You’re a claims manager for an insurance company, or counsel for an insurer. An insured is being sued, and they’ve tendered their defense under their liability insurance policy. The issues in the complaint are complicated – it’s not immediately clear …
On Feb. 12, 2014, the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., experienced the unthinkable. A sinkhole measuring 40 feet across and 60 feet deep developed inside the museum swallowing eight Corvettes. The before photo shows two cars on display …
Combined Claims Conference Video Highlights The Dos and Don’ts of Claim File Documentation In a video interview with Claims Journal during the Combined Claims Conference, Ken Oswald, a California-based insurance consultant and expert witness, explains why claim file documentation is …
In the immediate aftermath of hurricanes, floods and other disasters, it’s not uncommon for people to turn out in large numbers to assist victims, clear debris and chip in on dozens of other tasks to get a community back on …
Researchers are hoping that a new computer modeling technique will provide better daily predictions of wildfire growth. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Maryland combined weather and fire behavior simulations with active wildfire …
As I review cases to supplement my various publications I come across some cases that I would characterize as being “must reads.” The Minnesota Court of Appeals decision in Economy Premier Assur. Co. v. Western National Mut. Ins. Co., 839 …
An estimated 25,900 residential building electrical fires were reported to fire departments within the United States each year between 2009 and 2011, according to the National Fire Data Center’s latest Topical Fire Report Series. These fires caused an estimated 280 …
The number of reported claims involving hail damage to residential and commercial roofing products has increased dramatically over the past few years. Some reports place the increase at almost double historical claim totals. What is the cause of this significant …
Hurricane season starts in a few weeks. As the claims community prepares for the uncertain months ahead, many carriers may think back to an uneventful 2013. However, while no catastrophe events resulted from hurricanes, it would be a mistake to …
It’s easy to identify some claims – like spinal injuries — that are going to carry high costs. What’s hard is proactively identifying far more subtle clues that a claim will incur high costs or have a long duration. What …