A large property management firm suffered hail damage to one of their apartment complexes. In the initial report they indicated that one building had confirmed roof damage as a tenant had reported water damage in their apartment. The Lockton Claims Representative asked the insured when the claim was reported if any of the other 22 buildings in the complex might also be damaged. The insured was unsure, so our representative instructed them to have their roofing contractor inspect every building when they came out to make the repairs. Lockton informed the carrier that additional damage might be discovered.

The insured was unable to complete the additional inspections at the time of the loss due to the disaster conditions and the high local demand on contractors. The carrier did not send out a field adjuster to inspect the rest of the damage, and proceeded to pay and close the file for $3,095. As additional damage was discovered, the adjuster insisted on a separate loss notice for each of the additional buildings as he intended to apply a separate deductible and felt the insured “was just trying to get new roofs.” Our representative intervened, and elevated the issue to the underwriter and Branch Claim Manager of the carrier.

Our intervention resulted in the appropriate occurrence deductible being applied with a savings of $21,000 in errant deductible charges avoided, and prompt handling of the situation. The final payment of the loss totaled $75,238, an increase of $72,143 from the original settlement provided by the carrier.

An evaluation of a retail client’s historical program revealed that both the cash held by the insurer and the collateral posted for outstanding liabilities were excessive. As a result, Lockton successfully negotiated a cash return of more than $450,000 and a reduction of the workers compensation collateral by more than $7 million.