The Art of Adjusting® Podcast

Hosted by William Auten & Chantal Roberts

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Episodes

101

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Dive deep into the world of insurance claims with our podcast, newly rebranded as "The Art of Adjusting®"—a title echoing the revered book of the same name. This revamped podcast is not just a beacon for professionals navigating the adjuster landscape but also a wealth of insights for those curious about the intricacies of the industry. We're thrilled to announce that Bill Auten, owner of Auten Claims Management, will now share the mic with a stellar co-host, Chantal Roberts. Chantal isn’t just the brilliant mind behind the book 'The Art of Adjusting®'; she's also the powerhouse owner of CMR Consulting. Together, this dynamic pair will decode the complexities of various claims, from property and auto to liability and workers’ compensation, providing unmatched expertise and invaluable insights for our listeners. In our recent episodes, we've explored a range of riveting topics, offering a deep dive into the technicalities of claims, showcasing transformational journeys within the industry, and illuminating the art and science of policy decoding and investigation. Special guests, including industry veterans like Steve Frattare, have graced our platform to share their extensive knowledge and experience, shedding light on a multitude of areas within the claims adjusting world. Subscribe to “The Art of Adjusting®” to keep abreast of the evolving landscape of insurance claims. Share our treasure trove of episodes with colleagues, friends, and anyone with an appetite for understanding the captivating, multifaceted world of claims adjusting. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services: Visit: Auten Claims Management To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit: Visit: CMR Consulting Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 13, 2026Episode 1011 hr 0 min

Episode #101: Assume Less And Investigate Better

Send us Fan Mail The quickest way a claim goes sideways is not a coverage dispute or a tough claimant. It’s one small word that sneaks into our thinking and hardens into “truth” before we’ve earned it: assume. We talk candidly about how assumptions show up in real insurance adjusting work and why they lead to extra work, bad decisions, and sometimes lawsuits when new facts surface later in discovery or deposition. We get specific about where bias starts, especially in the first loss notice. Agents and insureds may write a convincing narrative using everyday words that don’t match policy definitions, and if we anchor on that version, we can miss the real cause of loss or the real liability issues. We walk through how to separate facts vs opinions vs assumptions, how confirmation bias traps even experienced adjusters, and why “right fighting” can quietly wreck your file. From there we dig into practical investigation habits: using careful claim note language like alleged, reported, and confirmed; avoiding assumptions when you inherit a file; and checking what actually controls liability through contracts, ownership, leases, snow removal agreements, and additional insured language. We also hit a modern reality for liability claims and property claims: cameras are everywhere, so asking about video and canvassing nearby locations can change the outcome fast. You’ll leave with a clearer framework for making educated inferences under deadlines without pretending you have all the facts. Subscribe, share this with an adjuster friend, and leave a review if the show helps you handle claims with more confidence and less bias. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

July 30, 202647 min

Episode #100: How Two Adjusters Built A Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Episode 100 lands with a twist: we’re finally recording together in person for the first time. After years of remote calls, we sit down with cake, swag, and a live “peanut gallery” to tell the origin story of how The Art of Adjusting Podcast grew from random conversations into a claims adjusting show that now reaches thousands of listeners. We talk about how we actually met, starting with LinkedIn and a shared love of old-school noir, then moving to Clubhouse during COVID when live audio rooms felt like talk radio for insurance people. That experiment turns into the Daily Claims podcast, and when solo recording gets tough, we team up, split the work, and build something more sustainable. Along the way we share our real career paths into insurance claims, from corporate training with big insurance companies to construction-to-adjusting, plus what expert witness work is really like and why depositions can be maddening. Then we get practical about the future of the insurance industry: AI in claims, automation, and the hidden training problem no one wants to admit. If AI handles the easy claims, where do new adjusters learn the craft before they’re handed complex files? We also come back to the most human skill in the job, whether you handle property, auto, workers’ comp, or liability claims: trust. Sometimes the best thing you can say is, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out and call you by 4,” and then you actually do it. Subscribe, share this with an adjuster friend, and leave a five-star review so more people can find the show. What’s one change you want to see in claims over the next five years? For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

July 16, 2026Episode 991 hr 8 min

Episode #99: Are Multi-Line Adjusters Going Extinct?

Send us Fan Mail Multi-line adjuster, generalist, all-lines, specialist, mono-line, GA, TPA, IA, carrier claims. We hear these labels all the time, but they don’t mean much until you map them to real work, real stress, and real career options. Bill Auten and Chantal Roberts dig into whether multi-line adjusters are “still a thing” and why the answer depends on where you work. Big carriers often push specialization because training thousands of people across multiple lines is expensive and hard to control. Smaller carriers, mutual insurers, and independent adjusting firms still need people who can jump from property losses to liability investigations when volume spikes. We also clarify the terminology around “general adjuster” licensing and why job titles in claims can be misleading. We get into the modern reality of claims technology and AI. AI can help you move faster, but it can also create serious privacy and compliance problems if protected personal information ends up in the wrong tool, and it never replaces licensed judgment. Then we talk about the human side: why both property and liability claims can be emotionally brutal, how switching claim types can sometimes help you reset, and how company culture can either give you autonomy or micromanage you into burnout. You’ll also hear our knee-jerk “worst claim type” picks, a quick diminished value auto detour, and practical advice for new adjusters deciding between starting at a carrier, going independent, or finding a hybrid path through a third-party administrator. If you want a claims career that fits your personality and keeps your options open, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with an adjuster friend, and leave a five-star review if you want more real talk like this. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

July 2, 2026Episode 9852 min

Episode #98: How Insurance Adjusters Get The Full Story With Recorded Statements

Send us Fan Mail People hear “recorded statement” and assume it’s a trap. We don’t see it that way, and if you work in claims adjusting, you shouldn’t either. Bill Auten (Auten Claims Management) and Chantal Roberts (CMR Consulting) lay out what a recorded statement is really for: a clear, professional record of what happened that helps you investigate the claim, preserve evidence, and make the right call on liability, coverage, and damages. We get practical about preparation before you ever hit record: knowing your claim file, planning your roadmap without clinging to a script, and using photos or simple exhibits to lock in details. We also talk through how to set expectations with insureds, claimants, and witnesses so they understand why you’re recording, what “name, rank, and serial number” questions are for, and why “I don’t know” is a perfectly acceptable answer. You’ll hear tactics for managing real-world problems like background spouses chiming in, distractions, and the awkward pauses that happen when you’re typing notes live. We also cover what changes when an attorney is present, how to keep the tone calm and factual, and what to do when someone refuses to provide key information. Along the way, we reinforce the core skills that keep statements clean: open-ended questions, timeline prompts like “what happened next,” avoiding leading questions, and staying unbiased even when people assume adjusters are trained to deny. We finish with one of the most useful close-out questions you can ask and how to set next steps so everyone knows what comes next in the claims process. Subscribe for more real-world insurance adjuster training, share this with an adjuster friend, and leave a review if it helps you run better recorded statements. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

June 18, 2026Episode 9755 min

Episode #97: CMS Reporting And Medicare Liens For Liability Claims

Send us Fan Mail A “quick” injury claim can turn into a compliance puzzle the moment Medicare or Medicaid enters the picture and if you miss it, the consequences can be expensive. We get practical about CMS, Medicare Secondary Payer rules, and what adjusters actually need to do on day one so a settlement does not blow up later. We walk through the Big Five identifiers we ask claimants for, why people understandably get suspicious, and how to explain the request without sounding like a scammer or hiding behind acronyms. Then we translate the jargon: Section 111 reporting, conditional payments, Medicare liens, Medicaid liens, and what “Responsible Reporting Entity” really means when carriers use vendors and automated reporting behind the scenes. From there, we talk settlement reality. Why you may need to wait for a conditional payment letter and a final demand, how the $750 small settlement provision fits in, and why these steps feel like a delay tactic to the average person even when you are trying to close fast. We also cover risk controls like paying first and disputing later, using hold harmless and indemnification language when attorneys push back, and protecting PII so your file stays clean. If you work property, auto, GL, workers’ comp, or liability claims, this is the kind of “unseen” process that can make or break a smooth close. Subscribe, share with an adjuster friend, and leave a review with the toughest Medicare lien question you have right now. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

June 4, 2026Episode 9659 min

Episode #96: The Bad Faith Warning Signs

Send us Fan Mail Bad faith doesn’t usually arrive as one dramatic blow-up. It shows up as a slow drip of little things: the voicemail that never gets returned, the approval that sits in someone’s queue, the vague diary note that makes sense only to the person who wrote it, and the template letter that accidentally says more than it should. We talk through the practical warning signs we see when a claim is headed toward escalation, complaint, or litigation. We dig into how understaffed claims departments force adjusters into triage, why vacation schedules and internal handoffs create gaps, and how stacked authority levels can turn a reasonable settlement into a trust-breaking delay. We also share communication habits that de-escalate fast: acknowledging frustration, picking up the phone, setting a realistic follow-up date, and explaining the “why” behind the timeline without overpromising. Then we get tactical about defendable claim handling. We explain what strong claim notes look like (so another adjuster could take over tomorrow), why “sent letter and cut check” is a dangerous level of detail, and how automation and AI can help with organizing but cannot replace human judgment or protect you from privacy risks. We close with a common landmine: form letters and 30-day status templates that include inapplicable language, creating ammunition for a bad faith narrative. Subscribe, share the show with another adjuster, and leave a review so more claims pros can find it. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

May 21, 2026Episode 9554 min

Episode #95: How Much Liability Are You Hosting This Weekend?

Send us Fan Mail Memorial Day weekend has a way of turning “just one quick favor” into a full-blown claim file. We start with a simple scenario: you borrow a friend’s car to grab ice and something goes wrong. From there, we unpack permissive use, when auto insurance follows the car versus the person, and why household access to keys can quietly expand who counts as an insured under the policy definition. Then we shift into uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage, where your own carrier can end up acting like the at-fault carrier. That odd setup creates real claim-handling tension, and we talk through how adjusters can avoid treating their own insured like an opponent. We also cover the practical math of UIM limits, why state minimums can disappear fast after a serious injury, and how made whole rules and deductibles should shape subrogation expectations. Finally, we hit the holiday exposures we see every year: delivery driving side hustles that trigger business-use exclusions on personal auto policies, Airbnb and Vrbo “other insurance” conflicts, fundraiser and lemonade stand liability questions under homeowners business pursuit language, and the messy world of boats, jet skis, ATVs, and alcohol. We bring it back to adjuster fundamentals: ask precise questions, verify use and ownership, confirm motor size and policy thresholds, and document the timeline. If this helped you think differently about coverage traps, subscribe, share the show with an adjuster friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s the most surprising coverage dispute you’ve seen from a holiday weekend? For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

May 7, 202659 min

Episode 94: Summer Liability Basics For Adjusters

Send us Fan Mail A lawn mower throws a rock through a car window. A kid hops a fence to grab a baseball near a backyard pool. A trampoline turns one “fun afternoon” into a catastrophic injury demand. Summer liability claims love to masquerade as simple, and that’s exactly when adjusters get burned by policy language. We dig into the fundamentals we rely on when analyzing homeowners liability and similar third-party claims: who qualifies as an insured, what “resident relative” really means, and how a live-in partner or a college-aged child can create instant coverage issues. Then we get practical with the definitions that decide outcomes, including bodily injury vs property damage, how to think about value and diminished value, and why “occurrence” is more specific than everyday speech. From there, we follow the real workflow: read the full policy, check the edition date, find the motor vehicle exclusions, and watch for exceptions and endorsements that give coverage back under tight conditions. The backyard hazards are where it gets real. We unpack lawn mower liability and the “service the residence premises” trap, pool claims and attractive nuisance duties, wet-surface slip and falls, trampoline exclusions, and fire pits where intent vs harm can decide coverage. We also cover the money topics that can make or break a file: umbrella policy notice, keeping excess carriers in the loop, MedPay as a control tool, and how Medicare and Medicaid liens can block “quick payments” if you do not handle reporting correctly. We close with dog bite claim trends, including New York’s Flanders v Goodfellow shift and what it means for negligence arguments. Subscribe to Art of Adjusting, share this with an adjuster who handles liability, and leave a review so more claims pros can find it. What summer claim has given you the biggest coverage surprise? For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

April 23, 202657 min

Episode 93: Contractor Damage, Subrogation, And Smarter Claim Handling

Send us Fan Mail Spring doesn’t just bring warmer weather, it brings a whole new wave of claims problems: roofers canvassing neighborhoods, frozen-pipe losses getting repaired, and construction crews breaking ground. We sit down and get specific about what adjusters and policyholders need to watch for when repairs start, because the repair work itself can create brand-new damage. When that happens, you may be looking at two separate dates of loss, a first-party property claim, and a third-party liability claim against the contractor, all at the same time. We also dig into why “just file it with the contractor” is risky advice. We talk about the duty to open and investigate a claim once the carrier has notice, how subrogation should work in the real world, and why made whole rules can change who gets paid first when limits are tight. Then we tackle valuation and communication: actual cash value vs replacement cost, why market value is not rebuild cost, and how holdback depreciation and the 180-day notice of intent can trigger avoidable disputes if we don’t explain it clearly and follow up in writing. From certificates of insurance and additional insured wording to workers’ comp verification and contractor liability exposures like New York Labor Law 240, we map out practical steps to reduce chaos during building season. If you handle property claims, liability claims, construction-related losses, or subrogation recovery, this conversation is built for you. Subscribe, share this with an adjuster friend, and leave a review so more claims pros can find it. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .

April 9, 20261 hr 1 min

Episode 92: Spring Storm Claim Playbook

Send us Fan Mail Spring storms don’t just damage property, they scramble the story of what happened. One day it’s hail. The next it’s wind-driven rain. Then a ceiling stain shows up weeks later and everyone argues whether it’s a new loss, wear and tear, or “damage creep.” We walk through how we actually sort these files out in the field, especially when the insured sees one big problem but the evidence points to multiple incidents, multiple deductibles, and a timeline that has to be proven with photos and attic inspection. We dig into the roof-claim pressure points adjusters face right now: wear and tear vs direct physical loss, repairability, granule loss myths, and why cosmetic damage endorsements are becoming more common. We also talk matching statutes, discontinued materials, ITEL reports, and the real-world detail people miss: even if matching product exists somewhere, freight and sourcing can change the math and the fairness. Along the way, we share what we’re seeing in expert witness work, including how poor documentation and unclear communication can turn a normal property claim into a complaint or lawsuit. Then we get into policy mechanics that spike confusion during hurricane season and heavy rain events: concurrent causation, anti-concurrent causation states, and the practical need for wind and flood adjusters to coordinate so the insured isn’t left in the middle with an uninsured gap. We close with a simple adjuster framework: establish cause of loss early, verify functionality, document every step, and explain estimates so the insured understands why a contractor scope can be higher than a covered scope. If you found this useful, subscribe, share it with another adjuster, and leave a review so more claims folks can find the show. For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management . To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting . Promotions: Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now . The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here .