BCMG Catastrophe Claims Conference 2014

Last week BCMG hosted its first annual Catastrophe Claims Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.   CAT adjusters from all over the country gathered in the Crescent City for two days of training, certification, and networking.  Marvin Aikens, with Donan Engineering, put on a 1 hour CE presentation specifically tailored to wind and hail damage.  Also, Dan Dyce with California Earthquake Authority and Bill Creeder with Rimkus Consulting, offered an earthquake certification course for those in attendance.  We were also pleased to have some of our clients come in to go over specific expectations and procedural details.  Each day concluded with a social hour that allowed for mingling, networking, and discussing the latest industry news and trends.  Overall, it was a great chance for our CAT adjusters to get to know our company, each other, and a few of our clients.  We appreciate everyone who attended, presented, and gave their time for this event.  We are looking forward to an even bigger and better conference next year!  The date for next year’s conference has tentatively been set for March 24^th-26^th, 2015.  We hope to see you all there!

Marvin Aikens, with Donan Engineering, presents 1 Hr CE credit on Wind and Hail Damage.

BCMG Owner/President, Steve Brown, conducts presentation on Ethics and Professionalism in the insurance industry

Dan Dyce, with California Earthquake Authority,  during his presenation at the earthquake certifcation program.

 Bill Creeder, with Rimkus Consulting, explores past earthquakes and the damages they cause.

Update on Use of Drones by Claims Adjusters

The emerging technology of camera-equipped drones has the potential to have tremendous implications on how property claims adjusters do their jobs and has been a frequent topic recently among leaders in the insurance claims industry.  

One hesitation by some in the claims industry and elsewhere to embrace this technology relates to the uncertainty of how the federal government will regulate the use of even small drones for such commercial purposes, including threats of prosecution.  However, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Mr. L. Gordon Crovitz on March 16, 2014 entitled “Drones Cleared for Takeoff” explains that “a federal administrative judge held that the FAA has no legal authority to meddle in the market and dismissed a fine levied against an operator who defied regulators by getting paid to use a drone to film the University of Virginia campus. Judge Patrick Geraghty of the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the agency had only issued internal guidance on drones and hadn't followed any process to apply restrictions to the public.”  The article states that the FAA has appealed the decision, but Mr. Crovitz makes the argument that the Federal government may be overreaching in trying to so tightly regulate these small drones for commercial purposes, which one would have to conclude is likely to include claims adjusting.

The article can be found in the Wall Street Journal, or its online edition at: http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304914904579441052310129582-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwNTEyNDUyWj  and it is interesting that it also includes a Reuters photo of a small drone (DJI Phantom 2 Vision) in flight with the caption, “A camera drone flies near the scene where two buildings collapsed in East Harlem in New York City on March 12” (…no doubt piloted by a claims adjuster, engineer, inspector, or other industry professional looking to get a unique perspective of the damage to these properties in order to better do their job.)