The PBI Group Resources.
Claim patterns, coverage explainers, cyber alerts, and the real-world scenarios we see across our 1,500+ real estate brokerage clients.
Detailed Q&A on the coverages real estate professionals ask about most.
Coverage, limits, cost, claims-made vs. occurrence, deductibles, fair-housing, firm-wide vs. individual, and how to switch carriers.
Read the FAQ →Wire fraud, ransomware, business interruption, breach response, social engineering — and how cyber pairs with your E&O.
Read the FAQ →142 articles
Published: February 24, 2026 | Category: Errors and Omissions
Feb 25, 2026
Published: February 16, 2026 | Category: Errors and Omissions
Feb 16, 2026
Cyber insurance is now a requirement for many real estate brokerages. This comes as more and more cybercriminals are successful in their attempts to steal infor…
Sep 11, 2025
When purchasing or selling your own property as a real estate agent, you need to know if your E&O covers or excludes agent-owned property.
Aug 21, 2023
Cyber insurance for real estate covers digital security and online activity risks, such as cyber attacks, data breaches, and wire fraud.
Property management E&O insurance covers professional liability claims from an alleged error or omission made by a property manager.
Published: January 16, 2026 | Category: Errors and Omissions
Jan 16, 2026
Published: October 24, 2025 | Category: Errors and Omissions
Oct 24, 2025
In the real estate industry, protecting oneself from errors and omissions (E&O) claims is essential for maintaining a reputable and successful business. E&O cla…
Apr 11, 2025
Learn why Contingent Bodily Injury/Property Damage (BI/PD) Coverage is crucial to have on Property Management E&O insurance policies.
Jan 20, 2025
Why E&O insurance is essential for vacation rental managers: Explore the risks for property managers, and learn how to protect your business.
Nov 25, 2024
Not sure why franchises require that they be listed as "additional insured"? Here's what you need to know for your franchise real estate firm
May 30, 2024
Many real estate agents sell property they, their spouse, or a related entity developed or constructed. Many E&O policies exclude coverage.
May 28, 2024
Learn what to report to your real estate errors & omissions (E&O) company to avoid denied claims. Don't a reporting mistake void your coverage
Sep 5, 2023
Imagine finding out that the property you just purchased is not actually yours because the seller never owned it in the first place. This is a growing problem w…
Jun 1, 2023
You have a showing and are excited to hear about the feedback, but you find out the buyers’ realtor had been making disparaging statements about you in your own…
Jun 1, 2023
Every property owner wants the transition into their new home to be seamless. However, sometimes the previous owner, who gladly accepted your hard-earned money …
May 2, 2023
This seems to be a popular question lately, so we wanted to share PBI Group’s thoughts on the matter. Residential real estate brokerages often have a website an…
Apr 7, 2023
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is the name of an IT network security system that is becoming a more common cyber insurance carrier requirement for larger…
Mar 21, 2023
Accurate disclosure documents are crucial to both sides in real estate transactions. When selling a property, the owner must always reveal essential information…
Feb 9, 2023
Even for seasoned experts, selling real estate is a complex undertaking and a potential legal labyrinth. If due diligence is not done, agents and their brokers …
Jan 13, 2023
Not a fun read but something that could be handy if unfortunately, you need to look up your state’s laws regarding IT security breach notification requirements.…
Jan 5, 2023
The days of having IT systems running on your own computer hardware, in a closet at the office are a thing of the past. Almost everyone has cloud-based IT vendo…
Dec 14, 2022
Often times during the sale of a home, there are upgrades that require either exclusion from the contract or a separate agreement (e.g. selling furniture with a…
Nov 8, 2022
A heated real estate market can cause agents and buyers to be careless and reckless. Often buyers feel like they need to remove purchase contingencies to make t…
Sep 10, 2022
Dual agency usually happens when an agent represents both the seller and buyer of real estate in a transaction. However, it also occurs when separate agents lic…
Jul 16, 2022
Real estate transactions pose dangers to buyers and sellers. For example, some might think the Seller’s Disclosure form from a realtor-owned listing would be wa…
Jun 23, 2022
Real estate agents may take on more responsibility and significant liability risks than they might realize upon entering the profession. For example, if an agen…
May 15, 2022
Real estate agents are at the center of every deal, causing them to face unavoidable challenges. It’s taxing enough to satisfy brokers, lenders, other agents, a…
Apr 20, 2022
Some emotionally sensitive people with psychiatric ailments rely on emotional support animals (ESA) to help them cope. For example, an ESA aids people with disa…
Mar 25, 2022
Cyber insurance carriers have been raising rates over the past year or so, often by 100%. To help fix the route cause of cyber events which lead to claims and s…
Mar 4, 2022
The pandemic is causing significant changes in every business. For example, selling homes to buyers sight unseen has become a widespread practice for real estat…
Feb 18, 2022
For real estate professionals, it is a legal, ethical, and courteous practice to fully disclose all facts that directly affect the value of a property, particul…
Jan 31, 2022
Real estate professionals must provide full disclosure of all material facts that impact the appeal and value of a property their clients seek to purchase. Clie…
Dec 20, 2021
Real estate professionals are legally bound to provide their clients full disclosure of all material facts that affect the value and post-purchase plans of a pr…
Dec 15, 2021
MFA (multi-factor authentication) or 2FA (two-factor authentication) is the same thing. These are security terms that represent an additional layer of login sec…
Dec 5, 2021
In every real estate transaction, agents and brokerages have a duty to inform buyers of material facts about the property being sold. Failure to do so can resul…
Dec 1, 2021
As cybercrime increases year over year the US Secret Services is helping with some useful guides to have on hand if an event does take place.
Nov 20, 2021
Originally passed by Congress as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, the Fair Housing Act is an important piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination b…
Nov 15, 2021
Real estate professionals are exposed to numerous risks as they represent buyers and sellers. These risks are only compounded when agents do not perform due dil…
Oct 29, 2021
Coalition, one of PBI Group’s cyber carriers, publishes a bi-annual report on claims activity. Very interesting read, below are some highlights. The entire repo…
Oct 8, 2021
Real estate professionals have a tremendous number of conversations with clients, agents, and other 3rd parties related to a transaction. Often this transaction…
Sep 29, 2021
Real estate professionals are bound by a duty of care to disclose material facts that can influence the value or desirability of a given property. Failure to ab…
Aug 25, 2021
Licensed real estate agents have a professional duty to disclose material facts about properties for sale. They must also represent their clients; either the bu…
Jul 25, 2021
When purchasing a home, buyers and real estate agents do not always think about the utility hookups – or lack thereof – included in the home purchase. Overlooki…
Jun 17, 2021
As the U.S. economy continues its post-pandemic recovery, the real estate market has seen buyer and seller interest skyrocket. In a hot real estate market, near…
May 4, 2021
Cybersecurity Awareness Training is starting to gain momentum among real estate agencies who are looking to help their agents and staff stay ahead of the bad gu…
Apr 9, 2021
In addition to a strong cyber insurance policy, PBI Group believes that cyber awareness training is a great way to reduce your risk of having a cyber event. Che…
Mar 31, 2021
In legal claims against real estate agencies and their agents, plaintiffs often focus on issues with the selling of the home, such as failing to disclose damage…
Feb 25, 2021
This document is a good guide for real estate agencies who are looking for cyber security best practices to help keep their agency and agents protected from the…
Feb 22, 2021
Below is an example of an anti-fraud disclosure that some of our real estate clients are asking their clients to sign.
Jan 21, 2021
Real estate transactions rarely go exactly as planned. When the property in question has been owned and renovated by the real estate agent, and the buyer is a c…
Jan 20, 2021
Real estate professionals are bound by a range of duties, including certain obligations when those professionals sell agent-owned property or serve as dual agen…
Oct 16, 2020
Advertising is a critical component of the real estate industry. Promoting a home sale through the use of professionally-shot images is a common practice; such …
Sep 8, 2020
Real estate agents face numerous challenges in their profession, and transactions rarely go as planned. When it comes to estate sales, especially in the wake of…
Aug 12, 2020
The world’s information is at our fingertips, thanks to the Internet. On the web, it is possible to find literally millions of images, and sometimes these image…
Jun 18, 2020
When property is in your care, custody, and control, agents are duty-bound to maintain property premises in a safe and hazard-free manner. Failure to do so, suc…
May 13, 2020
In real estate transactions, both buyer and seller have a reasonable expectation of propriety. In other words, both parties expect that the transaction will be …
Apr 13, 2020
There are many cases of bodily injury or property damage occurring during property showings, but most people don’t consider the potential danger of pets during …
Dec 16, 2019
Cyber Liability policies designed to provide 1st party coverage as well as 3rd party protection have numerous definitions which can make it complicated to figur…
Nov 20, 2019
Potential renters and buyers are not always what they appear to be. Fair Housing Testers are individuals who pose as prospective clients in order to investigate…
Oct 22, 2019
In the age of Airbnb and other home sharing services, it’s now easier (and more appealing) than ever for homeowners to rent out their property for an additional…
Oct 1, 2019
Many of our real estate agency clients are concerned about wire fraud which can negatively impact their business and clients. All real estate agencies are at ri…
Sep 23, 2019
What you SHOULD be reporting to your Real Estate E&O Policy?
Aug 29, 2019
Here is the link to the article from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with valuable information on how to protect your agency.
Aug 19, 2019
It’s not uncommon for the owner of a property to not be around when their home is shown to potential buyers. Under the supervision of a real estate agent (or se…
Aug 8, 2019
While real estate agents have many responsibilities, there are some things that should not be addressed by agents during the buying and selling process, as they…
Jul 18, 2019
Purchasing homes for the purpose of increasing their value and reselling them at a profit, also referred to as wholesale, is a popular practice that can be bene…
Jun 26, 2019
What does a misrepresentation claim look like in the real world, and what kind of consequences does it have for an agent? Let’s take a look at one of our recent…
May 14, 2019
There is a little-known gap that exists between E&O policies and Cyber liability policies, which in our opinion is a worthwhile talking about.
Mar 12, 2019
The Facts:
Feb 11, 2019
A spotlight on a claim against a real estate agent who represented his sister in the sale of the sister’s house where the buyer claimed the sister and the agent…
Dec 11, 2018
We share these stories with the hope that you can start to see a pattern… everyone is a target when it comes to phishing scams. Bad actors are actively working …
Oct 16, 2018
When a family with a two-year-old boy moved into a house that was more than 100 years old, they had no idea that the house was covered in lead-based paint. The …
Aug 30, 2018
Sexual misconduct by a company executive or employee can result in a wide variety of legal claims against the company itself. If the victim is an employee, a su…
Jul 15, 2018
Whether you explicitly perform Property Management services, or you provide property management services as part of a transaction, there are significant exposur…
Jun 21, 2018
Digital Property Replacement is a subset of the Breach Rectification coverage of the cyber liability policy that PBI Group recommends. This section covers the r…
Jun 21, 2018
Real Estate broker-owners/management….a friendly reminder that this NAR data security and privacy document is a great summertime read. Hopefully, you can find t…
May 29, 2018
We have been asked over the years if events such as ice cream socials, holiday toy drives, garage sales, etc, conducted by real estate agents within their commu…
May 25, 2018
If you missed or would like to watch/listen again here is the webinar recording with the presentation slides.
Apr 20, 2018
PCI (or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of security standards designed to ensure that ALL companies that accept, process, store or transm…
Apr 5, 2018
Here is a recent situation which unfortunately impacted one of our clients and worth sharing in the hope that increased awareness will limit the chance of this …
Mar 21, 2018
What happened at Orbitz?
Mar 20, 2018
At PBI Group we have seen this trend continue over the past 3-years and apparently, it has reached new heights. The average claim of lost client funds is $352,0…
Feb 15, 2018
BI/PD stands for Bodily Injury and Property Damage. Most Real Estate E&O policies include some measure of BI/PD coverage, such as limited lockbox coverage or op…
Feb 14, 2018
This scam is becoming more popular and can lead to your computer being further compromised by bad guys looking for more of your valuable client information. Be …
Feb 5, 2018
What should you do if a convicted sex offender, out of jail for 10 years, applies to rent one of your listings? Ask the owner of the property?… but what if he/s…
Dec 22, 2017
A nice little infographic in case you don’t have the time to watch the video:
Dec 13, 2017
A Hazleton, Pennsylvania realtor could serve up to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The realtor was arrested in Flo…
Dec 4, 2017
A study shows that Los Angeles area homebuyers are losing five million dollars a month to cybercriminals. In a scheme that started in 2013, and which shows no s…
Dec 4, 2017
During the Christmas season, neighbors in a Connecticut town spotted two men carrying large sacks in and out of a home. According to police, one was a local rea…
Nov 20, 2017
A spotlight on a claim against a real estate agent who acted as a dual agent for both the seller and the buyer of 1000 acres of agricultural land for $10 millio…
Nov 15, 2017
Phishing scams are very popular and often revolved around products or services which are important to us and widely used. Here is a successful scam that is goin…
Nov 7, 2017
Construction/Development coverage extends the E&O policy to provide coverage for the sale of residential property that has been built or developed by an insured…
Nov 1, 2017
Life as a real estate agent is busy, always on the go and juggling multiple clients. You are often being pulled in multiple directions while staying focused on …
Oct 19, 2017
A new vulnerability has been discovered recently called “KRACK Attack”. In short, there is a exploitable flaw in the Wi-Fi security protocol WPA2, this protocol…
Oct 16, 2017
Here is a helpful guide to understanding some of the things to look for when attempting to figure out if an email is real or fake. Click here to view a full-siz…
Oct 4, 2017
Lots of discussion since the Equifax breach about freezing or monitoring your credit report. Let’s just discuss the basics briefly.
Sep 27, 2017
There really is no such thing as a “Hammer Clause”, but that is the common term for the Consent to Settle Clause in your E&O policy. The Consent to Settle claus…
Sep 27, 2017
A new phishing email is going around with an MS Word attachment offering unique Google search tactics. Do not open the email and more importantly do not open th…
Sep 19, 2017
Another huge breach.. this one the bad guys good a lot of valuable information, here is the summary:
Sep 7, 2017
One of the options you have when buying E&O insurance is Defense Outside the Limit (DOL) or Defense Within the Limit (DWL). It is important to understand this o…
Sep 5, 2017
This should go without saying but we still receive many real estate E&O insurance claims revolving around conflicts of interest. Always be mindful of, and avoid…
Aug 30, 2017
The bad guys are working hard, 100 attempts per month in Nevada! Our cyber liability policy cover for this type of claim. Get a quote today.
Aug 18, 2017
A recent residential transaction resulted in a substantial claim being paid because of an undisclosed termite infestation. Our insured was both the listing and …
Aug 16, 2017
It is hard to believe that a small insurance brokerage company like PBI Group could become a target of a (somewhat) sophisticated social engineer scam commonly …
Aug 2, 2017
Financial Fraud Kill Chain (FFKC) is FBI program designed to recover funds for customers who have been victimized by fraudulent international wire schemes. The …
Jun 28, 2017
If so, you may be in a situation where your policy does not provide coverage due to an unsupported software application running on your computers. All software …
Jun 20, 2017
A spotlight on a PBI Group and Hanover Insurance claim against two real estate agents involving greedy buyers who wanted to keep staging furniture used by selle…
Jun 15, 2017
Documenting conversations and decisions made during a real estate transaction is an extremely important best practice for E&O compliance. When you find yourself…
May 31, 2017
If your systems are down due to a Ransomware attack, Business Interruption coverage can help by protecting your agency from loss of your income and additional e…
May 31, 2017
You may have seen the news this weekend. Criminal hackers have released a powerful strain of ransomware that spreads itself automatically across all computers i…
May 15, 2017
One of the best ways to avoid having an E&O suit filed against you is to avoid the extremely difficult clients. Yes, that means walking away from someone who wa…
May 10, 2017
Passwords are a fact of life on the Internet today—we use them for everything from ordering flowers and online banking to logging into our favorite airline Web …
May 8, 2017
When neighbors noticed unusual activity at a recently-sold home, officers were called. They found two people engaged in sexual activity. The woman claimed to be…
May 5, 2017
Trust is paramount, develop it buy showing your clients you are there for them through the exciting and stressful journey of a real estate transaction. Let your…
Apr 28, 2017
Unfortunately, in today’s litigious society, lawsuits and grievances against real estate agents are very common. Real estate agents are frequent Targets for law…
Apr 16, 2017
Service oriented real estate professionals can sometimes get themselves into trouble if they feel compelled to give advice on matters that are beyond their prof…
Apr 14, 2017
Does your E&O policy have a deductible waiver? Ours does up to $5k per deductible if the transaction that triggered the claim has the following conditions met:
Apr 7, 2017
PBI Group is a boutique insurance brokerage firm focused exclusively on the insurance needs of real estate professionals throughout the country. Our meticulousn…
Apr 1, 2017
Research studies are becoming very popular on the topic of cybersecurity. Unfortunately, none of them are focused or include residential real estate firms among…
Mar 24, 2017
It is very easy to get caught up in all these free/cheap cloud storage services which enable us access to anything we need, at our fingertips, in just a few cli…
Mar 17, 2017
Today another client called with a wire transfer fraud situation where their client wired approximately $300,000 for closing to a fraudulent bank account. Thank…
Mar 2, 2017
I, < Agent> will never request or forward alone someone else’s request * to my Client, via any form of electronic communication including email, text message or…
Mar 1, 2017
Let’s first define the difference: Funds Transfer 1st Party coverage for Cyber Liability protects the Insured aka the real estate firm who holds the insurance p…
Feb 21, 2017
Tradeshow season is among us and I am sure your agents are looking forward to their regional or national conferences. Please make sure you share this piece of s…
Feb 17, 2017
Besides a comprehensive Cyber Liability insurance policy. Here are some things you can do to protect your agents.
Jan 27, 2017
A real estate team hires a freelance graphic designer to create a series of new logos for the official launch of their newly branded team. The graphic designer …
Jan 23, 2017
A Data Breach Coach is a leader, often a person at a law firm, who is your main point of contact once a breach is suspected. He or she is available through a fe…
Jan 12, 2017
As discussed in our previous post 5 Simple Steps Real Estate Agents can do themselves to reduce Cyber exposure, setting up the remote locating feature on your s…
Jan 5, 2017
It is time to officially stop using Yahoo email address and migrate to a new email provider. The news today of yet another breach that exposed 1 billion user ac…
Dec 15, 2016
First off, this stuff can be confusing and daunting… it is for everyone. Take 1 step at a time, together with your technical resource you will figure it out tog…
Dec 15, 2016
Like a shield wall for an army, Security Awareness Training is a valuable tool to help reduce your cyber liability exposure by employing a formal process of edu…
Dec 12, 2016
Dec 2, 2016
So how do hackers get into your email account? One way is to trick you to grant them access. Humans are always the weakest link in any security chain 🙁
Dec 1, 2016
Nov 29, 2016
Here is a good example of Deceptive Funds Transfer is it is explained in this Claims Scenarios from Victor O. Schinnerer & Company, Inc.: http://schinnerer.com/…
Nov 15, 2016
Suspicious emails: unclaimed insurance bonds, diamond-encrusted safe deposit boxes, close friends marooned in a foreign country. They pop up in our inboxes, and…
Oct 20, 2016
The median cost for Data Breach Coach and investigative services runs $29,000.
Oct 18, 2016
60% of small/mid-market businesses go out of business within 6 months of having a cyber compromise or breach event.
Sep 21, 2016
Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up valuable information. Criminals use this tactic as it is easier to exploit the natural incl…
Sep 20, 2016
Cyber Liability is a stand-alone insurance policy that covers 1st party and 3rd party damages and expenses associated with lawsuits brought about from cybersecu…
Sep 15, 2016
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