2019 Regional Adjusters Conference Sessions

Property Claims Track

1. Aggressive Contractors and Assignment of Benefits Challenges

  1. Describe the relationship between insurer, insured, and service providers involved in property restoration following losses
  2. Review recent trends with building contractors soliciting assignment of benefits with personal and commercial lines property claims
  3. Evaluate adjuster strategies to confront aggressive maneuvers by contractors and service providers
  4. Review the law in various jurisdictions that govern the assignment of benefits

2. Building Code Issues with Commercial Property Claims

  1. List the major features of commercial buildings that most often result in costly building code upgrades following a major loss
  2. Work through several commercial building code examples, including energy code requirements, roofing, sprinklers, and ingress/egress scenarios
  3. Identify helpful resources for adjusters when faced with building code challenges involving commercial building losses

3. Building Damage Estimating Challenges

  1. Identify typical challenges in estimating residential and commercial buildings
  2. Evaluate new tools and resources now available to help accurately estimate these damages
  3. Review challenges with repair vs. replacement options in various building losses
  4. Identify ways to isolate and evaluate estimate differences and work toward successful resolution of these claims

4. Common HVAC Damages: Repair vs. Replace

  1. Recognize typical residential and light commercial HVAC damages caused by hail, wind, fire, vandalism, winter storms, and wear and tear
  2. Determine the impact these types of losses have on HVAC equipment and assess whether repair or replacement is needed
  3. Review recent government regulations imposed on repairs and replacements of air conditioning equipment that impact claim resolution

5. Controlling Large Commercial Contents Claims

  1. Review techniques to accurately scope large commercial contents claims
  2. Identify ways to properly repair, restore, or replace specialized contents, including computers, lost data, fine arts, stock, and inventory
  3. Accurately adjust claims with contents salvage in a variety of loss scenarios

6. Evaluating Documents: Potential Fraud

  1. Evaluate various claim documents for potential fraud implications
  2. Distinguish between hard fraud and soft fraud
  3. Identify tips for investigating fraud with claim documentation in a variety of scenarios

7. Fire and Arson Investigation Tips for Adjusters

  1. Trace recent developments in fire and arson investigation strategies with NFPA 921 and 1033
  2. Describe effective evidence collection, including interviews with claimants, first responders, and witnesses
  3. Identify ways to communicate sensitive information to local law enforcement officials
  4. Create a checklist of arson investigation procedures and tips

8. New Apps for Property Adjusters

  1. Identify the latest apps for property adjusters
  2. Highlight new apps for building damage estimating now available to adjusters
  3. Evaluate new apps for measuring buildings and structures, capturing data, photos, and reports, and communicating with insureds and other parties
  4. Identify new apps for use with contents claims

9. Property Claim Resolution Strategies for the 21st Century

  1. Identify the reasons that some claims do not resolve in a timely fashion and offer strategies for resolution
  2. Explore ways to take "dormant" claims and move them toward successful completion
  3. Deny claims appropriately when coverage does not exist
  4. When inheriting flawed claims from others, move them toward prompt and fair resolution

10. Recent Property Case Law Update

  1. Review current property case law trends and improve your ability to forecast court decisions
  2. Identify current issues and concerns in property case law
  3. Use reasoning skills to apply policy provisions in various claim scenarios

11. Residential Roof Adjustment Challenges

  1. Identify hail, wind, and freeze damage to residential roofs
  2. Review other types of damage to residential roofs, including design errors, material defects, installation errors, and wear and tear
  3. Evaluate storm resistance of various roofing materials, including shingles, tile, slate, and metal

12. The Subrogation Landscape: What's Changing

  1. Review recent case law to evaluate the potential liability of subrogation targets
  2. Identify how current case law impacts subrogation claims
  3. Utilize recent case law to help make strategic decisions on the merits of subrogation challenges
  4. Manage subrogation recovery expectations by evaluating winning and losing arguments in recent cases

13. Water Damage Coverage Snafus

  1. Review challenging water loss scenarios and typical coverages afforded under homeowners, businessowners, and commercial property forms
  2. Trace the recent evolution of coverage language for water damage under various HO-3 policies
  3. Evaluate coverage in a variety of water damage claim scenarios, including surface water, backup and overflow, water with mold, the interior water damage limitation, and accidental discharge claims

14. Wildfires and Catastrophe Response Challenges

  1. Identify the unique challenges posed by wildfire claims in the 21st century
  2. Review the ways local authorities and governments have played a role in the adjustment of wildfire claims and recovery for insureds
  3. Evaluate new tools available to investigate and adjust wildfire claims
  4. Describe key resolution strategies in handling wildfire claims

General Interest Track (Appeals to both Property and Casualty Claim Professionals)

1. Customer Service Challenges and Solutions

  1. Review current successes and strengths of the customer service operations across your company
  2. Identify opportunities to deliver more effective customer service within your claim organization
  3. Align corporate strategies with customer expectations to meet and exceed expectations
  4. Describe ways to enlist your staff in building a customer-centric claims organization

2. Cyber Investigation Challenges

  1. Review various types of losses that can lead to cyber claims under first- and third-party policies, including hacked data and data loss from different perils
  2. Describe methods for investigating distinct types of cyber claims to determine the cause, impact, and recovery options
  3. Develop crisis response techniques, including assembling an effective response team, gathering and retaining evidence, preventing further damage, and fulfilling notification obligations

3. Ethical and Good Faith Claim Handling Strategies

  1. Describe possible ethical dilemmas that may confront claims professionals in the course of their work
  2. Identify a system that will help you evaluate ethical dilemmas and solutions
  3. Survey various states to identify the good faith claims handling practices expected with every adjustment
  4. Highlight the many ways that ethical claims handling supports society and the greater good

4. Managing Claims Operations with New Tools

  1. Identify management areas where new technology tools can drive operational improvements
  2. Devise ways to integrate new tools for maximum benefits
  3. Review the ways employees respond to new tools and changes
  4. Align your organizational objectives with these new tools and improvements

Casualty Claims Track

1. Advanced Topics in HO Liability

  1. Describe the expansion of homeowners policy liability coverage to respond to increasing exposures affecting personal liability
  2. Survey evolving state and federal law to review the courts' broadening interpretation of policy language to address coverage for exposures posed by cyberbullying, defamation, intentional acts, and more
  3. Analyze approaches to coverage for these and other high-risk liability exposures, such as slip-and-fall and employment claims

2. Biomechanics of Injuries

  1. Describe the biomechanics and reconstruction of vehicle collisions and other accident scenarios
  2. Examine the use of engineering and other scientific data to evaluate damage and injuries
  3. Identify and evaluate various injuries and their mechanisms through accident scene analysis

3. CGL Exposures and Investigations

  1. Identify new and emerging risks that CGL insurers should be prepared to evaluate
  2. Explore relevant policy language and how courts may resolve coverage disputes involving these emerging risks based on the coverage afforded
  3. Analyze investigative techniques and policy provisions to determine liability

4. Condo Claims and Directors & Officers Liability Claims

  1. Distinguish between general liability coverage for a condominium itself and coverage for individual board members under a directors & officers liability policy
  2. Evaluate the most common condo liability claims and challenges
  3. Interpret association bylaws and determine how they may interact with liability policies and state and local rules and regulations
  4. Investigate injuries and alleged actions of board members to determine if coverage exists under each policy

5. Construction Defect Claims and Additional Insureds

  1. Survey trends in construction defect claims against builders and subcontractors
  2. Describe differences in coverage issues and insurer obligations relating to contractors, subcontractors, additional insureds, and indemnitees
  3. Analyze key policy provisions, including what constitutes an "occurrence," "damage to property," "your work," and others
  4. Evaluate how tenders of defense and indemnity should be made under both policy and trade agreements

6. Contract Analysis for Casualty Adjusters

  1. Identify the fundamental components of a contract, including offer, acceptance, and consideration
  2. Explain the basic rules and laws governing contract interpretation
  3. Recognize the different types of contracts that can impact general liability claims, including leases, indemnity agreements, construction contracts, and service contracts
  4. Examine contractual provisions, such as hold harmless agreements, to determine their potential legitimacy and applicability

7. Evaluating and Negotiating Bodily Injury and Wrongful Death Claims

  1. Describe claim investigation techniques for pre- and post-litigation bodily injury and wrongful death claims, including proper injury evaluations
  2. Identify the key components of an effective negotiation strategy
  3. Build an effective negotiation strategy based on the merits of the case
  4. Evaluate various claim scenarios and create negotiation strategies for success

8. Food Contamination Claims and Liability

  1. Identify the various parties and issues involved in food contamination claims based on negligence or product liability
  2. Describe liability insurance coverage for those claims, including coverage under CGL policies and other stand-alone coverage applicable to food liability
  3. Formulate proper investigation and documentation techniques, including gathering information from witnesses, documents, and regulatory bodies to evaluate liability and coverage
  4. Utilize experts and other resources to help resolve causation questions and provide crisis management

9. Medicare/Medicaid Set-Asides and Claims Management

  1. Explain a liability insurer's essential obligations under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act
  2. Identify actions or omissions that could subject liability insurers to litigation under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act
  3. Establish strategies to avoid potential litigation and satisfy Medicare's right to recover
  4. Outline resources for staying abreast of changes in the applicable rules and regulations

10. Social Media Liability Exposures and Coverage

  1. Examine liability exposures and coverage for cyberbullying and other conduct arising out of social media use
  2. Explore present and emerging causes of action enhanced or generated by social media use
  3. Assess coverage issues under personal and commercial liability policies for social media-related claims