Claims Magazine February 2008
Cover Story
The National Claims Writing Test, Part Two
In Aug. 2006, Claims Magazine published the National Claims Writing Test, a series of 25 objective questions that aimed to give claim professionals a "snapshot" of a their skills.
Features
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Claim Triage
Like a triage nurse in an emergency room, claim professionals must evaluate the severity of each claim that comes their way and quickly identify the appropriate next step.
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Collateral Damage
When fire roared through a family's Houston home, it seemed to be an obvious case of gasoline-started arson -- and an ugly hate crime.
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Textile Restoration
For years, when a homeowner suffered a property loss that included damaged clothing and other textiles, the items either were written off as a total loss or dropped off at a nearby retail dry cleaner.
Columns
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An Inconvenient Untruth
Marshall Field, the namesake of the retail giant, is often credited with paternity for one of the hoariest business slogans, "The customer is always right."
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Wind vs. Water Debate Still Awash in Controversy
It has been more than two years since Hurricane Katrina's violent winds and water left in its wake the damaged and destroyed homes of tens of thousands of Gulf Coast residents.
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Confessions of a Bookie
I confess to being a bookie. No, I can't place your bets on the horses, but I will bet that maybe at least one reader is also a bookie: someone who loves books.
Departments
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TRIA Morphs, Returns for Seven Years
In what has become a similar pattern for the legislation, the Terrorist Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) was extended for a second time while facing a New Year's Eve deadline for authorization.
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Tech Firms Battle Over Patents
Two major claim management software providers in the property/casualty insurance segment have become entangled in a legal dispute involving technology patents.
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For Professionals, By Professionals
The Combined Claim Conference (CCC) will celebrate their 20th year of educating claim professionals next month when their conference kicks off.
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Questions of Coverage
The most important -- and often toughest -- part of an adjuster's job is determining coverage.
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Speaking Of: Insurance Fraud
Since Sept. 2007, the North Carolina Department of Insurance has closed 442 cases for insurance fraud and recovered $14.2 million in restitution.
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Insured Catastrophe Losses Rise Dramatically
The increased prevalence of smaller natural disasters throughout the year resulted in a 50 percent increase over 2006's worldwide insured losses.
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Oh Canada!: Fighting the Fraud Fight
Auto insurance fraud is a crime contained by no borders, as evidenced by our neighbor's anti-fraud efforts to the north.
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Hands for Driving, Not Calling
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has commended California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing legislation that bans cell phone use by motorists.
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Top Fraud Cases Revealed
The Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (IFPA) recently released its top 13 insurance fraud case list for 2007.
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Insurers Ranked by Complaints
New York released its 2007 Annual Ranking of Automobile Insurance Complaints last month.
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Accenture Updates Claims Component
One new feature of the Accenture Claims Component, version 7.0, is the new dashboard analytic tool, which gives claim workers a real-time view of their workloads, tasks, and processing status.
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Pitney Bowes MapInfo Assesses Weather Risk
Pitney Bowes MapInfo has recently introduced new data sets for their Risk Data Suite, which aims to address critical decisions with disaster scenario analysis and claim planning and preparedness.
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What Was Toyota Thinking?
You see, my regular sushi stop is located near the Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America plant -- a mere block from National Underwriter's headquarters.
