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It has been over 60 days since an EF-2 tornado went through Norman, OK leaving behind much damage. During the first two weeks following the large storm, insurance company adjusters and their independent adjusters were conducting initial inspections and making recommendations on the damages. The next week, week three, we noticed some homeowners were starting to receive struct...

When you have an insurance claim most people want to get moving quickly on clearing out the damaged items and getting repairs started. Before you start doing that here are some tips on how to help yourself maximize your contents claim.

Take pictures of everything

We like to say there is no such thing as too many pictures. Make sure...

It is common knowledge that dispute valuations in insurance claims leads to “appraisal.” Appraisal is a somewhat of a buzz word for arbitration where arbitrators (appraisers) determine values. Simply put then, an appraiser is an arbitrator and appraisal is an arbitration. This isn’t totally a fair equation of words. After all, a brown trout is different from a rainbow trout. Arbitration is not an appraisal, but an appraisal can be an arbitration, especially when the c...

Insurance policies provide a method of dispute resolution called “appraisal”. When an impasse in the determination of the amount of a loss is reached, one party will demand (or request) appraisal and will name an appraiser. The other party will do so as well. The two appraisers will appoint a third appraiser to serve as an umpire and two of the three can render an award that will bind all parties.

This simple explanation of the appraisal...