James D. Kummerer, Cpcu, Aic Email & Phone Number

Greater Chicago Area

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Manage the investigation, evaluation and disposition of complex casualty cases. Ensures adequacy of reserves. Manage the practices and billing activities of outside and in-house counsel. Attend trials, hearings and settlement conferences.

Greater Chicago Area

• EMC Insurance Companies is one of the top 60 property/casualty organizations in the United States and is one of the largest in Iowa, based on net written premium.Oversee the workflow of claims from various United.
• Evaluate large volumes of serious injury claims (such as fatality, amputation, loss of sight, burns, paraplegia, etc.), intellectual property claims, and claims with high-reserves ranging from $500K to $11M+. Prepare.
• Participate and present claims and reserve recommendations to determine settlement authority on weekly roundtable with company executives including Senior Vice President of Claims, Vice Presidents and Directors of.
• Obtain favorable resolution of claims with high reserves through careful investigation/evaluation and effective negotiation at mediations.
• Ensure reserve adequacy. Communicate and explain reserve recommendations to branch management team and staff nationwide.
• Develop strategic and robust strategies for the defense and resolution of claims, in conjunction with outside counsel.

• Provided advice and counsel to branch claims staff and Home Office Claims and Underwriting focused on various areas of litigation management including construction defect, coverage, contingent liability claims.
• Handled EMC’s most serious commercial claims from various branch offices around the country.
• Assisted in career development for various claims specialists. Provided mentoring, professional development and guidance on how to effectively handle and settle claims.
• Organized and planned technical educational and knowledge sharing opportunities for EMC claims staff.
• Established claims service standards and procedures for the investigation, evaluation and disposition of claims.

• Safeco, a member of Liberty Mutual Group, offers personal lines insurance (including auto, home, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, watercraft and more) through independent agents.Partnered with Unit Managers in the.
• Identified adverse claims handling trends. Partnered with home office consultants and product line manager.
• Key contributor to creating claims handling guidelines and designed, implemented and facilitated technical training sessions focused on litigation management.
• Provided technical career development opportunities for claims team.

Greater Chicago Area

• Investigated, coordinated, evaluated and negotiated complex and severe multi-line commercial claims. Evaluated and analyzed coverage issues. Managed litigation by directing defense counsel, attended pre-trials.
• First ever Casualty General Adjuster at SAFECO Insurance. Position did not previously exist within the commercial casualty claims department.
• Reviewed, analyzed and assessed the overall potential subrogation recovery.
• Conducted workshops on litigation, structured settlement and coverage.
• Oversaw regional structured settlement coordinators located in the Eastern region.
• Assisted in the management of relationships with agents and consultants.

Handled and resolved a variety of auto liability and homeowners claims.