Premier
Claim Consultants offers the following services
to consumers, to insurance companies, and to attorneys
who may represent either party:
Appraisals
Claim Adjustments
Expert Witness Services
Litigation Support
Property Adjustment Report (“PAR”)
Appraisals
Premier will serve as an appraiser
for either consumers or insurance companies who have
a residential or commercial property claim dispute.
Premier’s appraisal policy is simple: Evaluate
and value the damages in order to fairly calculate
the Actual Cash and Replacement Cost Values for each
item in dispute. If Premier is unable to reach an
agreement with the other party’s appraiser on
these values, then the items still in dispute will
be submitted to an umpire chosen by the appraisers,
in accordance with section 2071(a) of the California
Insurance Code.
Premier is experienced not only in
informal but also in formal appraisals, as also defined
in section 2071(a) of the Code. Further, Premier is
experienced in appraisal hearings as conducted in
accordance with the California Code of Civil Procedure,
section 1280ff.
Premier can also serve as an umpire
for an appraisal, to fairly and impartially resolve
disputes between the appraisers for each party.
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Claim Adjustments
Premier Claim Consultants is one
of the few public adjusting companies with experience
settling claims both for insurance companies and for
consumers. It’s safe to say we know both sides
of the industry! We also know how to best represent
your claim interests. Claims expert and author Greg
Stafford oversees or adjusts each claim, making sure
that all of your policy “duties” are complied
with and that your settlement is as equitable as possible.
We invite you to compare our services, our contract,
and our rates with any of our competitors. We are
confident that no one else can offer you as much experience,
expertise, and professionalism as Premier Claim Consultants.
Click here and tell us about
your claim. We will gladly give you a free consultation
that will allow you to make the best decision possible
about how to proceed with your claim.
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Expert Witness Services
Greg Stafford has worked in the insurance
industry since 1994. For ten of those years he worked
for some of the largest property and casualty insurers
in the nation as a homeowners and commercial lines
supervisor and property claims adjuster at the highest
levels. Since 2004 he has represented consumers as
a licensed public insurance adjuster, and he has provided
expert reports and testimony for claim adjustments,
appraisals, and claims in litigation.
Mr. Stafford is author of the book,
Property Claims
Adjusting: A Complete Guidebook for the Consumer,
California Homeowners Edition
(Murrieta, CA: Premier Claim Consulting, 2007), and
the companion California Commercial Edition to be
released in 2008.
In addition to his vocational experience,
Mr. Stafford is also a Senior Claims Law Associate
(SCLA) with the American Educational Institute. He
has completed the Advanced Property Estimating training
course (now called Senior-Level Residential Estimating)
through Vale National. Mr. Stafford has also completed
the Claims Environment (now called Claims Handling
Principles and Practices) and Property Loss Adjusting
courses (AIC 33 and AIC 35, respectively) through
the American Institute for CPCU and Insurance Institute
of America. He has also completed undergraduate work
on the subjects of the impact of earthquakes on structures
and construction estimating.
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Litigation Support
In the course of property claim adjustments,
there are times when disputes arise that are not resolvable
through the course of a normal claim adjustment or
by appraisal, but rather through litigation. Premier
Claim Consultants can provide expert analysis and
evaluation of claim adjustments in order to provide
insight and support for plaintiffs or defendants involved
in litigation over a property claim dispute. The primary
means of doing so is through our Property
Adjustment Report.
Premier Claim Consultants can provide
professional assistance with any necessary research,
case law review, and preliminary and ongoing evaluation
of a property claim adjustment in preparation for
depositions, mediations, or for trial.
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Property Adjustment Report (“PAR”)
In golf “par” is used
for what is the accepted standard for a given hole.
In general, something is said to be “on par”
if it meets someone’s expectations. If a property
claim adjustment between an insured and an insurance
company does not meet the “minimum standards”
(section 2695.1[a][1]) of the California Fair Claims
Settlement Practices Regulations, an insurance company
could be found guilty of not ‘promoting good
faith,’ which is part of the intent of the Regulations
(California Fair Claims Regulations, section 2695.1[a][2]),
or even of committing “bad faith.”
Bad faith in the insurance industry
involves a breach of the implied covenant of “good
faith” and fair dealing that should be expected
by parties to a contract, such as an insurance policy
contract. It is expected that an insurance company
will deal “fairly” with its insureds,
but there are times when this is not the case. There
are still other times when an insured thinks an insurance
company has acted in bad faith, when in fact the insurance
company may have fulfilled all of its obligations
toward its insured.
Premier Claim Consultants can provide
either party, or their attorneys, with a comprehensive
evaluation and report of the claim adjustment performed.
Premier will provide a complete, written review of
all claim adjustment activities and documents issued
as part of the claim, and then offer a written analysis
and opinion as to whether or not the insurance company’s
adjustment of the claim was compliant or non-compliant
with the standards of the California Fair Claims Settlement
Practices Regulations.
Premier’s Property Adjustment
Report will review the claim adjustment in relation
to the following four categories:
1. Representation of Policy Provisions
and Benefits.
2. Duties upon Receipt of Communications.
3. Standards for Prompt, Fair and
Equitable Settlements.
4. Additional Standards Applicable
to Fire and Extended Coverage Type Policies with Replacement
Cost Coverage.
Premier’s Property Adjustment
Report is an excellent place for insureds and insurance
companies to start if they want to know, from the
perspective of a licensed property claims expert with
experience on both the carrier and on the public side
of adjusting, if the carrier’s claim adjustment
was “on par.”
To discuss terms of service, see
a sample report, or to get a list of references from
prior clients, click
here.
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