Following large-scale disasters like Hurricane Sally or Zeta, you will find that some insurance companies will make initial low-ball settlement offers and hope the policyholder takes the payment and doesn’t dispute the claim evaluation.
Continue Reading Understanding Alabama Insurance Claims Payments — No “Final” Payments
For the third part in this series on Alabama law, I want to focus on the scope of repairs and how actual cash value is determined. Alabama’s Administrative Code provides guidance for policyholders on how property insurance claims should be calculated.
Continue Reading Understanding Your Alabama Insurance Policy – Determining How Much Is Owed
In Part 1 of this series, I addressed general requirements for the insurance carrier’s adjustment of claims. Here, I want to focus on communications between the policyholder and the insurance carrier.
Continue Reading Delayed Insurance Claim Payment in Alabama? Insurance Companies Must Timely Respond To Alabama Policyholders
Is your hurricane claim being adjusted promptly, fairly, and equitably? I’ve heard many stories of policyholders that have still not seen an adjuster following Hurricane Sally, and Hurricane Zeta just brought more winds and rain to already damaged properties. It’s important to know the requirements Alabama insurance companies have for the adjustment of your hurricane claim.
Continue Reading Understanding Alabama Insurance Claims Standards—Is the Insurance Company Following Alabama Code?
Americans hate to be told that we cannot do something. I think it is just in our DNA. Since the time we are little, we are taught to “never let somebody tell you that you cannot…..” Name the dream you want to accomplish because, in America, you can do it.
Continue Reading Adjusting and The Unauthorized Practice of Law—Thoughts About What Public Adjusters Can Do in Alabama
Brian Goodman is the very able General Counsel for the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. He also worked tirelessly to get public adjusting licensed in Alabama. He has properly corrected me that public adjusting is not “illegal” in Alabama. Mark the time, I am making a correction to this morning’s blog.
Continue Reading Stop the Presses and Mark the Time—Chip Merlin, The Wizard of Something, May Be Wrong!!!
Merlin Law Group attorney Jason Cieri received a call from a public adjuster inquiring whether Alabama licenses public adjusting and if it is illegal to represent policyholders in Alabama. The answer is that public adjusting is not licensed in Alabama and doing what most public adjusters do could be considered the unauthorized practice of law.
Continue Reading Public Adjusting Is Illegal in Alabama
Bad faith cases really should be named “lack of good faith” cases because the duty is on the insurance company to act in the utmost of good faith and fair dealing with the policyholder. “Bad” has nothing to do with it. Alabama, however, carries the “bad faith” definition one step further by delineating a cause of action for “abnormal bad faith.”
Continue Reading Alabama Allows Abnormal Bad Faith—Is Auto-Owners Calling Its Customers’ Fraud Bad Faith?
Alabama policyholders can seek assistance with their insurance claims through the Alabama Department of Insurance website found here. When a policyholder feels they have hit a wall working with the adjuster(s) assigned to their insurance claim, Alabama provides an Online Consumer Complaint Form that can be submitted to the Department of Insurance.
Continue Reading How to File a Complaint with the Alabama Department of Insurance About Your Delaying, Denying, and Bad Treating Insurance Company
I recently received an inquiry concerning how long an insured has to file an initial property damage claim in Alabama.
Continue Reading Alabama – Late Notice