Consumers' Auto Detective

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Illinois Insurance Facts Total Loss Auto Claims with Your Insurance Company (Rule 919 Exhibit A - Rights of Recourse) Revised January 2004.  Click here for more information on the "Appraisal Clause"

Salvaging the Total Loss Claim This article will discuss insurance company practices and procedures which the personal injury attorney should be aware of when a client's vehicle has been deemed a total loss. Unfortunately, the amount of attention paid to the client's total loss claim is usually quite minimal, for at least two reasons. First, as already alluded to, the settlement of the total loss claim is more often than not water over the bridge by the time the attorney first has a chance to be of any meaningful assistance to the client. Secondly, most attorneys regard any effort they make to assist their client in resolving the property damage aspect of a claim somewhat of a "courtesy" to the client, the attorney usually refraining from taking any fee from the property damage portion of the claim. After reading what follows, it is hoped that the plaintiff's bar will not only be more enlightened as to this aspect of their client's accident claim, but will recognize that the procedures normally used by insurance companies to evaluate their insureds' total loss claims are deceptive, financially biased and, in many instances, so intentionally unfair as to constitute first party bad faith.

CCC Evaluations  ...Former employees who say a new computer program being used throughout the industry places unfairly low values on its personal-injury claims.

Farmers settles suit  12/28/2005 Terms of the settlement agreement will require CCC to pay notice and administration fees and other costs associated with the settlement. The Company estimates that these costs will total approximately $8 million, and including available insurance proceeds of $1.8 million, the Company is fully reserved for these payments. Other settlement costs, including claims by class members, will be paid by the insurance companies that are participating in the settlement.

CCC Valuescope & USAA Conspiring to Defraud, Committing RICO Act Violations?  7/27/08 I am filing a consumer complaint against CCC Valuescope (CCCG) and my insurer USAA for falsely alleging a fair "market value" of my automobile.