Winter Storm Q Producing some extra Job Security for Auto Adjusters

Looks like winter isn't going away without a fight! This is why I don't take weather advice from an overgrown squirrel... ;)  Also, the name of this winter storm would also suggest that meteorologists have run out of clever names for snow storms this season.



Winter Storm Q is bringing a dangerous mix of sleet, snow and ice to the mid-west!  Q is also responsible for creating a tornado that has ripped the roof off of a home in Clayton, Louisiana.  Countless car crashes are being reported, some of which producing fatalities.  Over 18 inches of heavy snow has been reported in Nashville, Kansas.  Freezing rain is snapping 4 to 6 inch diameter tree branches in Missouri.  Ripley, Illinois is seeing 6.1 inches of snow at this time.  Snow is still coming down in Nebraska but it would appear that this has not closed any roads or schools in the state.

Indiana and Ohio are starting to get the business, causing winter weather warnings that will bring a dangerous morning commute to work.  If you have to drive in any of these areas, take it slow and stay safe! However, it is being advised that you stay off the roads if possible.

The dangerous conditions aren't expected to last very long. Temperatures are supposed to reach the upper 40's across most of the mid-west this weekend.

Discontinued Shingles Commonly Overlooked

I'm sure many of you have come across this (or will) at some point in your career.  This may help some of the newer guys out there when determining repair vs. replacement for a risk roof.  There are so many different discontinued shingles out there that it would be far too time consuming for any single person to list.  In your travels, what are the most common types of shingles that have been discontinued that you have noticed?  Share this blog post to your adjuster or contractor buddies on facebook and twitter to help spread the word!  It might just help you earn some easy cash!  Feel free to comment with any discontinued products you would like to share with the community!

The most common discontinued shingles I have encountered are:
Owens Corning - Prominence

• This is a faux-laminate shingle.  Meaning that the shingle gives the appearance of a dimensional grade shingle, but is truly a 3-tab shingle.


• This is discontinued for "unique wear characteristics"
  
  
  
  • Note: shingle manufacturers hate it when we call their shingles "defective" to the insureds.


• I often refer to these shingles as "hail damaged out of the box".
  
  
  
  • The faux-laminate strip wears off almost immediately.  Giving the appearance of hail damage.
  
  
  • DO NOT BUY THESE SHINGLES FOR HAIL DAMAGE ON THE FAUX-LAMINATE STRIP!  If there really is hail damage to this shingle, look for it elsewhere on the shingle. Key-ways are extremely helpful!

Charcoal

Chateau Green

Driftwood

Slate Gray

Sienna Blend

 

Certainteed - Hearthstead

• Easily identified by unique key-ways.
  
  
  
  • Key-ways start out wide and then narrow.


• Is a 4-tab shingle.


• Have a strong shadow line.

Certainteed - Classic Horizon & New Horizon

• This is Certainteed's version of the OC Prominence shingle.


• It also features a faux-laminate strip (doesn't that sound prestigious?)


• There are two different versions in the Horizon series: Classic Horizon and New Horizon.
  
  
  
  • They are both discontinued, the only difference is that the Classic Horizons are a 3-tab shingle where the New Horizons are a 1-tab shingle.
  
  
  
    Classic Horizon Photos (3-tab):
  

  

  Homestead Slate

  

  Williamsburg Gray

  

  Weathered Wood

  

  Valleyforge Green

  

  Shadow Black

  

  Resawn Shake

  

  Blue Slate

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  Gray Stone

  

  Praire Wood

 New Horizon Photos (1-tab):

Gray Stone

 

Homestead Slate

Horizon Blue

Praire Wood

Shadow Black

Valleyforge Green

Weathered Wood

Williamsburg Gray

Harvest Brown

T-Lock Shingles

• These shingles aren't necessarily "commonly overlooked" but they are discontinued nonetheless!


• There is nothing left in the market that is considered LKQ (Like Kind and Quality) or similar construction.


• These shingles are heavier in weight than normal 3-tab shingles.  Xactimate used to have a code for this type of shingle.  It was RFG 280 for heavyweight shingles.  However, due to recent price list changes, Xactimate no longer has this code available for use.  The closest thing in Xactimate (when considering the t-lock shingle's weight) is RFG 300.  Please remember to read the line item description and use some of that language when entering your file notes to justify use of the RFG 300 line item for this shingle.

If you find any of the shingles referenced on this page, I like to play a game called "find the missing shingle". because if you are missing just 1 shingle on this type of roof you can toast the whole thing for the shingle not being available due the product being discontinued with no like kind quality or product of similar construction available. (consult with your manager) Likewise can be said for actual hail damage found on these shingles.

Would Insurance Cover a Meteorite Strike?

With the near earth asteroid  passing by this afternoon and the meteor that exploded over Russia, a sobering question has arisen that not many people have ever taken into consideration. "Would my homeowners and/or auto insurance cover damage by falling space debris?" It's not something that is typically discussed in many insurance meetings with your agent.  In fact, damage from such an event is extremely rare!



Over 3,000 buildings were damaged in Russia today when a meteorite exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.  The explosion from the meteor caused a supersonic sound wave that blew out the windows and doors of many buildings in the area.  At least 1,000 people have been reported injured from this event.  Thankfully, nobody has been killed.

The good news is that falling space debris, asteroids, meteorites and even falling satellites are covered under a standard homeowner and business insurance policy!  There is even coverage for your contents/personal property from such an event.  If a meteorite falls on your car, there is also coverage under your auto comprehensive damage endorsement.  You would even be covered in the unfortunate event that a meteor strikes a person.  Liability and life insurance would take effect from that point.

So you can rest assured that your property will be covered in the event of an unlikely meteorite apocalypse. :)

Swarm of Tornadoes Injure Dozens in Mississippi

Three separate twisters razed hundreds of homes across south-central Mississippi on Sunday evening. No deaths have been reported at this time, however 82 people have been injured. A few critical injuries have been reported, but nothing life threatening yet. Clean up has started and as damages are assessed it would appear that the town Hattiesburg has been hit the hardest.  A severe thunderstorm threat remains for the next few days across many southern coastal states.

To view requirements on how to obtain a Mississippi state insurance adjusting license, be sure to visit AdjusterPro.

State of Emergency: NY, MA, CT, RI

Winter Storm Nemo is a monster!  And it is only getting worse! (2/8/2013 - 2/9/2013)

The brunt end of the storm is currently in New Jersey and is headed toward Boston fast!  A state of emergency has been issued for many areas of the northeastern US.  Areas of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have all issued travel bans.  If you are in these areas and attempt to travel then you could be issued a hefty ticket.  DO NOT TRAVEL IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS!  Remember, you are not only putting your life at risk, but you will also be putting first responders at risk.




Winter Storm Nemo is intensifying and is projected to become worse later on tonight.  Gusts in upwards of 50 mph are being reported.  By 5 or 6am tomorrow (Feb. 9th) the storm will be ending for the western-most areas that have been affected.  Hunker down, Bahston!  It looks like you are going to be taking the brunt of this storm!

Stay safe and God bless!  Click here to FIND more information on Winter Storm NEMO

 

 

Winter Storm Nemo: Flooding, blizzard conditions, power outages and hurricane force winds

No, not Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; and certainly not the fish!  Winter Storm Nemo is set to drop more than a foot of snow over New York City and northern parts of New Jersey tomorrow morning and afternoon!  Power outages, blizzard conditions, flooding and hurricane force winds are being predicted.  Now is the time to prepare yourself if you are in these areas!



Nemo is already dropping snow on Chicago and causing travel issues in parts of Michigan.  This storm is set to hit Boston, New York and New Jersey tomorrow morning and afternoon.  The good folks at The Weather Channel are advising everyone to avoid traveling at this time.  This is currently being viewed as a potential historical winter nor'easter storm! The Massachusetts Governor has ordered all unnecessary vehicles to be off of the roads so emergency personnel can perform their jobs efficiently.  Blizzard conditions with as much as 2 - 3 feet of snow could be a real possibility.  While this is primarily going to be a snow related event, ice and heavy coastal flooding is also a very real possibility!  This nor'easter may bring hurricane force winds and will threaten efforts to rebuild coastal areas that were affected by super-storm Sandy late last year.

If you are adjusting claims in these areas, expect to batten down the hatches for a couple of days!  Maybe even a few weeks!  Flights are being cancelled all over the grid, so that eliminates the ability to sneak home for a couple of days unfortunately... :/

To view current conditions, please visit The Weather Channel and learn what how to prepare for what is being called a "Monster of a storm!"

Cover your ass!

Pardon my French, but if you've been adjusting for a while then you will understand what I mean when I say "Cover your ass!"

Sad to say that the insurance adjusting industry is primarily played by office politics.  The guys who see many re-deployment opportunities are the guys who give the appropriate face-time with management and document their inspections and conversations with policy holders accordingly.  Many insurance carriers have implemented some sort of file note system for adjusters to document inspection results and anything else that is relevant/important to the claim.

If it's not in the file notes, then it never happened!  If you have a conversation with an insured, be sure to document it ASAP!  Too many times have I seen a conversation or inspection go sour and then the insured called the adjuster's manager to complain before the adjuster has the chance to upload his/her file notes to the system.  Just like in elementary school when a child "snitches" on his/her classmate, the teacher is most likely going to believe whomever they heard from first.  This holds especially true when adjusting!  It would be a good idea to start creating a habit out of uploading an inspection file note within an hour of completing the inspection of the claim.  You will have a much clearer file note this way, as the inspection results will be fresh in your mind!




Document the crap out of contractors!  I cannot stress this enough!  Many contractors are going to try to go behind an adjusters back to receive O&P or overhead and profit.  Document why O&P is or is not warranted and wither or not the contractor is in agreement with the adjuster's scope, inspection results and estimate price.  This puts the contractor on the hook for any disagreements that may arise later on in the claim process.  Once the contractor agrees with the adjuster, then it might as well be written in stone.  (this does not apply if additional damages are found when repairs are being performed)  You are going to deal with a lot of crooked contractors, there is no getting around that.  Be sure to document everything accordingly!

Don't be afraid to call one of your superiors to seek advice when handling difficult claim situations.  Management likes to see an adjuster make an effort to perform every action necessary to provide the insured with the best inspection results possible.  Remember, managers are likely to re-deploy adjusters that cause them the least amount of trouble in the long run!  So be sure to introduce yourself when arriving on storm site, show up to the office to socialize often; and most importantly.... cover your ass!

For more information, see: 5 Important Tips Every Insurance Adjuster Needs to Know & How to Create a Personal Property List (Contents Inventory Summary)