Reporting claims promptly is one of our insureds’ most important responsibilities. That’s why nearly every insurance policy requires prompt notice of a claim as part of the contract.

Lately, we’ve observed an increase in claims that are not reported promptly. You may hesitate to report a claim for a variety of reasons. You may be under the impression that:

• You are not responsible or at fault for the loss, so it is not yours to report. 
• The third party may forget about the incident, so reporting it will bring it back to memory, and now they will benefit from it. 
• Reporting the claim will increase your insurance premium.

Prompt claim reporting is always in your best interest. By reporting a claim as soon as possible, our adjusters can immediately begin their investigation of the reported incident, including collecting information that could help in a settlement dispute. 

There are other benefits to early reporting, including:

• Early reporting leads to faster resolution of the claim. 
• With the current supply chain, late reporting will only increase the time they must wait to complete repairs. With auto repair, this may mean they will exceed their allotted rental expense provisions. 
• Faster claims reporting equals superior and more complete customer service. We are better able to defend them when we know early!

It is also essential for agencies to educate their staff on prompt claims handling and how it can help us offer the superior claims service for which we are known. Please remind them to: 

• Report all lawsuit notifications immediately.
• Forward any potential claim information to us. Earlier claims reporting leads to more accurate claims outcomes and more satisfied customers. 
• Do not rely on the customer to obtain an estimate before submitting the claim to see if the damage will “exceed the deductible.” This delay in reporting generally leads to more damage than what would be seen with earlier reporting. Auto accidents where the third party states they “may be injured” or “going to get checked out” usually worsen with time. The claim also tends to get worse when the third party does not get contacted and feels they are being neglected.

Reporting all claims as soon as possible is always more beneficial than holding onto the claim.  We are proud of our 98% Claims Satisfaction Rating. We work hard to ensure our claimants are treated the way we would want to be treated, and prompt claims reporting helps us do just that.