Posts Tagged ‘insurance claims’
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Fire Claim - For a lot of homeowners, there is just nothing more difficult than recovering from a house fire. Every year, thousands of families lose their houses and properties to fire. Many are hopefully insured, and by filing a fire claim they have a chance of getting money to help them start new. Even people with insurance often find themselves at odds with the insurance companies and sadly must battle for a settlement.
Quickly assessing the damage is the first step. Catalog all of your belongings on paper, starting with the biggest, and check off the ones that are damaged or destroyed as you go through the house. If you quickly know what is gone up front, your insurance company should have a harder time denying the claim.
You should also take lots of pictures of the home. Make sure you get both the interior as well as the exterior damage. Large and expensive items like televisions and antique hutches should also be photographed. Photographs of the extent of the damage will help substantiate your claim with the insurance company.
Call the insurance company and ask that one of their adjusters quickly gets assigned to your case. Before you and the company can move towards a result, the adjuster has to come out to the home and evaluate the fire damage. If the house is not safe to reside in, the adjuster will tell the insurance company who will then give you living expenses.
Your best bet is fully working with the insurance company however difficult that may be. Supplying photographs and documents and returning their phone calls will increase your chances of getting a better settlement. Working with them, even as they show signs of fighting, can often calm dangerous waters.
If the company decides to unfortunately put up a fight, then you must also be prepared to too. Take a stand for all of your belongings and property. All insurance companies are skilled at finding the loop holes that get them out of making payments. In order to seek justice, you may be forced to hire a lawyer. If he or she determines your case is viable, they will go after the company until they agree to pay up.
Dealing with a house fire’s aftermath can be very scary. Unfortunately, many homeowners have to face these dilemmas while battling against their insurance company. By taking many pictures, assessing the home’s damage, and working along side the adjuster, you are able to help the process move along. But, sadly, in order to get a complete fire claim settlement, you might end up like many people with the need of invoking the Appraisal Clause in your policy.
In urgent need of reliable fire claim advice ? All you need to know and more now in our exclusive fire damage overview.
Tags: fire claim advie, fire claim damage, fire claims, fire insurance claims, homeowners insurance, insurance, insurance claims
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Monday, August 16th, 2010
Governing forecasters state record high temperature ranges within the Atlantic Ocean is going to maintain this storm seasons path to be the most excessive since 2005. That can produce major levels of hurricane claims.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thurs . mentioned 14 (fourteen) to 20 (twenty) named tropical hurricanes are believed to formulate, with 8 (eight) to 12 (twelve) tropical depressions expanding into hurricanes. Four or six of such hurricanes may grow to be major wind events with sustained gusts of wind of at a minimum 111 MPH.
That is somewhat less developments compared to what NOAA estimated in May. Nevertheless, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Gerry Bell affirms marine temperature as well as a weather occurrence recognized as La Nina enjoy further windstorm development.
Already three named storms have grown since hurricane season commenced June 1: Hurricane Alex as well as tropical storms Bonnie and Colin.
In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasted this possibly will wind up being the most frantic hurricane season since 2005, when hurricanes Katrina and Rita cut through the identical region of the Gulf Coast currently coping with one of the earth’s most extreme oil spills.
NOAA experts prior to this explained they predicted as many as 23 named tropical storms, consisting of up to seven major hurricanes. They are going to revise their forecast Thursday.
Of the three named storms that have evolved, Hurricane Alex made landfall June 30 in northern Mexico. Tropical Storm Bonnie commanded crews drilling a relief well in the Gulf to leave last month. Tropical Storm Colin dissipated recently this week over the Atlantic.
It’s always a very good idea to be hurricane prepared, check the insurance policy regarding coverage, prep your premises with protective measures, and avoid these Home Insurance Claim And Hurricane Damage Myths. That will definitely save you serious amounts of money from hurricane claims damage.
(C) JP Brennan is President and owner/operator of Insurance Claims Group, Inc., a national independent adjusting, appraisal, and umpiring firm. We can answer your insurance claim issues for FREE - Ph: 919-669-9111 . Secure insurance claim help, by visiting http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com or http://www.insurance-appraisal-services.com
Tags: business, finance, home insurance, homeowners, homeowners insurance, hurricane claim, hurricane claim damage, hurricane claims, hurricane damage claims, insurance, insurance advice, insurance claims, legal, weather
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Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Insurance is a common part of our daily lives. It is an effective way of protecting us and our families from unforeseen accidents, or even tragedy. To get an effective insurance policy, you can either speak with a qualified insurance agent or research and decide on a policy on your own. Many people seek info on the types of coverage that are relevant to them, so consider these important insurance types carefully.
Although there are many popular types of insurance, there are some that are more important than others. These important insurance policies serve you in many ways, protecting your family in the event of tragedy and financial need. These are options you should strongly consider, so take a moment and become familiar with them.
Health insurance that protects both you and your family is a must. You are constantly at risk of an unforeseen accident or illness, so don’t take chances. Medical bills are expensive and can put you in debt for many years. By acquiring adequate coverage you can insure that you and your family can receive affordable medical treatment.
Death is an unfortunate part of life, and when unprepared it can leave your family in a world of hurt. This is especially true if you are the primary source of income. Although it is unpleasant to think about, make sure that your family will be taken care of and that their financial needs will be met by purchasing a life insurance policy.
Property insurance is often required for individuals purchasing a home. Mortgage payments usually include property insurance or your lender will require continuous coverage. Considering that the home is usually the largest financial investment of a person’s life, it is worth acquiring an adequate policy.
In most states, there is a law that anyone who owns or operates a vehicle maintain insurance. Car accidents are very common, so having the peace of mind of a policy is beneficial. There are policies that cover medical expenses, legal defense costs, and damage to all cars involved in an accident. This is a worthwhile coverage plan that is usually required by law.
Insurance payments are often staggering, which means that you will need to make sure that you are keeping the most important policies up to date and active. Make the coverages that protect your family, your health, and your investments a top priority. Not doing so can end up leading to serious debt. Take the appropriate steps and make sure that you are purchasing the most important insurance types available.
Get the best travel insurance from this guide of insurance.
Tags: business insurance, car insurance, dental insurance, disability insurance, health insurance, home insurance, Insurance Broker, insurance claims, insurance quote, liability insurance, life insurance, mortgage insurance, motorcycle insurance, travel insurance
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Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Almost all insurance policies have an appraisal clause that allows the parties of the insurance contract to resolve disputes that may arise during a claim. Appraisal is for the “amount of loss,” only. This is the amount of monies it will cost to fully complete the repairs caused by the claim damages. For instance; policyholders could be forced to use an Independent Appraiser to settle their differences with the insurance company, using the appraisal process to protect their interests.
In a recent Texas case, JM Walker, LLC v. Acadia Insurance Company, reveals how an independent appraiser and the appraisal process protected a policyholder from mistakes made by the insurance company. Mistakes that could have cost the policyholder “hundreds of thousands of dollars!” Each situation can be a bit different simply by how the appraisal clause is worded in the policy, by the type of damage that occurred, and by all the facts pertaining to the loss.
The insured, JM Walker insured five buildings in North Richland Hills, Texas. A severe hailstorm damaged the roofs on all five buildings. As any insured would, Mr. Walker submitted the claim to Acadia, the insurance company who insured the buildings. The adjuster from Acadia denied payment on the claim at first. The adjuster determined that the roofs had minimal damage from the hail and did not require full replacement. This analysis resulted in non-payment because the adjuster’s estimate was under the $5,000 deductible.
It’s no surprises that Walker did not agree with the assessment of the adjuster. The two parties could not reach an agreement, so Acadia invoked the appraisal clause. Mr. Walker submitted the matter to a district court by filing a lawsuit. However, the Judge got both sides to continue with the appraisal process. It is not uncommon that courts will rule this way, as most insurance policies will require that all the policy provisions be exhausted before either party can litigate against the other.
The appraisal clause states that each party will hire an independent appraiser. The two appraisers will then choose an umpire. If the two independent appraisers cannot agree on the amount to repair the damages they will submit their differences to the umpire. The umpire in this appraisal agreed that the roofs required replacement and produced an award favoring Mr. Walker in the amount of $423,053.96. Appraisal awards are binding. In turn, Acadia had to pay the full amount of the award. (I should remind you that Acadia’s adjuster first determined the loss amount to be $0 because they believed the damages were below the $5,000 deductible.)
JM Walker tried filing an appeal to the United States Fifth Circuit. It was Walker’s belief that he was entitled to more hail damage proceeds and was also seeking additional money for what he believed was “bad faith” actions by Acadia with their miss handling of the claim.
The Court ruled that under Texas law, “appraisal awards made pursuant to the provisions of an insurance contract are binding and enforceable, and every reasonable presumption will be indulged to sustain an appraisal award.” The Court also ruled that an otherwise binding appraisal may only be overturned in only three situations:
(1) when the award was made without authority; (2) when the award was made as a result of fraud, accident, or mistake; or (3) when the award was not in compliance with the requirements of the policy.”
Walker argued on all three of these points and was overruled by the court on all three. This case is a good resource for how the courts look at the appraisal process in Texas. Overall, in my opinion, the Independent Appraiser and the Appraisal Process protected and worked for JM Walker. As a result of the work by the Independent Appraiser and the Appraisal Process, Walker received $418,053.96 over what his insurance company was willing to pay for his loss.
In the event you find yourself within an insurance claim dispute, call upon an Independent Appraiser for assistance in the insurance appraisal process. Insurance Appraisal Services is what we do. Feel free to call Insurance Claims Group, Inc. at 919-669-9111 to have all your insurance appraisal questions answered.
(C) Joe Brennen is President of Insurance Claims Group, an independent appraisal and umpiring firm. We will answer your claim questions FREE - Ph: 919-669-9111. Get Independent Appraiser Help, for your Insurance Dispute
categories: independent appraiser,independent appraisal,insurance appraisal,independent insurance appraiser,insurance appraisal,insurance,insurance claims,insurance,business,finance,legal,financial,home
Tags: business, finance, financial, home, home insurance, independent appraisal, independent appraiser, independent insurance appraiser, insurance, insurance appraisal, insurance claims, legal
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Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Winter and spring storms can often include tornado activity in many southern states. In a recent news interview even an insurance company adjuster admits that many insurance loss damages from tornadoes are often overlooked. Policyholders should educate themselves of the various items to look for and how to detect subtle damage which could be very costly and show up months or years after the tornado is long gone.
Recently many Huntsville, AL neighborhoods found themselves in the path of a EF-2 tornado on January 28, 2010. Although most people agree that damage created by tornadoes are not difficult to see, even insurance adjusters and engineers can miss hidden damages, as they fail to look closely.
A thorough insurance loss inspection by a insurance claim consultant or independent insurance appraiser is suggested. Too many policyholders take their adjusters word for it, without getting a second opinion. This should almost never happen. Protect yourself and your home by educating yourself on these few wind damage inspection tips.
Plumbing: High winds can shake or rack your home or building. Policyholders should turn on all faucets in bathrooms and kitchens, then open all cabinets after a few minutes to check the plumbing lines for leaks. Flush all toilets and run all baths and showers as well. Look at the ceilings below for water stains.
Roofing/Siding: Often an insurance loss involving high winds may not have appeared to damage the roof when you look up there. However, it’s a good idea to inspect the roof for cracks, gouges or tears on the roof shingles from flying debris. High winds can also rip, tear, and crack many types of siding. Such affects on the siding and roof can allow water entry.
Windows & Gutters: Wind and flying debris can crack window glass, rip screens, and dent gutters.
Brick & Foundations: Check all masonry and rick for cracks or separations. An insurance loss by very high winds can sometimes cause shifting and uplift to footings and foundations. Check the interior and exterior perimeter of your crawlspace. Severe masonry damages can often be hidden.
Interior: High wind loads can cause stress cracks in the corners of walls. Stress cracking can also be noted above doors and window openings. It’s a good idea to check for settling of floors and shifting of walls by using a level. Over the following days and weeks it’s also recommended to keep an eye out for water stains and/or yellowing on walls and ceilings. Such stains could indicate hidden roof leaks.
In 2006, State Farm insurance company and their engineers at Haag have even been sued for failing to recognize such damages for insurance loss claims following high winds and tornadoes. CNN reported “State Farm Penalized in Suit Over Tornado Claims :”
State Farm acted “recklessly” and “with malice” in handling insurance claims from dozens of families whose homes were damaged when a wave of tornadoes, including the strongest in recorded history, swept through Oklahoma in 1999, a jury has decided. The verdict…delivered millions to the lead plaintiffs… The jury in the District Court of Grady County, Oklahoma, awarded Donald and Bridget Watkins almost $13 million in total damages for their part in the class action suit against the nation’s largest insurer….
Everyone is well aware that an insurance loss involving a tornado will result in very strong winds. Even those tornadoes that don’t actually “touch-down,” can cause significant wind loads and pressure on buildings. Such winds can push and pull on buildings, causing fasteners and building parts to become highly compromised.
Above all, as stated, call an insurance loss consultant or independent insurance appraiser to inspect your property and be sure your home is safe. Feel free to call Insurance Claims Group, Inc. at 919-669-9111 to have all your insurance loss questions answered.
(C) Joseph Brennan is President and owner/operator of Insurance Claims Group, Inc., a national independent adjusting, appraisal, and umpiring firm. We will answer your claim questions FREE - Ph: 919-669-9111 . Get Insurance Loss Help , by visiting http://www.insuranceclaimsgroup.com or http://www.insurance-appraisal-services.com
Tags: finance, financial, homeowners insurance, homeowners policy, insurance, insurance claims, insurance loss, legal, property insurance, tornado claims, wind damage claim
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