This course gives participants the skills needed to better evaluate and argue comparative negligence claims.  Through use of scale diagrams, participants learn to utilize basic formulas to reconstruct accident facts that can be used to validate or discredit claims.

Topics covered:

• Perception and reaction distance
• Converting miles per hour to feet per second
• Braking distance
• Stopping distance
• Coefficient of friction
• Determining speed from skid marks
• Rules of the road
• Comparative negligence
• Res Ipsa Loquitor
• Reconstruction of typical accident

This course is designed to give participants the ability to adjust auto claims and uses the Personal Auto Policy as a reference.  

Topics covered:

• Material damage and repairability
• Definitions
• Physical damage coverage
• Liability coverage
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• General Provisions
• Common endorsements
• Investigation, including police reports, statements and diagrams
• Comparative and contributory negligence
• Rules of the road
• Violations of statutes
• Fair claims laws
• Good faith claim handling

This seminar uses case studies to allow participants to practice new skills and share existing knowledge immediately. Those attending will leave with the ability to evaluate injury claims more accurately and confidently.

Topics covered:

• Evaluation of special damages
• Evaluation of general damages
• Establishment of mitigating factors
• Formula methods of evaluation — why
• they don’t work
• Evaluation of claims requiring reduction
• to present value (including life impairment and
• wrongful death claims)
• Survival claims
• Wrongful death claims
• Claims for pecuniary loss
• Analysis of economists’ reports
• Identity of settlement ranges

The objective of this one-day seminar is to give participants the ability to calculate a business interruption loss and extra expenses for a small retail concern, applying the coverages available under ISO forms.

Topics covered:

• Definition and purpose of business interruption insurance
• Factors that affect the insurer’s liability & the insured’s ability to collect under the contract
• Coverages — The business interruption coverage form
• Coverage requirements and additional coverages
• Overview of common endorsements
• Analysis of losses
• Review of a business’ financial records
• Creating an income statement from tax records
• Lost sales projections
• Computation of net profit and continuing
• expenses for the period of restoration
• Loss calculations

This course complies with California Law requiring all claims adjusters handling California claims to annually complete training on California Fair Claims Laws.  We issue certificates to all course completers that comply with California Law and keep attendance records.  All participants receive a copy of the California’s Fair Claim Laws.

This course provides an in-depth analysis of the ISO Business Auto Policy. Workshop exercises are used throughout this workshop to give participants experience in coverage interpretation. Using the Business Auto Policy as the basis for study, interpretation of coverage provided by the Garage Coverage Form and Motor Carrier Coverage Form is also included.

Topics covered:

• Commercial auto loss exposures
• Physical damage coverage
• Business auto conditions
• Garage Coverage Form
• Declarations and definitions
• Liability coverage
• Common endorsements
• Motor Carrier Coverage Form

This course provides an in-depth analysis of the ISO Commercial General Liability Policy. Numerous workshops are used throughout the course that require participants to use new learning immediately.

Topics covered:

• Commercial liability loss exposures
• CGL policy limits and definitions
• Analysis of CGL coverage
• CGL conditions
• Common policy declarations and conditions
• Claims made v. occurrence coverage
• Who is an insured
• Evolution of the CGL policy

This course complies with Oklahoma’s adjuster continuing education requirement that Oklahoma license adjusters receive one credit of earthquake training each compliance period.  This course provides an overview of the earthquake hazard in the US and provides analysis of ISO Endorsements providing earthquake and volcanic eruption coverage on personal lines and commercial lines policies.

In this course, participants will learn how to conduct an interview successfully and to obtain a detailed, useful statement, even under difficult circumstances.

Topics covered:

• Value and use of a statement as evidence
• Preparation for the interview
• Questioning techniques
• Addressing coverage issues in a statement
• Completing statement summaries
• Auto, fire, and bodily injury statement characteristics
• Gaining the cooperation of a witness
• Use of the negative statement
• Construction of diagrams
• Proper use of statement guides
• Handling special situations (minors, hostile witnesses, interruptions, etc.)

Through the use of case studies adjusters determine the variables involved in making ethical decisions and learn how to identify and address various conflicts of interest.

Topics covered:

• Fair claim laws
• Characteristics of professions
• Codes of ethics
• Tripartite relationships
• Conflicts of interest
• Ethical behavior case studies

This course complies with Oklahoma’s adjuster continuing education requirement that Oklahoma licensed adjusters receive one credit of flood coverage education each compliance period.  This course provides an analysis of coverage provided by FEMA Flood Policies.

The course provides a detailed analysis of application of coverages contained within the ISO Garage Policy. Participants complete numerous workshop activities to put new learning to use immediately.

Topics covered:

• Common policy conditions
• Direct coverage option
• Garage policy declarations
• Coverage extensions
• Garagekeepers coverage
• Garage conditions
• Liability coverage
• Physical damage coverage
• Who is an insured

This course utilizes case studies, based on actual reported court cases from various jurisdictions in the US, on how courts have determined if bad faith exists in particular claims and verdicts awarded.  Additionally, participants have to analyze numerous pieces of claim file documentation that can potentially be the basis for bad faith claims.  

Topics covered:

• Evolution of first and third party bad faith
• Punitive damages
• Reservation of rights letters
• Conflicts of interest for defense counsel
• Declaratory judgments
• Extra contractual damages

This is an intensive, one day seminar to give participants the skill and ability to adjust homeowners claims. This course is highly interactive. Many workshops are included that require participants to use what they have learned immediately, ensuring maximum retention.

Topics covered:

• Review of all coverages under standard ISO homeowner coverage forms (first party)
• Review of all major endorsements
• Adjusting theft claims
• Adjusting water damage claims
• Recognition of typical homeowner fraud claims

This course provides detail analysis with numerous examples of the construction of a property-casualty insurance policy.  Participants utilize new learning and work in groups, based on specific workshop requirements, to author their own unique policies. 

Topics covered:

• Characteristics of contracts
• Special characteristics of insurance contracts
• Principle of indemnity
• Principle of insurable interest
• Principle of subrogation
• Modular policies
• Self-contained policies
• Definitions
• Insuring agreements
• Conditions
• Exclusions

This one-day workshop provides an analysis of the anatomy of contemporary traumatic injuries encountered in claims, their treatment, and how to reduce ultimate exposure by proper case management. The manual is an excellent reference tool for use after completing the workshop.

Topics covered:

• Fractures
• Head and spine injuries
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disease)
• Scarring
• Knee and leg injuries
• Injuries to the arms, hands and shoulder
• Identification of over-treatment and how to control expenses
• In-depth analysis of medical reports
• The appropriate use of and considerations in ordering independent medical examinations

Successful claims negotiators utilize many critical behaviors in achieving settlement. We have taken these specific behaviors and have designed one-day performance-based workshops for the following groups of claims professionals. As with any of our courses, we can tailor it to your specific needs.

Negotiation Workshops for:

• Casualty Adjusters (negotiations with attorneys and unrepresented claimants)
• Claim Specialists/Home Office Consultants (face to face negotiations on higher value cases at mediations and settlement conferences involving multiple defendants)
• Property Adjusters (negotiations with the insured and public adjusters)
• Auto Property Damage Adjusters (negotiations with the insured and third-party claimants)
• Auto Appraisers (negotiations with the insured and body shop)
• No-Fault Adjusters (negotiations with the insured and service providers)
• Subrogation Adjusters (negotiations with other carriers and uninsured parties)
• Workers Compensation Adjusters (negotiations with claimants, attorneys and service providers)

This course compares and contrasts the no fault laws and personal injury protection endorsements of New Jersey and New York as the basis for study.  Through understanding of these two, very different state no fault laws and personal injury protection endorsements, participants will gain the ability to properly analyze coverage and calculate benefits for other states.

Topics covered:

• Verbal v monetary thresholds
• Calculation of lost wage benefits
• Application of fee schedules
• Calculation of death benefits
• Offsets to no fault benefits
• Recognition and pursuit of subrogation
• Optional coverages
• Impact of case law
• Use of independent medical exams

This course is designed to develop the skills necessary to maximize recovery potential. Throughout this seminar, workshops are used to give all participants experience with handling often-encountered situations in property loss subrogation.

• The significance of subrogation on insurer underwriting results and profitability
• Requirements of subrogation clauses in property insurance policies
• Recognition of subrogation opportunities
• Theories of law used in pursuing subrogation claims
• Use and evaluation of experts
• Preservation of evidence
• Planning and evaluating a subrogation investigation
• Identifying the defendant’s insurance carrier
• Use of the Property Arbitration Forum
• Use of legal counsel in the recovery process

This course provides overview and application of five risk management techniques.  Various financial documents are analyzed so as to provide participants with the ability to interpret both insurer income statements and balance sheets to determine overall financial health.

Topics included:

• Financial and nonfinancial risk management techniques
• Written premium v earned premium
• Reserves
• GAAP accounting v statutory accounting
• Balance sheet construction
• Income statement construction
• Ratios used to determine insurer financial health
• Treaty reinsurance
• Facultative reinsurance

Increase your writing skill level. Through numerous individual and group exercises this course allows participants to discover and correct common flaws in claims communications. Both casualty claims and property claims versions of this course are available.

Topics covered:

• Fog index
• Empty introductory phrases
• Hedges, expletives, hidden verbs
• Sentence and paragraph structure
• Capitalization and punctuation
• Document layout, fonts, white space
• Reservation of rights letters
• Denials of liability
• Disclaimers of coverage
• Arbitration contentions

This course is an in-depth analysis of coverage provided by the ISO Motor Carrier Policy. Participants are required to complete numerous workshop activities throughout the course to immediately apply newly learned material.

Topics covered:

• Truckers declarations
• Physical damage coverage
• Trailer interchange coverage
• Liability coverage
• Who is an insured
• Coverage extensions
• Truckers conditions
• Common endorsements

This is a one-day seminar that compares and contrasts the various approaches specific states have taken to providing uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Case problems and other workshop activities are used throughout this intensive course to allow participants to apply new learning immediately.

Topics covered:

• Limits trigger v damages trigger
• Stacking
• State mandated requirements
• Protecting subrogation rights
• Blended endorsements v separate endorsements
• Eligible claimants
• Rejection of UM/UIM coverage
• Property damage coverage
• Impact of workers' compensation
• Arbitration of UM/UIM claims
• Extra contractual claims and bad faith
• Defenses to UM/UIM claims

This course provides an in-depth analysis of the NCCI Workers Compensation and Employers Liability Policy. Numerous workshop activities are used throughout this course to give participants experience with often-encountered coverage situations. The workers compensation coverage section is modified to be state specific.

Topics covered:

• History and development of workers compensation coverage
• Tests of employment
• Elements of compensability
• Employment classification
• Workers compensation benefits
• Use of independent medical exams
• Workers compensation judicial system
• Employers liability coverage
• Third party over claims
• Dual capacity claims

This course will give you the skills necessary to maximize recovery potential in workers compensation claims. Throughout this seminar, workshops are used to give all participants experience with handling often-encountered situations in workers compensation subrogation.

Topics covered:

• The significance of workers compensation subrogation on insurer underwriting results and profitability
• Requirements of the subrogation provisions of workers compensation laws
• Theories of law utilized in pursuing subrogation claims
• Products liability
• Defective workmanship
• Use of experts
• Preservation of evidence
• Planning and evaluating a subrogation investigation 
• Identifying the defendant’s insurance carrier
• Use of the Workers Compensation Arbitration Forum
• Use of legal counsel in the recovery process