Insurers’ incorrect statements to fire victims lead regulator to issue formal notice

Notice requires insurers to make sure their staff are trained in California laws and rules
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones directed the California Department of Insurance to issue a formal notice to insurers, licensed public adjusters and admitted carriers to make sure all claims adjusters assigned to wildfire claims, including those not licensed in California, are properly trained on the California Unfair Practices Act, Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations, and all laws relating to property and casualty insurance claims handling.

"As the nation continues to recover from the damage caused by hurricanes, floods and fires from coast to coast, we are reminded yet again that unforeseen, life-changing disasters can strike at any time. After the initial chaos subsides, it’s only natural that those affected would want to move quickly to start rebuilding their lives.

For many, the first step is a call to the insurance company, who should be able to resolve claims promptly, offering timely financial assistance when it’s needed most. But unfortunately, a complicated patchwork of state laws governing claims adjusters provides exactly the opposite: an inefficient, time-consuming, and expensive process that fails to serve the needs of consumers in the wake of a disaster."

 Hill Country Claims Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of Advanced Property Claims of Denver, Colorado. APC is now a wholly owned subsidiary and sister company to Hill Country Claims Management. Doug Moe will remain President of APC as well as Vice President of Commercial Claims in our CAT Division. Stay tuned for more news coming soon. 

State-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is hiring an outside vendor to scrutinize water-damage repair estimates from contractors, and to directly negotiate lower invoices with those contractors in exchange for a cut of the savings.

The company's board of governors on Tuesday agreed to a five-year, $1.8 million contract with Fort Myers-based Lynx Services LLC, a third-party claims management firm.

The goal, according to a Citizens document, "is to identify inflated or excessive charges on invoices from contractors that have performed water damage restorations for Citizens' policyholders and to contest or adjust invoices so it comports with industry standards."

SYDNEY (6 July, 2016) – Crawford & Company® has launched Crawford® Drone, designed to significantly improve catastrophe and operational claims management by providing real-time detail.

Darren Trot, Crawford’s national business development manager, said, “Drone technology ideally complements traditional claims assessment practices and gives us access to areas that were previously inaccessible or hazardous.”

Partnership will allow ICAT to write additional per-risk cat capacity in the U.S. E&S market

Broomfield, CO: ICAT has teamed up with Neon, the specialist Lloyd’s insurer, to provide an additional $10 million of per-risk capacity to catastrophe-exposed commercial properties in the United States. The partnership expands ICAT’s per-risk catastrophe capacity up to $150 million.

ICAT’s partnership with Neon, along with ICAT’s comprehensive coverage, best-in-class service, industry-leading expertise and innovative product solutions, demonstrates ICAT’s commitment to continual service and product enhancements for their agents, brokers and insureds.

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