Articles

PAY OR NOT

PAY OR NOT TO PAY? How Carriers Create Their Own Claims Problems Through my years in this trade, in different roles—carrier field adjuster, desk adjuster, public adjuster, CPAU, expert witness, and with advanced designations such as SCLA—I’ve developed some deeper thoughts about the industry as a whole. Surprisingly, carriers sometimes create their own exposure to …

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Wear and Tear

It Was Good Enough to Insure—Until It Was Time to Pay When “wear and tear” becomes a post-loss substitute for causation analysis WHATCAUSEDIT? Trade-Wide HabitNot “Pay Every Claim”No Direct OpeningWho Decided?Cuts Both WaysUnderwriting There is something peculiar about the way “wear and tear” gets used in property insurance claims. Before the loss, the property was …

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The Appraisal Trap

Homeowner Claims Help Check Your Ego at the Ladder: The Appraisal Trap Two roof appraisals, both sides of the table, and the same lesson both times. Writing this article is a delicate subject. You have to be careful not to sound too biased – very hard task – be as professional as possible and knowledgeable, …

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The Umpire’s Dilemma…

Appraisal & Umpire Practice The Umpire’s Dilemma What happens when neither appraiser has actually established the amount of loss. POLICYHOLDER $180,000 CARRIER $105,000 where the two positions meet what the evidence actually supports Not the midpoint — the line the evidence draws Ask most people how insurance appraisal works and you’ll get the simple version: …

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Who needs PA?

Homeowner Claims Help Why You Should Hire a Public Adjuster for Your Insurance Claim No one expects to file an insurance claim. Whether your home was damaged by a hurricane, windstorm, fire, water leak, or another unexpected event, you’re suddenly faced with inspections, paperwork, estimates, deadlines, and decisions that can affect your financial recovery. That’s …

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