Keathley Claims Consultants

09/04/2026

Xactimate isn’t the payment. It’s the ceiling.

Chip Merlin posted an alleged Auto Club Group SOP this week. TrueLine takes the Xactimate material price and subtracts a fixed cut. He says it is structurally impossible for that number to come in over Xactimate. Field adjusters don’t get to skip it. If your contractor’s supplier costs more, you or the contractor eat the difference.

The new piece is the documents. We wrote it up.

https://www.keathleyclaims.com/news/20260904-xactimate-wasnt-low-enough/
(419) 504-1601

09/02/2026

🏆 Winning Wednesday!

This week we have a claim in Medina, Ohio that started out at $12,249.01 for some roof and siding repairs on the house and a roof repair on the detached garage.

Same process. Same damages. Different claim, different carrier.

Same results: $56,525.29. That’s a 461% increase. 📈

Call us today for a free claim review. 📞 (419) 504-1601

08/26/2026

🏆 Winning Wednesday

Bellevue, Ohio. Hail and wind. Roof and aluminum siding.

❌ Carrier estimate: $9,454.68
✅ Settled: $62,668

A few months of back and forth and the right documentation.

You have to prove the loss to get results like this. That's what we do.

Free claim review: 📞 (419) 504-1601

08/25/2026

After a storm weekend, don’t rush the roof or the check.

If last weekend’s storms hit your Northern Ohio roof or siding, take clear photos before anything gets torn off. Keep the carrier’s estimate and any denial or “wear and tear” letter.

Small hail and wind can still leave a real claim file. If the offer feels light or they say it isn’t hail, get the file reviewed before you cash a low check or start repairs.

Claim review:
https://www.keathleyclaims.com/claims/hail-damage/
(419) 504-1601

08/19/2026

🏆 WINNING WEDNESDAY 🏆

Seven Hills, Ohio. Straight denial before we got involved.

This photo is from OUR inspection. Those hits on the window wrap are 1.25" hail. A meteorologist confirmed that storm hit this property.

Inspection. Policy language. A detailed report.

Then the carrier paid the roof, gutters, downspouts, and window wraps.

❌ Insurance company: denied
✅ Final settlement: $32,116.31

We proved the loss. The policyholder got paid what was owed.

Need a claim review?
📞 (419) 504-1601

08/18/2026

Systemic claim denials.

Anyone who has been in claims already knew the strategy. The new piece is the documents.

Oklahoma Watch: Allstate’s 1997 test dropped hail payouts from 82.8% to 11.1%. State Farm docs the Whittens describe: $1B+ “savings” in 2020, about $15k per denied policyholder. Remote reviewers. Local adjusters stripped of roof authority.

If your Ohio hail or wind claim came back “that isn’t hail,” get the file reviewed before you tear the roof off or cash a low check.

https://www.keathleyclaims.com/news/20260818-documents-behind-systemic-claim-denials/
(419) 504-1601

Oklahoma Watch published sealed-file documents on State Farm and Allstate storm-claim payout cuts. What Ohio homeowners should do when the carrier says hail isn’t hail.

08/14/2026

This one should bother every ethical public adjuster.

Chip Merlin covered a Minnesota case involving a public adjuster contingency fee that raises a serious question for our side of the industry:

Should a public adjuster collect a percentage of insurance money of policy limited that was already coming to the policyholder before the public adjuster got involved?

In the case discussed, the homeowners suffered a devastating fire. Before the public adjusting contract was signed, the insurance company had already issued its own replacement cost estimate showing the dwelling loss exceeded the policy limit.

The contract still called for a percentage fee on the covered insurance payments. There was nothing left for the public adjuster to do.

That may be a contract issue for the court.

But ethically? That is not how this profession should work.

Public adjusting is supposed to make the policyholder better off. We are hired to document damage, challenge underpayment, explain coverage, handle the claim process, and fight for money the carrier is not properly paying.

A contingency fee only makes sense when the public adjuster is helping create value for the client.

If the homeowner is paying a large fee on money that was already offered in excess of limits, then the incentives are wrong.

There is right and wrong on all sides of this industry.

Insurance companies can do wrong.
Contractors can do wrong.
Attorneys can do wrong.
And yes, public adjusters can do wrong too.

When a public adjuster fee leaves the policyholder worse off, that is not advocacy. That is not service. That is not fighting for the homeowner.

It is wrong.

The standard should be simple:

After the public adjuster is paid, is the policyholder actually in a better position?

If the answer is no, something is broken.

Read the article:
https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/blog/public-adjuster-contingency-fees-minnesota/

Keathley Claims Consultants
(419) 504-1601
keathleyclaims.com
Free consultation - no recovery, no fee

08/12/2026

Winning Wednesday

This week's win comes out of Brunswick, Ohio.

The insurance company's starting number was $7,282.32.

After inspections, policy review, documentation gathering, and putting the claim together the right way, the final paid amount came to $35,834.58.

That's a difference of $28,552.26.

Another claim paid properly. That's the point.

If your estimate feels low, don't assume it's the final word.

Call Keathley Claims Consultants for a free claim review.
(419) 504-1601
keathleyclaims.com

08/10/2026

Storm damage alert for Northeast Ohio homeowners.

Today’s storm activity flagged hail impacts across Medina, Brunswick, Valley City, Akron, Elyria, North Royalton, and nearby areas, with hail indicators up to 1.5 inches in the data we reviewed.

If you were in the path of this storm, check your roof, siding, gutters, downspouts, window wraps, and soft metals before filing a claim.

A rushed or under-documented claim can make the process harder than it needs to be. Keathley Claims Consultants can inspect, document the damage, and handle the insurance company for you.

Call/Text: (419) 504-1601
KeathleyClaims.com

08/05/2026

Winning Wednesday

This week's win comes out of Brunswick, Ohio.

Before KCC got involved, the initial estimate came in at $8,678.20.

After a few photos here, supporting documentation there, a little claims experience sprinkled in, and the policy language to back it all up, the claim landed at $43,544.15 for a full roof replacement.

That's an increase of $34,865.95.

This is exactly why documentation matters. Photos matter. Policy matters. And having someone who knows how to put the whole claim together matters.

If your insurance estimate feels light, don't assume it's the final word.

Keathley Claims Consultants
Public Adjusters | Property Claim Advocates