Best Insurer for Claims in the USA | 5-Star Claims

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Difference makers

There’s no hiding place for insurers when it comes to claims, as all parts of the process are open to scrutiny. That’s why IBA’s 5-Star Claims 2024 winners can be particularly proud of their recognition, delivered by votes from brokers all across the country.

The brokers rated insurers on:

demonstration of expertise

transparency and client service

ease of uploading documents and navigating websites

handling of the adjustment process

timeliness of responses and payments

Below, IBA profiles the leading firm of 2024, with an average score across all criteria of 4.34/5.0.

The driver of the firm’s competitive advantage is the workplace environment and attitudes that have been created.

“Some people would call it a collaborative culture, but I think it is much more than that. When there is an issue or problem, employees at Arch, regardless of title or role, simply work together to address the problem,” explains Patrick Nails, executive vice president and chief claims officer. “It is a culture where each employee’s input and ideas are valued and considered. We may not always initially agree on the right path forward, but we almost always come to a consensus after considering everyone’s input.”

Stephen Jalkut, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Arch, echoes this sentiment.

He says, “We have a high-performing organization, and so the expectations are that we have great technical knowledge, strong business acumen, and a mindfulness toward delivering an extraordinary experience.”

Top-tier talent development

Industry-leading service is one of the cornerstones of Arch’s business, as it places a sharp focus on recruiting and nurturing top-tier talent, a practice that is integral to maintaining the excellence of its claims department.

Christine Schneider, senior vice president of casualty claims, says, “We have the ability to adapt and be flexible to changing conditions and provide solutions based on customer feedback, allowing our clients to have a best-in-class customer service experience with the goal of continuous improvement.”

Arch doesn’t just offer internal training; it engages a diverse array of speakers and subject matter experts to enrich the onboarding experience for adjusters.

Recognizing the constantly evolving nature of the adjuster’s role, the company also places importance on data analysis.

“Our adjusters are not just claims adjusters; they are business partners. There is now the expectation that they are regularly interacting with our business units, and there is a lot of data being thrown at them,” says Nails. “We spend time training our adjusters on how to look at data, how to determine what’s relevant, and how to work with our data analytics unit.”

By launching a new claims system in the first quarter of 2025, Arch continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation.

Nails describes the platform as the final element of a comprehensive three-tier strategy, with a focus on:

people

process

technology

Leading up to the system’s launch, the claims team has reaffirmed the importance of training, ensuring that adjusters and staff are well prepared for the transition.

“We’re spending a lot of time on change management and training our adjusters and showing them how this is going to help them on a daily basis,” shares Nails.

Arch’s new claims system will deliver:

improved customer experience

enhanced information delivery

expedited claims processing

seamless integration with Arch systems

“My focus is always on the claims adjuster. What can we do to put our adjusters in a position where they’re adding the most value each day?”

Patrick NailsArch Insurance

Despite embracing technological advancements, the firm has a deep belief in marrying it with its talented people, who remain irreplaceable in the claims handling process.

Arch’s leadership is aware that brokers prioritize their interactions with claims adjusters over the speed or status of claims submissions.

“They are more interested in the interaction with our claims adjusters than with quick response times in respect to a claim or always knowing the status of a claim,” says Nails. “Technology is going to change the way claims are going to be handled, whether it’s artificial intelligence or other things, but it still comes down to the individual claims adjuster; it still comes down to that interaction with the claimant and the broker.”

And Arch’s evolution has no end point; the refinement of its offering and building a synergy between tech and people is ongoing.

Senior vice president of executive assurance claims Brian Kristiansen says, “We look to continue to have industry-leading claims teams and further enhance their impact by providing them with cutting-edge technology and processes to enable them to do their work more effectively and efficiently.”

Fitting of its 5-Star Claims status, Arch expertly navigates the delicate balance between managing claims internally and leveraging third-party administrators (TPAs).

It handles certain claims areas entirely in-house, such as its robust auto capability. However, for cases entailing intricate legal domains like New York labor laws or construction defects, the firm organizes these claims into specialized centers of excellence.

Arch then strategically determines whether to manage these cases internally or through trusted TPAs, ensuring each claim receives the precise attention and expertise it demands.

“By putting together these centers of excellence, we look at these claims and may decide to deal with them in-house or through a TPA if they require a specialized type of knowledge,” says Nails.

“Every day that somebody reports a claim, it’s an opportunity for us to deliver on our promise that we’ve made by issuing them a policy and providing coverage,” adds Jalkut.

While Arch has a good internal grasp of what moves the needle, it places an emphasis on connecting with the broking community. The firm actively engages to understand what could be made better, ensuring its claims process becomes even more proficient.

“We are continuously looking to engage our broker community for feedback on what’s working but also for areas of potential improvement,” explains Schneider. “Arch Claims specifically has done some considerable work around communication with our brokers over the last year, including an extensive broker survey to solicit feedback on the claims experience. Through their commentary, we strive to be able to build even more trusting, respectful, and responsive relationships with all of our partners.”