celebrates the Environmental Division’s outstanding product offerings, first-class broker support and industry knowledge.
- Olivia Derderian, an Great American Environmental underwriter, was one of forty recipients across the United States named a Break Out Insurance Leader by Business Insurance. Business Insurance’s Break Out Award recognizes the next generation leaders in the risk management and property and casualty insurance fields.
2022
- Great American celebrates a milestone anniversary. For 150 years, Great American Insurance Company has grown with each generation and has risen to the challenge through wars, weathers and worries. With our deep expertise and financial strength, we’ve laid a foundation of success that has stood the test of time. Learn more about our strong past and current financial strength.
- Continue to expand our Riskopolis series using an interactive, illustrative platform to provide examples of the variety of exposures, specific to your client’s operations, that may be financially threatening to businesses.
- TankAssure offers admitted paper in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. TankAssure provides aboveground and underground storage tank owners comprehensive coverage and may also be used to satisfy financial assurance requirements put in place by local, state and federal government agencies.
- Welcome a new learning and development coordinator dedicated to the Division. This member will expand the Division’s training programs and work with department leaders to curate resources to best serve our team and their brokers. This year, we are thrilled to introduce Environmental Training Corner launches – offering educational webinars each quarter featuring information on our latest products, programs, or tools for our brokers to gain knowledge on all Great American Environmental Division has to offer..
2023
- Celebrate 15 years of services in the environmental insurance industry. Thank you for trusting us with your business and inspiring us with all the great you do now and throughout the years. Providing your clients with best products, programs and services is what motivates us to continue to improve. To celebrate, be on the lookout for promotional resources and an interactive webpage to highlight 15 years of achievements.
- New look and feel of the GAIG website with improved functionality and easier navigation. Explore our new Environmental Insider Newsletter layout today!
- Broaden our custom brokerage webinar series on specific product offerings, coverage capabilities, and educational resources. Interested in hosting a customized webinar with Great American Environmental Division?
- Continue expanding our variety of packaged insurance solutions through the program offerings we have created in collaboration with our valued business cohorts.
- Let's connect at future events, conferences, and networking gatherings near you. Did you recently move? Please let us know so we can schedule time with you in your area.
2011- 2020
The Environmental Division has been recognized by executive management at Great American Insurance Group for outstanding service and performance to the company for nine consecutive years.
Environmental Insider was created for brokers like you, as a source of ideas and innovations to help you grow your business.
Start receiving the Environmental Insider newsletter by completing the form linked below.