When Julia Fisher-Perrier started selling insurance with Riverlands Insurance, a serious commitment came with that move.
“I felt I could help,” said Fisher-Perrier, who is a local independent agent. “I want to help them understand what they’ve purchased. When I bought my first home in Luling in my early twenties, I had no idea what was covered and what wasn’t.”
It wasn’t enough for her to be just be an agent, she wanted to be an advocate, too.
“A big part of why I came to Riverlands is that I saw a need for insurance in the community,” Fisher-Perrier said.
It was not long after Hurricane Katrina hit that Fisher-Perrier decided to make the move to insurance. She recognized that Hurricane Katrina had made it increasingly more difficult to secure property insurance.
“Louisiana citizens was about all that people thought they could get if they were purchasing a new property,” she said. “The premiums were high and the coverage was bare. I knew I had to join a team that could help them save some money and get the coverage they needed.”
They also have choices.
“People stayed with ‘branded captive agencies’ for decades and decades without change,” she said. “Loyalty was the way of life before Hurricane Katrina. Your policy renewed every year and you never took a second look.”
But, today, Fisher-Perrier said that people shop their insurance. She remarkets yearly for most of her clients to ensure they’re getting their best deal in coverage.
“We shop insurance for clients every year and try to find something even better than they have now,” she said. “They need price and coverage.”
She saw the need for affordable local coverage but it was equally important to her to serve as a translator of sorts in explaining the affordable insurance coverage. When they shop a policy there’s always a possibility that there may not be significant savings, but Fisher-Perrier said her clients know what they need and have in their policies.
As an agent and member of the St. Charles Parish Council, Fisher-Perrier she’s also been given the opportunity to vocalize local issues such as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). She saw firsthand the impact of skyrocketing flood insurances rates that froze house sales a few years ago.
“It gave me a lot of fire because I saw what was happening right under my nose,” Fisher-Perrier said. “When the NFIP was temporarily non-renewed a few years ago, all business came to a halt. No one could purchase a property in a required flood zone if they had a lender … no one.”
When the parish was faced with astronomical flood insurance rates, she knew firsthand what the prices looked like.
“I would quote a new home in Luling and the Realtor would call to let me know that the buyer backed out because the flood insurance was too expensive,” Fisher-Perrier said.
Her most frequently written lines of business include commercial property and liability, homeowners insurance, flood insurance, commercial and personal auto – all with competitive rates.
Nolan Louque Jr., owner and CEO, and Donna Rollo DiCarlo, owner and president, are the people responsible for the products that Riverlands Insurance sells.
“They realize that relationships matter,” Fisher-Perrier said. “They don’t want fly-by-night companies to sell, and they understand there is more to insurance than just a policy. It’s also customer service and claims service, which is a big part of the business.”
She also credits the two with making sure people get help with claims. An in-house department handles claims and will go the extra mile to ensure clients get assistance in a timely and fair manner, while they also have direct access to Fisher-Perrier if needed.
With Riverlands Insurance, Fisher-Perrier is an independent agent who works exclusively for this successful, homegrown insurance company with offices in Luling, LaPlace, Mandeville, Lutcher and Thibodaux.
“We take care of business,” she said. “It’s the most balanced, fair agency I’ve seen. We have the products available to write the insurance that people actually need. And we have a staff that is second to none.”
Fisher-Perrier is available for a non-committal insurance review for anyone interested.
“I quite often give an objective review of a client’s portfolio and am glad to offer that anyone who may want to see what their needs and options are,” she said.
Fisher-Perrier can be reached at (504) 339-5199 or jperrier@rivins.com.
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