Claims Manager, Risk Management

Tell me about a coverage determination you made that the insured or broker strongly disagreed with. How did you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they can hold a defensible coverage position while keeping a client relationship that the underwriters still need.

Give me an example of a time you told underwriters or reinsurers about a loss that would hurt their numbers. How did you frame it?

What they are checking: Whether they deliver bad news early and clearly, since late surprises damage trust with underwriting and reinsurance partners.

Tell me about a case you chose to try rather than settle. What drove that decision and how did it turn out?

What they are checking: Whether they weigh trial risk honestly and can explain a cost-effective outcome even when the result was not perfect.

How do you keep a large inventory of primary and excess files moving so nothing sits without a plan of action?

What they are checking: Organization and diary discipline, because neglected files grow in value and create bad faith exposure.

You're at a mediation and plaintiff's counsel won't move off a demand that's well above your authority. What do you do in the room?

What they are checking: How they negotiate under pressure and manage authority limits without losing control of the settlement.

You do on-site audits at a TPA and find reserves across a group of files are consistently low. What happens next?

What they are checking: Whether they treat a pattern as a process problem and follow through with the vendor, not just fix individual files.

Defense counsel sends a pre-trial report saying liability is clear, but their budget keeps growing. How do you manage that relationship?

What they are checking: Whether they control legal spend and push counsel toward resolution when the defense strategy no longer makes sense.

Part of this job is overseeing claims a Third Party Administrator handles. What do you look for when you audit a TPA file, and what tells you the adjuster is just pushing paper?

What they are checking: Whether they can supervise someone else's handling instead of rubber-stamping it, which is the core of TPA oversight.

Walk me through how you set the first reserve on a new excess claim when you only have a notice letter and a complaint.

What they are checking: Whether they can make a reasoned early call with thin facts rather than waiting until the number is obvious and late.

How do you decide when an excess claim needs active involvement rather than just monitoring the primary carrier's handling?

What they are checking: Judgment about when excess exposure is real enough to step in, which protects the layer before it is too late.

These policies are written in various jurisdictions. How do you get up to speed on venue risk and state law when a claim lands somewhere unfamiliar?

What they are checking: Whether they know jurisdiction drives value and have a practical way to learn local law and verdict trends quickly.