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Word Choice in Claims Letters, Part 2

Here are a few additional word choice issues I see as I give my webinars and seminars on claims writing across the U.S. Watch for these as you phrase your letters: “Our offer is firm and non-negotiable.” Isn’t this redundant? …

GOP Bill Aims to Reduce Environmental Constraints on Logging to Reduce Wildfire Risk

House Republicans are targeting environmental rules to allow faster approval for logging and other actions in national forests in response to deadly wildfires in the West. Lawmakers are set to approve a bill to loosen environmental regulations for forest-thinning projects …

Government Decides to Set Aside Talking Car Mandate

The Trump administration has quietly set aside plans to require new cars to be able to wirelessly talk to each other, auto industry officials said, jeopardizing one of the most promising technologies for preventing traffic deaths. The Obama administration proposed …

Drought May Have Contributed to Storm That Walloped Maine, Northeast

Drought conditions across much of Maine may have contributed to the large numbers of trees that toppled during a storm that walloped the Northeast this week, officials said. The storm cut power to nearly 1.5 million homes and businesses in …

Deadly California Wildfire Insurance Claims Top $3.3B

Property damage claims from a series of deadly October wildfires now exceed $3.3 billion, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said Tuesday. The figure represents claims for homes and businesses insured by 15 companies and is more than triple the previous …

Berkshire Hathaway Likely to Post First Losses in More Than a Decade

The insurance business has been good to Warren Buffett. For decades, his stable of carriers at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. have provided him billions of dollars to invest. They’ve also turned an underwriting profit every year since 2002. That streak could …

FEMA Official Says Weather-Related Disasters Cost U.S. $200M a Day

The U.S. is spending more than $200 million a day responding to recent hurricanes and wildfires, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Congress Tuesday in testimony that also slammed the $300 million Whitefish contract in Puerto Rico. …

Subrogating Against Suicide

Your insured’s eighteen-wheeler is struck head-on by another vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed, resulting in significant medical expenses to your insured driver and a passenger, as well as considerable property damage to your insured’s vehicle. The tortfeasor …

Engineers Call FEMA $35M Spend on Generators Redundant

The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent $35.1 million on renting two emergency generators to help power blacked-out San Juan, Puerto Rico. But a group of engineers says existing infrastructure could have been used more effectively at a fraction of the …

Superstorm Sandy’s Impact on Flood Risk Assessment, Mitigation 5 Years Later

It’s been five years since Superstorm Sandy caused widespread devastation to the East Coast, causing an estimated $18.75 billion in insured property losses at the time, according to ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS). In an interview with Claims Journal, Marc …

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