Claims Magazine February 2007
Cover Story
Education Nightmares?
One claim manager said when he learned for the first time that adjusters in his newly formed national claim operation had to be licensed in 16 (soon to be 17) and comply with continuing-education requirements in seven.
Features
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The Top 10 Indicators for Best-In-Class Claim Management
Traditional notions of insurance are nearly extinct, and the brave new world of retained risk has given new meaning to the notion of self-insurance as commercial consumers become the majority.
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Secrets to Spotting Problem Contractors
There are many ways to find out if a contractor has inflated a claim or taken other measures to secure gains on a project that are not warranted.
Columns
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Slippery When Wet
Writer Toni Morrison once said, "All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was."
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This Cat Is Alive!
A lack of or insufficient fact-based decision-making can be very expensive.
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HOLY SMOKE!
After many years of increasing arson losses from a variety of sources in the early 1990s, the number of reported arson fires decreased annually from 85,500 in 1996 to only 31,500 in 2005.
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Boost Claim Productivity
"And when exactly did I become the @#$% bookkeeper?" asks the irate lawyer in a recent Lexis-Nexis magazine ad, which was touting its CounselLink office management product.
Departments
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Cloud of Doom Gathers in Mississippi
Though Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast nearly 18 months ago, the storm is still landing plenty of punches on insurance companies.
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Familiarity Breeds Contempt?
J.D. Power's report, the 2006 Collision Repair Satisfaction Study, illustrates the importance and impact of customer service in the insurance industry.
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Speaking Of: Claim Technology
Analyzing and evaluating the ever-changing face of claim technology is a task that never gets checked off the "to-do" list.
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Claim Activity Spurs Drop in Auto Premiums
The typical U.S. driver will pay less for auto insurance in 2007 than in 2006, with the average premium expenditure expected to drop by 0.5 percent.
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SIU Unit Busts Crooked Adjuster
According to a release from the California Department of Insurance, Drake Reed was an insurance claim adjuster for AAA who took advantage of his position in the company.
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Emotional Distress Claims Make History
Three companies have filed a joint friend of the court brief with the Indiana Supreme Court on a case that sets a potentially serious precedent for emotional distress claims in the insurance industry.
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Mississippi, FEMA Fund Katrina Recovery
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has teamed up with FEMA to provide more than $9.4 billion in disaster aid funds to the state.
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Safeco Evaluates Losses Due to Windstorms
Seattle-based property and casualty insurance company Safeco reported approximately $30 million in pretax catastrophe losses due to the Pacific Northwest windstorm that ripped through the Puget Sound area during the 2006 holiday season.
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What's Love Got to Do with It?
To paraphrase Clairee, as played by Olympia Dukakis in the movie Steel Magnolias, "It's love -- and our ability to accessorize -- that separates us from the animals."
