Guide for loss adjusters and independent adjusting firms · checked 13 November 2026
Loss adjuster software for site inspections, insurer deadlines and reports in your own template
A loss adjusting firm sells one thing: the report. Everything before it is evidence gathering on a clock. The insurer's instruction arrives by email, the site visit produces a hundred photos and a recorded interview, the preliminary report is due within days, the reserve has to be on every report, and the final report has to read like the firm wrote it, because the firm did. Adjusters tell us the slow part is not the site. As one put it: "it's the report writing that really takes us a lot of time." This guide covers the claim stages, the deadlines insurers and regulators set in the UK, US and Australia, what to record on every file, and how to get from site photos to a draft report without retyping.
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Short answer
Loss adjusters and independent adjusting firms usually run on a claims file system (ClickClaims, FileTrac, Claimable or an in-house system), an estimating tool where repairs are costed (Xactimate in the US, Cotality Claims Estimate in the UK), a phone camera and a shared drive for photos, and Word for the report. The gaps are photo transfer, insurer deadlines tracked by memory, and report writing. Look for software that turns the insurer's email into a claim file, files site photos by area straight from the phone, tracks first contact and preliminary report deadlines per insurer, and drafts each report section in your own template for the adjuster to edit. Fieldproxy is one option, set up around your own claim stages and report template.
15 days
To acknowledge a claim and begin investigating, under the NAIC model regulation and in California and Texas
40 days
California: accept or deny after proof of claim, with a written notice every 30 days if more time is needed
15 days
NFIP: the adjuster's preliminary report is due within 15 days of assignment, preferably the day of inspection
source: FEMA IS-1104 (NFIP adjuster training): preliminary report due dates
20 business days
Australia: insurers update the policyholder on a claim at least every 20 business days under the Code
How a job runs
One loss adjusters job, from first call to paid
The order the work really happens in, and what has to be written down at each step so nothing is argued about later.
- 1
Take the instruction
The insurer (or a broker, or a Lloyd's lead) appoints the firm, usually by email with a policy schedule and a loss notification attached. The claim file is opened with the insurer's claim reference, the policy number, the insured, the loss address, date and peril, and who the lead adjuster is. In the London market the expert is given the Unique Claim Reference (UCR) for their report.
- 2
Make first contact
The adjuster calls or writes to the insured, arranges the site visit, and gives first advice on mitigation. Insurers set their own first-contact window, often 24 or 48 hours, and the regulations behind them start at notice: 15 days to acknowledge and begin investigating under the NAIC model and in California and Texas.
- 3
Visit the site, or handle it on a desktop basis
Smaller and clearer claims are handled on a desktop basis, from photos and documents the insured sends. Larger losses get a site visit: walk the site, photograph the damage and the perimeter, measure, take samples, interview the insured and witnesses, and decide whether an engineer, forensic accountant or other specialist is needed. On a big industrial site the photos only help if you know where each was taken.
- 4
Confirm cover and cause
Check the loss against the policy: the cover in place on the date of loss, the forms and endorsements, any conditions or exclusions that bite, and the cause and sequence of events. Coverage issues are raised early in the preliminary report, not at settlement.
- 5
Issue the preliminary report with a reserve
The first report sets the insurer's reserve per section of cover, with business interruption marked as to follow where it is too early. NFIP sets 15 days from assignment; commercial insurers set their own, and many want it within days of the visit. It is the insurer's basis for action, so it has to be right as well as fast.
- 6
Manage specialists, quantum and interim payments
Engineers, contractors and accountants are instructed and chased. Quantum is built from estimates and invoices, often in Xactimate or Claims Estimate. The FCA's business interruption review flagged slow interim settlements and overly burdensome information requests as customer harm, and named early partial payments on basic information as good practice.
- 7
Send interim reports when things move
If the reserve needs to change, the insurer hears about it straight away in an interim report, with the amount, the direction and why, not at the next scheduled report. Long claims also get periodic status reports; NFIP asks for them every 30 days once a claim runs past 45.
- 8
Agree the settlement
The adjuster negotiates the figure with the insured or their assessor, gets the settlement agreement or proof of loss signed, and recommends payment. Regulators then hold the insurer to a payment clock: within 30 days of acceptance in California and under the NAIC model.
- 9
Write the final report
Cause, cover, quantum, adjustments for underinsurance, excess, salvage and recovery (subrogation) prospects, and the settlement recommendation, in the firm's own format. This is the document the insurer pays for, and the one the firm is judged on.
- 10
Bill the time
Fees are often time-based or on a fee scale, so the hours per claim (site, travel, report writing, meetings) have to be recorded as the work happens, not remembered at the end.
What to record
The fields every loss adjusters job should capture
The claim file
- Insurer, insurer claim number, UCR (London market), broker, policy number and period, sections of cover instructed
- Insured, contacts, loss address and site, date of loss, peril (fire, storm, escape of water, theft, machinery breakdown, BI)
- Lead adjuster and support adjusters, date instructed, handling basis (site visit or desktop)
- Stage and the next deadline: first contact, site visit, preliminary report, next status report, settlement
- Reserve per section of cover, with the date and reason for every change
The site visit
- Photos tagged by building, area and item, with time and location, perimeter shots and damage shots kept apart
- Measurements, samples taken, serial and nameplate details of damaged plant and machinery
- Recorded interviews with the insured and witnesses, and the adjuster's own voice notes
- Specialists needed (engineer, forensic accountant, salvor) and what each was asked
- Mitigation advice given on the day and by whom
The reports and the money
- Preliminary, interim and final reports, each with its date sent and the reserve stated
- Quantum: estimates, invoices, adjustments, underinsurance, excess, salvage and recovery
- Every email on the claim, in date order, so the timeline can be rebuilt for an insurer meeting
- Time spent per claim and per activity (site, travel, report, meetings) for the fee note
- Settlement agreement or proof of loss, signed, and the payment recommendation
Rules and standards
The rules that shape the work, with their sources
| Rule | What it means on the job |
|---|---|
| What a loss adjuster is (CILA) | CILA describes the loss adjuster as an impartial evaluator who assesses the damage, identifies the cause and checks the policy. The insurer may appoint one from its panel or use an in-house team and pays the fee; a policyholder can also appoint their own. Chartered Loss Adjusters use ACILA or FCILA after their names and follow a code of conduct. source: Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA), advice for policyholders: what a loss adjuster does and who appoints them |
| What the job covers | Visit the site of the loss or review it remotely, interview policyholders and others, commission specialist reports, establish the extent and value of the loss, recommend mitigation, look for fraud or exaggeration, negotiate settlements, assess business interruption losses, and prepare detailed reports for insurers. source: Prospects (UK careers service), job profile: chartered loss adjuster (site visits, interviews, specialist reports, BI, reports to insurers) |
| UK: ICOBS 8.1, claims handling | An insurer must handle claims promptly and fairly, give reasonable guidance and appropriate information on progress, not unreasonably reject a claim, and settle promptly once terms are agreed. An adjuster acting for the insurer is doing the insurer's part of that duty, so missed deadlines are the insurer's problem first and the firm's next. source: FCA Handbook, ICOBS 8.1: Insurers, general (claims handled promptly and fairly, progress information, prompt settlement) |
| UK: business interruption claims | The FCA's review of BI claims found harm from interim and final settlements not reached in reasonable time, and financial information requests to small firms, including by external loss adjusters, that were overly burdensome. Good practice included preliminary interim payments based on basic information. source: FCA multi-firm review: claims handling lessons learned from business interruption insurance |
| London market: CLAR expert instruction | Under the Claims Lead Arrangements best practice, the expert must be given the Unique Claim Reference for their report, and reserves are supported by lead comments, a material development communication or the expert's report. source: LMA, Claims Lead Arrangements (CLAR) best practice 2024: expert instruction, reserves and the UCR |
| US: NAIC Model Regulation 902 | Acknowledge a claim within 15 days of notice and reply to other communications within 15 days; accept or deny within 21 days of proof of loss, or write to the claimant explaining why more time is needed, and again every 45 days; pay within 30 days of affirming liability. States adopt their own versions, so check the state of the loss. source: NAIC Model Regulation 902, Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices (Sections 6 and 7) |
| California: 10 CCR 2695.5 | Respond to a claimant communication that needs a reply within 15 calendar days. On notice of a claim, acknowledge it and begin any necessary investigation within 15 calendar days; an acknowledgment not made in writing is noted and dated in the claim file. source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.5: duties upon receipt of communications (15 calendar days) |
| California: 10 CCR 2695.7 | Accept or deny within 40 calendar days of proof of claim. If more time is needed, written notice within the 40 days and then every 30 calendar days until a decision. Pay within 30 calendar days of acceptance. source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.7: standards for prompt, fair and equitable settlements (40 days, 30-day notices) |
| Texas: Insurance Code 542.055 and 542.056 | Within 15 days of notice: acknowledge the claim, begin the investigation and request the items needed (30 business days for eligible surplus lines insurers). Accept or reject within 15 business days of receiving everything requested, or give reasons and decide within 45 days of that notice; 30 days where arson is suspected. source: Texas Insurance Code 542.056: notice of acceptance or rejection (15 business days, 45-day extension) |
| NFIP adjuster reports | Preliminary report as soon as possible, preferably the day of inspection and no later than 15 calendar days after assignment, with perimeter and damage photos and the adjuster's signature. Final report 30 days later; if the claim runs past 45 days, a report every 30 days unless the examiner says otherwise. source: FEMA IS-1104 (NFIP adjuster training): timely reporting, final and subsequent reports |
| Reserves on every report | Common US report practice: reserve recommendations per coverage on every report, business interruption marked to follow where it is too early to value, and an immediate interim report when a reserve needs to change, stating the amount, direction and reason. source: Provencher and Company, Report writing the Provencher way, part 3 (report captions, reserves on every report, interim reports) |
| Australia: General Insurance Code of Practice | Insurers tell the policyholder within 5 business days that a loss assessor or investigator has been appointed, update them at least every 20 business days, decide within 10 business days of having the information needed, and decide within 4 months (12 in exceptional circumstances). source: Financial Rights Legal Centre (Australia), Insurance claim delay: General Insurance Code of Practice timeframes |
Rules vary by state, council and contract. Checked 13 November 2026; confirm against the source for your area before relying on it.
Numbers
The deadlines that drive a claim file
Published rules, not any one insurer's service level agreement. Insurers and Lloyd's leads often set tighter windows in their own instructions, so each insurer's own clock belongs on the file.
| Deadline | Time allowed | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge the claim | 15 days from notice | NAIC Model 902; 10 CCR 2695.5(e); Tex. Ins. Code 542.055 |
| Begin the investigation | 15 days from notice | 10 CCR 2695.5(e)(3); Tex. Ins. Code 542.055 |
| Reply to claimant communications | 15 calendar days | 10 CCR 2695.5(b) |
| Preliminary report to the insurer | 15 days from assignment | NFIP adjuster guidance |
| Accept or deny after proof of claim | 40 calendar days | 10 CCR 2695.7(b) |
| Accept or reject after all items received | 15 business days | Tex. Ins. Code 542.056 |
| Written notice that more time is needed | Every 30 days (CA), every 45 days (NAIC) | 10 CCR 2695.7(c)(1); NAIC Model 902 s.7 |
| Pay after acceptance | 30 days | 10 CCR 2695.7(h); NAIC Model 902 s.7 |
| Tell the policyholder an assessor is appointed | 5 business days | AU General Insurance Code of Practice |
| Progress update to the policyholder | Every 20 business days | AU General Insurance Code of Practice |
| Claim decision | 4 months (12 if exceptional) | AU General Insurance Code of Practice |
source: NAIC Model Regulation 902, Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices (Sections 6 and 7)source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.5: duties upon receipt of communications (15 calendar days)source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.7: standards for prompt, fair and equitable settlements (40 days, 30-day notices)source: Texas Insurance Code 542.055: receipt of notice of claim (15 days to acknowledge, investigate and request items)source: Texas Insurance Code 542.056: notice of acceptance or rejection (15 business days, 45-day extension)source: FEMA IS-1104 (NFIP adjuster training): preliminary report due datessource: Financial Rights Legal Centre (Australia), Insurance claim delay: General Insurance Code of Practice timeframes
Where it breaks
Where spreadsheets and generic software fall over
A hundred site photos go phone to Google Drive to laptop to the S drive. A week later, writing the report, the adjuster cannot tell which bay or which building half of them show.
Photos are taken inside the claim on the phone, tagged to a building, area and item as they are taken, with time and location, and land on the claim file the moment there is signal. No transfer step.
The claim lives in forty emails. Nobody can paste a whole thread into an AI tool, and building the timeline for an insurer meeting means reading every one again.
Every email on the claim is filed against it, in date order. The timeline and a where-are-we-now summary are built from the file itself, and the adjuster checks it before the meeting.
First contact, the preliminary report and status reports are tracked in a diary or in someone's head. A preliminary report slips past the insurer's window on a busy storm week.
Each insurer's windows sit on the claim as clocks from the instruction date. The file shows the next deadline, and late or at-risk claims are flagged to the lead adjuster before the day, not after.
Generic AI report tools produce a generic report. The firm's report is its product, with its own structure and tone, and a draft that has to be rewritten saves nothing.
The draft is built in the firm's own template, section by section, from the evidence on the file. The adjuster regenerates or rewrites any section, and nothing goes to the insurer until the adjuster has approved it.
The reserve moved on a call with the engineer, but the insurer only hears about it at the next scheduled report.
A reserve change is a recorded event with the amount, direction and reason. It opens an interim report task straight away.
Time is recorded at the end of the month from memory, so report writing and travel are under-billed.
Time is logged against the claim and the activity as it happens, from the site visit check-in to the report sections, and the fee note is built from it.
Checklist
The loss adjusters operations checklist
Print it, or hand it to whoever runs the office side.
- Every instruction opens a claim file with the insurer's reference (and UCR on London market work)
- Each insurer's first-contact, preliminary report and status report windows set on the file
- Handling basis decided early: site visit or desktop
- Site photos tagged by building, area and item at the time they are taken
- Perimeter and damage photos kept apart, as NFIP and many insurers expect
- Interviews and voice notes stored on the claim, not on a personal phone
- Cover confirmed against the policy wording in force on the date of loss
- Reserve per section of cover on every report, with the reason for every change
- Interim report sent the same day a reserve changes materially
- Specialists instructed in writing, with the date their report is due
- Every email on the claim filed against it, in date order
- Draft report reviewed and approved by the adjuster before it goes to the insurer
- Time logged per claim and per activity as the work happens
- Settlement agreement or proof of loss signed before payment is recommended
Software options
What software loss adjusters and independent adjusting firms actually use
Judge each one on whether it fits the way your jobs run, not on the feature list. Bring a real job to every demo.
Xactimate and XactAnalysis (Verisk)
US property adjusters and the carriers that assign work to them
Xactimate is Verisk's property claims estimating software; XactAnalysis is Verisk's property claims software on the carrier and assignment side. Estimating, not report writing or the firm's own claim file.
Cotality Claims Estimate (formerly CoreLogic Symbility)
Adjusting firms and field teams in the UK, Canada and US
Scoping, diagramming and pricing in one estimating platform, with sketching that works offline and syncs when a connection returns. Like Xactimate, it is where quantum is built.
source: Cotality Claims Estimate (formerly CoreLogic Symbility)
ClickClaims
Independent adjusting firms in North America
Claims management for IA firms: a fee schedule library with a calculator, adjuster roster records, connections to industry systems, and notification, task, form and email tools.
FileTrac or Claimable
Independent adjusting firms (FileTrac, US) and loss adjusters (Claimable, UK)
Claim file and diary systems built for adjusting firms. Ask how photos get from the site into the file and how the report is written.
CompanyCam
Contractors and restoration firms who document job sites in photos and video
Strong for site photo and video documentation shared with crews and clients. It is not a claim file, deadline tracker or report tool.
Word, a shared drive and ChatGPT
Many firms today
Flexible and familiar. The cost is the photo transfer, emails that cannot be fed to the AI, and deadlines tracked by memory.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Can an insurer's instruction email become a claim file with the claim number, policy, insured and loss address filled in, and every later email filed against it?
- Do photos taken on site go straight onto the claim, tagged to a building and area, without a drive-to-laptop step?
- Can each insurer's first-contact, preliminary report and status report windows be set, and who is warned before one is missed?
- Will the AI draft my report in my own template, one section at a time, and can I regenerate or rewrite each section before anything is sent?
- Our policy only allows one AI assistant. Can I work on a claim from that assistant, and what does it ask me to confirm before it changes anything?
- Is the reserve per section of cover recorded with every change and its reason, and does a change open an interim report?
Bring one real loss adjusters job. We show it running in Fieldproxy.
Get DemoHow Fieldproxy is set up for this
Loss adjusters on Fieldproxy: built around how you already work
A Fieldproxy setup for a loss adjusting firm is built around the claim file, not a job: the insurer's instruction, your own claim stages, each insurer's deadlines, site photos filed by area, interviews and every email on the claim, and a report drafted section by section in your own template that the adjuster edits and approves. Fieldproxy replaces the drive-to-laptop-to-S-drive routine, the deadline diary and the copy and paste into a separate AI tool. It is live within a day, one price per company with unlimited users, and we migrate your open claims for you.
Module 1
Instruction intake
Every claim starts as an email from an insurer or broker, and retyping it is where references go wrong.
- The claims mailbox feeds Fieldproxy; an instruction becomes a claim with insurer, insurer claim number, UCR, policy number and period, insured, loss address, date of loss and peril
- The policy schedule and loss notification attached to the claim
- Lead adjuster assigned by insurer, region or peril (e.g. machinery breakdown to an engineering adjuster)
- Later emails on the same claim reference filed against it automatically
Module 2
Claim stages and insurer clocks
Each insurer sets its own windows, and the regulators set the floor under them.
- Your own stages, e.g. Instructed, First contact made, Site visit booked, Visited or Desktop, Preliminary sent, Awaiting specialists, Interim sent, Settlement agreed, Final sent, Fee billed, Closed
- Per insurer: first-contact window, preliminary report due (e.g. 10 days from visit), status report interval (e.g. every 30 days)
- The next deadline shown on every claim and on the team board, with days left
- A claim cannot move to Preliminary sent without a reserve per section of cover
Module 3
Site visit app
The photos are the evidence, and on a large site they are useless without location.
- Android and iOS app that works offline in plant rooms and on remote sites; GPS check-in when the adjuster arrives
- Photos and video taken in the claim, tagged to building, area and item, with time and location; perimeter and damage shots kept apart
- Your own site checklist per peril (fire, storm, escape of water, machinery breakdown), with required items
- Recordings and voice notes saved to the claim; a photo of a nameplate fills the damaged item's make, model and serial
Module 4
Claim file and timeline
On a month-old claim the question is always where are we now, and the answer is spread across emails.
- One file: instruction, emails, photos, recordings, specialist reports, estimates, reports sent, reserve history
- Timeline of events in date order for insurer meetings
- Ask the file a question in plain English, e.g. what did the engineer say about the bearing failure, and get the answer from the file
Module 5
Report drafting in your template
The report is the product, and writing it is the slowest part of the claim.
- Your own report templates as fields and sections: preliminary, interim, final, desktop
- Each section (circumstances, cover, cause, reserves, quantum, salvage and recovery, recommendations) drafted from the evidence on the file
- Regenerate any one section with your own instruction, or rewrite it by hand
- Nothing goes to the insurer until the adjuster approves it; the approved report is produced as a PDF from your own template
Module 6
Reserves and quantum
The insurer manages its reserve from your reports, so every change needs a record and a reason.
- Reserve per section of cover (buildings, contents, stock, plant and machinery, BI) with date, amount, direction and reason for each change
- A material reserve change opens an interim report task the same day
- Quantum lines from estimates and invoices, with adjustments for excess and underinsurance, and salvage and recovery noted
Module 7
Specialists and contractors
Engineers, accountants and salvors decide when the claim can move, and chasing them is manual.
- Specialist instructed on the claim with what they were asked and the date their report is due
- Subcontractor link so the specialist uploads their report and photos to that claim only, without a seat
- Overdue specialist reports flagged on the claim
Module 8
Time and fees
Time-based fees are only as good as the time recorded.
- Time logged per claim and per activity: travel, site, interviews, report writing, meetings
- Fee note built from the time entries or your fee scale, and invoiced with two-way sync to QuickBooks, Xero or Sage
- Unbilled time per claim and per adjuster
Module 9
Work from your approved AI assistant
Some firms only allow ChatGPT Enterprise, or only Copilot, and staff cannot paste claim emails into it.
- Fieldproxy's own MCP server works with ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot: anything you can do in the app can be done from the assistant
- Ask from ChatGPT for a claim summary, the next deadline or the draft of a section; changes such as moving a stage or sending a report wait for a confirm step
- Which connectors are allowed is your workspace admin's decision, so check it with them first
Module 10
Insurer and team reporting
Panel reviews ask about turnaround, and the lead adjuster needs to see the whole book.
- Open claims per adjuster and per insurer, with stage and next deadline
- Days from instruction to first contact, to preliminary report and to settlement, per insurer
- Deadlines missed and reports sent late, with the reason
- Scheduled weekly summary to the lead adjuster
The AI agents, set up for loss adjusters and independent adjusting firms
| Agent | When | What it does | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document intelligence agent | An insurer's instruction email arrives with a policy schedule and loss notification attached | Reads the insurer, claim number, UCR, policy, insured, loss address, date and peril, and checks for an existing claim on the same reference | A new claim file at Instructed with the fields filled, or the email filed against the existing claim |
| Watcher agent | A claim reaches e.g. 75% of the insurer's first-contact or preliminary report window, a status report interval is about to pass, or a specialist report is overdue | Checks the claim's stage and dates against that insurer's clocks | An alert to the lead adjuster naming the claim, the deadline and the days left |
| Custom agent: report drafter | The adjuster asks for a draft preliminary, interim or final report | Reads the photos, interview notes, emails, specialist reports and reserve history on the file and fills each section of your template | A draft report, section by section, that the adjuster edits, regenerates or approves; nothing is sent until approved |
| Vision agent | The adjuster photographs a nameplate, a damaged item or a document on site | Reads make, model, serial and visible damage from the photo | The damaged item's fields filled on the claim for the adjuster to confirm |
| Command Center | Before an insurer meeting, the adjuster asks where are we now on a claim | Reads the emails, events and reports on the file | A dated timeline and a short status summary drawn from the documents on the file |
| Autopilot | A specialist report, a signed settlement agreement or the insured's documents are e.g. 5 days overdue | Drafts a chaser naming the claim, what is missing and why it is needed | A draft email a person approves before it sends |
Straight answers
Loss adjusters: FAQ
What software do loss adjusters use?
Most firms combine a claim file and diary system (ClickClaims, FileTrac, Claimable or in-house), an estimating tool (Xactimate in the US, Cotality Claims Estimate in the UK), phone cameras and a shared drive for photos, and Word for reports. Fieldproxy is one option that puts the claim file, site photos, insurer deadlines and report drafting in your own template in one place.
What is the difference between a loss adjuster and an independent adjuster?
Mostly the market. Loss adjuster is the UK, Australian and South African term for the professional an insurer appoints to investigate and value a claim. In the US the equivalent is an independent adjuster, working for an IA firm the carrier assigns. A loss assessor or public adjuster acts for the policyholder instead.
Can AI write a loss adjuster's report?
It can draft one, and the adjuster should still own it. The useful version drafts each section of your own template from the evidence on the file (photos, interview notes, emails, specialist reports) and lets you regenerate or rewrite any section. In Fieldproxy nothing goes to the insurer until the adjuster approves it.
Our firm only allows ChatGPT Enterprise. Can we still use Fieldproxy's AI?
Fieldproxy has its own MCP server, which works with ChatGPT as well as Claude and Copilot, so the adjuster can work on claims from the assistant the firm has approved, with a confirm step before anything changes. Whether a connector can be added is up to your ChatGPT workspace admin, so check with them first.
How long does a loss adjuster have to send a preliminary report?
It is set by the insurer's instruction. The NFIP, for example, wants the preliminary report as soon as possible, preferably the day of inspection and no later than 15 days after assignment. Commercial insurers and Lloyd's leads set their own windows, so each insurer's clock should be on the claim file.
What goes in a loss adjuster's preliminary report?
Typically: when the instruction came in and when the insured was contacted and visited, the reserve per section of cover, the cover in place and any coverage issues, the risk, the cause of loss, recovery (subrogation) and salvage prospects, and next steps. Business interruption is often marked to follow.
How quickly must an insurer acknowledge a claim in the US?
Under the NAIC model regulation and in California and Texas, within 15 days of notice, and the investigation must begin within the same window in California and Texas. California then gives 40 days to accept or deny after proof of claim, with written notice every 30 days if more time is needed.
What are the claims handling rules for loss adjusters in the UK?
ICOBS 8.1 requires insurers to handle claims promptly and fairly, keep the policyholder informed of progress, not reject claims unreasonably and settle promptly once terms are agreed. An adjuster appointed by the insurer is doing part of that work, and the FCA's business interruption review criticised slow settlements and burdensome information requests.
How do adjusters keep track of photos on a large site?
By tagging each photo to a building, area and item when it is taken, with time and location, inside the claim rather than in the phone's camera roll. That removes the drive-to-laptop-to-shared-drive step and means the report writer knows what every photo shows.
Can desktop claims run in the same system as site visits?
Yes. In Fieldproxy a desktop claim is the same claim file without the site visit stage: photos and documents the insured sends are filed against it, and it runs on the same insurer clocks and report templates.
How long does it take to set up Fieldproxy for a loss adjusting firm?
We map your claim stages, insurers' deadlines and report templates on a call, and the setup is live within a day. Migration of open claims is free and assisted, and you switch over when the team is ready.
Related guides
All sources on this page (23)
- source: NAIC Model Regulation 902, Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices (Sections 6 and 7)
- source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.7: standards for prompt, fair and equitable settlements (40 days, 30-day notices)
- source: FEMA IS-1104 (NFIP adjuster training): preliminary report due dates
- source: Financial Rights Legal Centre (Australia), Insurance claim delay: General Insurance Code of Practice timeframes
- source: Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA), advice for policyholders: what a loss adjuster does and who appoints them
- source: Prospects (UK careers service), job profile: chartered loss adjuster (site visits, interviews, specialist reports, BI, reports to insurers)
- source: FCA Handbook, ICOBS 8.1: Insurers, general (claims handled promptly and fairly, progress information, prompt settlement)
- source: FCA multi-firm review: claims handling lessons learned from business interruption insurance
- source: LMA, Claims Lead Arrangements (CLAR) best practice 2024: expert instruction, reserves and the UCR
- source: California Code of Regulations, 10 CCR 2695.5: duties upon receipt of communications (15 calendar days)
- source: Texas Insurance Code 542.056: notice of acceptance or rejection (15 business days, 45-day extension)
- source: FEMA IS-1104 (NFIP adjuster training): timely reporting, final and subsequent reports
- source: Provencher and Company, Report writing the Provencher way, part 3 (report captions, reserves on every report, interim reports)
- source: Texas Insurance Code 542.055: receipt of notice of claim (15 days to acknowledge, investigate and request items)
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