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Claims
Total loss
My insured’s car was declared a total loss following an accident. The company is paying the loss, but is refusing to take title to the vehicle for salvage. My insured does not want to deal with the totaled vehicle. Can the insurer require the insured to retain the title?
Claim denial deadline
What is the statutory time frame within which a carrier must pay a first-party claim in New Jersey?
Reservation of rights
Could you please give some insight as to how to respond to and protect our insureds when a carrier sends a reservation of rights letter on a claim?
Denial of homeowners claim for lack of building permits
Could an insurer deny a homeowners policy claim for damage caused by a condition in improvements made to the home for which the homeowner neglected to get the proper building permits?
Umbrella policy—notice of claim requirements
My client had someone get injured on his property that initially resulted in a $1,500 reserve being placed on his commercial general liability policy. Since it was such a small amount, my client chose not to report it to his umbrella insurer. However, when the reserve subsequently was increased to $75,000, I persuaded the client to give notice on the umbrella policy. The umbrella insurer then declined coverage due to late notice. Should my client have given notice on the umbrella policy even though the claim appeared to lack severity in the beginning?