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Anderson Baker
EXPERT WITNESS
Phone:
504-250-0754
Email:
Address:
1123 Octavia Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
Anderson Baker
This will not be the flashiest website you’ve seen for an insurance consultant or expert. I am not a Ph. D. I have not published 52 articles in peer-reviewed journals. I have not spoken at 25 CE seminars.
What I HAVE done is worked as a retail insurance broker for 42 years. In that time, I have developed a deep appreciation for the obligation of insurance brokers to make sure every party in an insurance transaction knows what’s going on.
My expert work -either as a consulting expert or a testifying expert - is focused on negligence in the placement and maintenance of commercial insurance.
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Were client expectations met?
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Did the insurer honor its commitment in providing the coverage requested by the broker?
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Did the broker honor its commitment in providing the coverage requested by the insured?
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Did the insured violate a warranty in the application process?
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Is the coverage appropriate for the known exposures?
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Did the insured inform the broker of the full extent of its operations?
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Policy/coverage structure including provision of defense coverage and costs
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Is there proper coordination between the primary policies and the excess policies?
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Did the broker properly explain the availability of the coverages requested by the insured?
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Did the broker fail to place requested coverages without notifying the insured?
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Was the policy properly endorsed or was the proper policy placed to address the exposures?
It’s not always the retail agent’s fault.
Or the insured’s. Or the surplus lines broker’s. Or the insurer’s.
It almost always boils down to communication. Most E&O claims don’t involve the agent forgetting to add a vehicle to the schedule. They usually arise from someone not understanding something.
My forty-two years of experience tell me that every party involved in the insurance process must be candid and diligent.
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The insured must be candid about the exposures involved
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The retail agent must properly convey those exposures to underwriters
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The insurers must be candid when excluding the requested coverages
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The retail agent must be diligent and candid in conveying the terms of coverage to the insured.
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“Here’s your policy” doesn’t work.
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Neither does a 75-page CYA proposal.
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The insured must be diligent in procuring insurance. The insured must play an active role in the process rather than just shoving the policy in the drawer.
My understanding of the standards of care in these relationships is what I provide.