Insurance Coverage Mechanics

ALAE (Allocated Loss Adjustment Expense) vs ULAE (Unallocated Loss Adjustment Expense) classification, defense-cost erosion of policy limits (DWL / burning-limi

Anti-stacking provisions in personal auto and UM/UIM policies — stack-by-vehicle vs stack-by-policy, state public-policy limitations on anti-stacking clauses, i

Bad-faith failure-to-settle claims — the Comunale-Crisci-Stowers framework — when a carrier fails to accept a reasonable settlement demand within policy limits,

Self-insured retention (SIR) vs deductible distinction, deductible buy-down coverage mechanics, corridor SIR programs, ALAE treatment inside vs outside the SIR,

Occurrence-based vs claims-made policy trigger disputes including manifestation trigger, exposure trigger, injury-in-fact trigger, Montrose continuous-trigger d

"other insurance" clause conflicts between primary policies — pro-rata, excess, escape, and primary-primary disputes — and resolve excess/umbrella exhaustion qu

Policy rescission for material misrepresentation on the insurance application — increased-risk standard, scienter requirements, innocent misrepresentation in li

Reservation of rights (ROR) letter requirements and Cumis counsel entitlement — when a carrier's coverage defense creates a conflict of interest with the insure

Retroactive date mechanics in claims-made policies — wrongful-acts-occurring-after-effective-date analysis, prior-knowledge exclusion, retroactive-date roll-for

Sublimit-by-peril coverage mechanics for flood, earthquake, named storm, and earth movement — named-perils vs all-risk (open-perils) distinction, sublimit vs se

Subrogation recovery priority — the made-whole doctrine — insured-first allocation rule, anti-subrogation exceptions, state variation from majority made-whole t

Extended Reporting Period (ERP / tail coverage) mechanics for claims-made policies — basic ERP vs supplemental ERP trigger conditions, automatic vs elective tai