The appraisal process uses a panel to settle a claim.The typical homeowner’s insurance policy has a clause allowing the parties to use appraisal to resolve disputes. The process is intended to quickly and economically determine the amount of a loss in cases of disagreement. Like many aspects of Oklahoma law, the use of a three person panel should be approached with the advice of an experienced attorney. The Oklahoma appellate decisions heavily impact the outcome.

In simple terms, appraisal involves three parties that serve as a panel.

Each side chooses someone to act as a disinterested appraiser. Then, the two appraisers choose the third person, known as the Umpire, by agreement. If the two appraisers are not able to pick the Umpire by agreement, then either side can ask the court to select the Umpire.Continue Reading Using Appraisal To Settle Oklahoma Insurance Claims

The number of fires in Oklahoma as the year closed were significant. Almost everyday, you heard or read about another fire. Some days there were multiple fires. House fires, apartment fires, mobile homes, restaurant fires, businesses hit by fire, the list goes on and on. Sources such as space heaters, grease fires, fire places, electrical

Fire

Insurance is intended to protect the insurance company customer (“insured”) from fire damage. The policy holder pays the premium for fire insurance. If the property catches fire, the insurance pays for the losses. Obviously, the customer cannot commit arson. Intentionally burning your house or property is a crime. It is also illegal to present a

A homeowner searching for a low-cost insurance policy for his home purchased an insurance policy for his residence. The property coverage policy differed from a traditional homeowner’s insurance policy in that the property coverage provided reduced coverage for certain types of losses and didn’t cost as much as homeowners coverage would have. The contract provided

Cancellation of a homeowners’ insurance policy requires compliance with terms and conditions of the policy. It may sound simple, but we have seen several full blown lawsuits arise over the years where the manner in which the policy was cancelled before a loss occurred was challenged. The starting point is a review of the requirement