Property claims glossary
What is a claim file?
The claim file is everything the carrier holds on a claim: the first notice, the policy and endorsements, reports, estimates, photos, correspondence, notes and decisions. It is the record of why the claim was paid or denied, and in a complaint, a regulatory exam or a lawsuit, the file is the evidence.
Worked example · fictitious claim
A claim file holds the policy, an inspection report, a $35,000 estimate, 120 photos and the decision letter. Two years later a regulator asks why $4,000 of interior damage was denied, and the file shows the exclusion applied, the photos relied on and the letter sent. The $35,000 − $4,000 = $31,000 paid can be explained line by line.
How it affects a settlement
The file does not change what is owed, but every payment has to be supported by it. Missing documents delay payment, and a decision the file cannot explain is hard to defend.
In practice
Everything the carrier holds on a claim: FNOL, reports, estimates, photos, policy and endorsements, correspondence, internal notes, and decisions. The file is the institution's memory of the claim. In a dispute, the file is the evidence.
Related
Bad faith · First notice of loss (FNOL) · AI claims audit trail · property claims glossary