Tampa, FL., April 2012 - Being chosen to host the 2012 Republican National Convention is a major coup for the entire Tampa Bay area.  Having a global spotlight on our beautiful city and the surrounding Tampa Bay communities is sure to create a long-term positive economic shot-in-the-arm for the area business community.  Having thousands of convention visitors in our community and press officials sending media reports all across the globe is clearly a chamber of commerce official’s dream come true.

So what dark storm clouds does this insurance loss adjuster with 39 years of experience see as a threat to this otherwise rosy picture of democracy at work in one of our nation’s finest cities?

Law and Ordinance coverage (sometime referred to as building code coverage) allows a policyholder to pay for increased repair costs when building codes require the repair or replacement of an undamaged part of a building in order to bring it up to current code requirements. Public adjuster Dick Tutwiler explores the intricacies of Law and Ordinance, an area of insurance coverage that many do not know or understand.

Rick Tutwiler was a panel member for “Knowing Coverage and Policy Language,” presented at the 2012 Windstorm Conference. Along with Rick three other experts, an attorney representing insurance companies, an attorney representing policyholders, and an independent insurance claims adjuster who represents insurance companies reviewed important coverage issues that can have a significant impact on insurance settlements or dispute resolutions.

Rick highlighted topics that included the steps adjusters should take early in the claim process to protect and document the policyholders claim should any dispute arise. He also touched on a few new Florida rules for adjusters, specifically as it relates to contractor involvement, as well as loss mitigation issues that often create claim disputes during the adjustment process.  Rick also took note of a trending issue regarding many admitted carriers taking the appraisal provision out of their insurance policies, which is much to the detriment of the insured policyholder.

This 2011 report examines the present condition of the catastrophe risk finance system in Florida, including State run Citizens Insurance and the private market for property insurance.

Michael K. McCracken, CPCU provides an excellent discussion to help the reader understand the complexities of Actual Cash Value.

One of the biggest problems in property loss adjusting is setting a loss on an "actual cash value" (ACV) basis. To most in the insurance industry, ACV is a 'term de arte.’ That may be well and good for those who know how to read and understand insurance policies, but it sure doesn't do any good for the members of the general public out there who buy property insurance policies. In fact, ACV often causes problems for claims professionals evaluating a loss....

Dick Tutwiler was honored to present Florida Property Insurance Reform – Update as part of the First Annual Policyholder Conference on Property and Business Interruption Losses hosted by Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C.  at the Doral Marriott in Miami, Fl. During the presentation, he reviewed some of the sweeping changes that were part of the 2011 Florida property insurance legislation (SB408) and discussed the impact they will have on both policyholders and the claims process.  Topics included: Sinkhole coverage changes, the Replacement Cost Value (RCV) holdback reinstatement, filing deadlines, insurance rate increases, Citizens Insurance specific legislation and new public adjuster requirements and limitations on contractors acting as public adjusters. “The ever changing landscape of insurance regulation requires both policyholders and those of us who manage claims to either understand or become victims of the new rules,” stated Tutwiler. “Even thought some of the legislation is not consumer friendly, we must learn to operate within these boundaries in order to continue to protect our clients’ claims.”

Join Dick Tutwiler as he presents Field Adjuster Safety Issues for Public Adjusters. A seminar for the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters about various aspects of staying safe in the field. Follow Link

This is a special report by Demotech, Inc. on the impact of storms on the Florida property insurance market from 1990 to 2010.

For five years, Floridians have struggled to fix the state's property insurance system, ricocheting between attempts to appease the industry and punish it.
They've seen premiums rise as much as 350 percent on the coast and witnessed the cancellation of 2 million policies. Thousands of homeowners now can only find insurance from a state pool that many believe could not pay its bills after a major hurricane. Despite no hurricanes in five years, Florida insurers are demanding yet more money from homeowners. At the same time, the capital that insurers have on hand to pay claims has shrunk. Investigative reporter Paige St. John and The Herald-Tribune spent more than a year examining the Florida insurance market in an attempt to find out why. This portal of stories that includes a tool to check the financial health of your insurance carrier are the result. Follow Link

Just as our communities are encouraged to have emergency disaster plans in place before a catastrophic event, claim professionals and their field colleagues should also have clear and definite plans in place to ensure their life, health and safety. Originally presented at the 2011 Windstorm Conference in Houston, TX this presentation covers important issues such as Safety Training & Preparation for Field Inspection, Accidental Hazards & Perils, Intentional Acts, Field Security Precautions and much more. Any claims adjuster will benefit from this important topic...

This presentation was originally presented by Dick Tutwiler at the First Party Claims Conference in Providence, RI, October, 2010. The presentation covers the history, basic concepts and implications of Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance...

Dear Governor Crist: I respectfully request that you veto the insurance legislation recently passed in SB 2044. While there are many good provisions in this bill...

BY AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC INSURANCE ADJUSTERS

WASHINGTON, April 14 -- /PRNewswire/ -- AAPIA, a nationally known association serving public insurance adjusters, is aggressively on record opposing HB 1181 and Senate Bill 2264, two Florida legislative bills that would significantly dilute consumer protections and defy commonsense if they were passed; AAPIA has faith that once Florida legislators understand the ramifications of each, the bills will be swiftly relegated to the dustbin of Tallahassee.

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OPPAGA Report Finds that Insureds Received Larger Settlements when a Public Adjuster is Involved in a Claim...

Here's why working with a public adjuster can be good for an independent insurance agency and for its customers: 
1. After a disaster, insureds have hundreds or even thousands of questions and worries. In a largescale disaster, many of your local customers will be coming to you for answers.