I think death and divorce are common issues that rarely get covered in training. Adjusters learn what to do by trial and error, or if they are lucky, a knowledgeable supervisor tells them what to do.
Scenario #1.:
The adjuster is handling a claim for Mr. John Smith and speaking with a Mr. John Smith, who he presumes to be the insured. The adjuster gets a call from Sally Smith, who just returned from a deployment in Iraq. She says the house is hers, because she inherited it from her dad, the named insured, who died last year. The Mr. Smith the adjuster is talking to is her half brother. He has apparently already cashed the advance check and started repairs.
#2
The insured calls the phone number on the policy and speaks to Mr. Jones to set up an inspection appointment for the fire damaged three bedroom home. Mr. Jones submits estimates from contractors. Three days later Mrs. Jones calls, pointing out that she is the only named insured, and she is divorced from Mr. Jones.
Later that same day, the adjuster speaks to Mr. Jones who indicates that the divorce is not yet finalized and that the damaged personal property is owned by both him and his estranged wife but located at his storage facility available for inspection. Furthermore he has custody of the two young daughters who were living in the house at the time of the fire, and are/were members of Mrs. Jones household. Mr. Jones would like to be paid ALE for the three bedroom house he is renting. He insists that he is an insured because he is still married to Mrs. Jones and also insists he has an insurable interest because every mortgage payment and premium payment has come from his sole checking account. He says the divorce court judge will award him 1/2 of the house within 10 days.
Mrs. Jones calls later and explains that she also wants ALE money for the three bedroom house she is renting. She needs three bedrooms for the girls when they come over on the weekends. Mrs. Jones gives a mailing address for any further payments.
How would you handle these scenarios? I'm not 100% sure myself, I just wanted to learn more and see how others have handled similar cases.