Fraud Amidst the hailstones

EL PASO del NORTE—In the past few years, the city of El

Paso has been pounded by frequent hailstorms. On Sept.,

16, El Paso had its costliest hailstorm causing insured losses

in excess of $150 million.

While the majority of El Paso homeowners and vehicle owners have reported legitimate claims to insurers, companies note that the possibility of insurance fraud exists with some claims.

Yield Not to Temptation “As a homeowner who may need a new roof, but whose home was not damaged in the most recent storm, it’s tempting to do whatever it takes to get a new one, but

filing a fraudulent claim is not the route to take,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas (ICT).

Insurance adjusters are trained to identify hail damage. After a storm, adjusters examine roofs and can identify the direction of the storm, size of the hail, when the damage occurred and check homeowner records for any previous losses.

Double-Dipping Duplicity

“With previous hailstorms, some homeowners have filed claims, been paid, but never made roof repairs. They won’t continued on page 16

Stringer elected to Lead TSLA

In This Issue

TDI Mulcts Close to $16M in September

AUSTIN—Monte Stringer, executive vice president at U.S. Risk Inc., Dallas, was elected president of the Texas Surplus Lines Association Inc.

Letters to the Editor:

Felicitations from Bill Sleeper

The election and installation of officers and directors was held during TSLA’s fifty-second annual meeting, Nov. 9, 2009, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.

Special Focus: Insurance Education and Career Building 6

AmTrust Financial Services: It Ain’t Us

Other elected officers include President Todd Teitell, presi- dent, Colemont Insurance Brokers of Texas LP, Dallas; and Secretary-Treasurer Robin Stough, president, Towerstone continued on page 5

SELLING STRATEGIES:

Going Around in Circles

Monte Stringer

Texas Ins. Market: Good Things are happening

Get THE INSURANCE RECORD digital edition — online — every other
Thursday. Send your customer number (found on your mailing label)
and your email address to: digital@spcpub.com to start receiving your
online edition every issue. You’ll still receive your printed edition in the mail.