Dear New York Policyholder,

In connection with the outbreak of the Coronavirus (“COVID-19”), The Hanover Insurance Company and its insurance company affiliates (“The Hanover”) have been directed by the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) to provide you with certain information related to the commercial property insurance policy that you have purchased from The Hanover for your business. The NYDFS directive applies to all property/casualty insurers authorized to operate in New York.

As a valued insured of The Hanover, it is important to us to ensure that all our policyholders understand their coverage and know who to contact for questions during the COVID-19 disruption that is affecting our country.

Our property policies generally do not provide coverage for loss or damage arising out of the coronavirus for direct damage, business income (including dependent property coverage) or civil authority:

• Property policies typically contain language that requires direct physical loss or damage to property by a covered cause of loss for coverage to apply; The presence of a virus on a surface generally would not constitute direct physical loss or damage.
• Our commercial property policies also generally exclude loss or damage caused by or resulting from "virus" so there would be no covered cause of loss per that explicit language.

The best source of information regarding the coverage you have purchased from The Hanover is your commercial insurance policy.  We encourage you to consult with your independent insurance agent or broker to learn more about the specific coverages you have purchased.   For additional information, you may also visit the NY DFS website at: https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/coronavirus/business_interruption_insurance_faqs.

Policyholders with specific claim questions should submit a claim to our Hanover claims center(www.hanover.com/claims.html)  for coverage review. This correspondence is for informational purposes only and does not itself provide any coverage. Coverage of any claim is determined by the facts presented, the coverage terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations of the issued policy.

We fully appreciate that the COVID-19 event may already have created disruption to many of your daily activities, including your commercial operations, and we hope that this information is helpful to you in assessing your available insurance coverage during this challenging time.  We   appreciate your commitment to insuring your business with The Hanover and look forward to servicing your business insurance needs.

THE HANOVER INSURANCE COMPANY, CITIZENS INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA, MASSACHUSETTS BAY INSURANCE COMPANY, NOVA CASUALTY COMPANY, VERLAN FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE HANOVER AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY