Chip Merlin

Firm/Organization: Merlin Law Group, P.A.
Blogs: Condominium Insurance Law, Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog

Latest Articles

Insurance companies spend time training their insurance adjusters. Training is a very important. It sets the tone and culture of how the claims department functions. Training can be ethical and professional as discussed by Ken Brownlee in Insurance Companies Must Perform in Good Faith Regardless of Their Customer’s Imperfect Actions. It can also lead into bizarre scenarios as exampled by the “Jewish Lawyers List” in Hindin v. State Farm – The Landmark Claims Practice …
Insurance companies routinely argue for immunity from their wrongful actions because acts of their customers are not perfect following a loss. Policyholders are not claims specialists. Policyholders generally are not in the insurance claims business much less the civil litigation business which the insurance industry is the number one participant by far.…
Flood insurance claims are different than regular property insurance claims because virtually all flood insurance claims have to follow federal regulations. The vast majority of all flood insurance policies are written through the National Flood Program. Even if a private company known as a Write Your Own (WYO) is listed as the insurer on the first pages of the policy, these insurers are merely participants in the National Flood Program and the ultimate payments do…
frustration
Hurricane Florence insurance claims are the headache that starts after Florence damages your business or home. There is nothing easy about having your property destroyed—either emotionally or financially. It is going to hurt. I and a number of Merlin Law Group lawyers have been doing this work full time for as long as anybody in the business. We have seen the emotional toll from hurricanes and the insurance claim process. We have seen the financial…
Total loss and constructive total loss concepts in Florida are often confused with automobile total loss situations and exclusions and coverages related to Ordinance or Laws. We recently were asked about building law and ordinances which required a building to be demolished per building codes. The cause of the damage was by a covered peril although like the vast majority of older buildings, there was pre-existing wear and tear to the structure.…
Actual cash value polices should rarely be sold on a typical home. Insurance agents who sell these policies knowing that a mortgage exists are negligent because various federal laws and regulations generally require that negotiable mortgages are to be protected by replacement cost insurance: Property insurance for properties securing loans delivered to Fannie Mae must protect against loss or damage from fire and other hazards covered by the standard extended coverage endorsement. The coverage must…