Public Adjuster Articles and Presentations

Dick Tutwiler is featured in a Claims Management Guide to Natural Disasters. The article starts on page 44. Mr. Tutwiler is mistakenly referenced as an attorney by the reporter.

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Tutwiler & Associate's President, Dick Tutwiler shares his views, tips and lessons learned on the upcoming 2013 Hurricane Season. 

Here is an excellent report brought to you from United Policyholders and Consumer Federation of America on what consumers should look out for when reviewing their property insurance policies based on observations from Superstorm Sandy. Excellent resource links are also included.

Here's a great NY Times article by Money reporter Ron Leiber about some of the issues policyholders face after an insurance loss like Superstorm Sandy.

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(Reuters) - Pat Groover called her insurance company on Tuesday morning, the day after a massive tree gave in to storm Sandy's winds, ripped the front off a neighbor's house and pulled siding and gutters off of Groover's home. The path of destruction didn't stop - the tree came to rest on Groover's car in her Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, driveway.The tree is still there. Groover is afraid to have it removed until she hears from her insurer, and that hasn't happened yet. Follow Link

Even tropical storms leave their mark. South Florida was spared a hurricane, but the fringes of Isaac soaked the area and left behind leaky roofs, flooded homes and, in a few unusual cases, lightning damage. For those affected homeowners the next step is navigating an insurance claims process that involves plenty of patience and paperwork. Follow Link

FORCE-PLACED insurance isn’t high up on most people’s list of mortgage worries, not when so many people are in danger of losing their homes. But it’s been high up on mine ever since my wife and I had to battle our mortgage provider to remove flood insurance it had bought for us — and we didn’t need — for a condominium we owned in Florida. Follow Link

Florida insurance claims adjuster Dick Tutwiler contributed to this informative article from Bankrate.com regarding hurricane deductible tips. Follow Link

Tropical Storm Debby caused widespread wind, water and flood damage along the west coast and northern Florida (including Tampa and St. Petersburg) and will require that many residential and commercial policyholders submit an insurance claim. The public adjusters at Tutwiler & Associates urge policyholders to take the proper steps to protect their claim and avoid settlement problems. 

The court's ruling found that home or building owners can now get special "diminution of value" payments when their buildings are damaged. That means insurers now must not only pay for repairs when a home or business is damaged, but they could also have to pay for the diminished value of that property. Follow Link

Dick Tutwiler is featured in a recent Tampa Bay Business Journal article that discusses some of the business interruption and civil authority insurance issues local businesses may face when the Republican National Convention comes to town in August.

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 at the Windstorm Network 2012 Annual Conference that presented “Knowing Coverage and Policy Language.” 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.