In the News: Zero-Paid Claims Are Rising — What Does It Mean for the Industry?

We’re seeing a noticeable shift in personal lines: Claims without payment (CWP) have increased materially — in some cases 2–3x.

The “Just Asking” Gambit

Assumption: Customers making inquiries aren’t risks—they’re just confused.
Reality: Repeat “what if” calls about coverage are often pre-loss rehearsals—and should be treated like soft

The Vengeful Risk

Assumption: Denied claims end the story.
Reality: Some customers don’t give up—they escalate. Reframe. Refile. Shift lines. The So What “Denial revenge” is real.

The Deductible Dodger

Assumption: Small claims below the deductible means a responsible risk.
Reality: Or it means a customer who tries to claim for every minor event.

The Vanishing Claim

Assumption: No claim payout means ‘no problem’.
Reality: Not every closed-without-pay claim is harmless. Sometimes it’s a “test balloon”.

Connected Underwriting USA 2025

Excited to attend Connected Underwriting USA 2025 in Austin. “Hope to see you there for chat about risk selection and some new perspectives.”

Join us at the Scout Social Cleveland

The largest and most diverse gathering of local insurance professionals across P&C, Life, Health and Benefits. This high-energy event is not to miss.

Workers comp: The ‘Volunteer’

A common fraud in the WC insurance space is undercounting or overcounting “volunteers”. In most states, volunteers are not automatically covered.

Class code chicanery

A common underwriting fraud in WC is allocating employees to the wrong class code. For example, an auto repair shop saying they…

Workers Comp: Lowballing Headcounts

One common form of rate manipulation in WC is lowballing the employee count at policy inception. While an audit usually resolves this...

Water Wishful Thinking

Underwriting Assumption: “It says hydrant within 1,000 feet. Good protection class. Let’s move on.”
Reality: I drove the street, squinted, then laughed out loud…

False or Omitted Asset Details

A common underwriting fraud tactic in both Home and Auto insurance is to manipulate auto and home asset details at POS to…