DS News

58 MAKING ADJUSTMENTS With expanded capacity for tech, education, and "boots on the ground," DIMONT's leadership discusses how the company is pivoting to tackle clients' needs better than ever before. During our recent visit to DIMONT's headquarters in Dallas, the scene inside looked like that found in countless other offices around the country during the past two years: amidst a sea of desks, a handful of heads could be seen above the cubicle walls. As with so many companies working to navigate the challenging waters of an ongoing pandemic, the majority of DIMONT's office staff was working remotely. But as we spoke with CEO Steven McCaffrey and President Laura MacIntyre, one of the topics they were most eager to discuss involved a different kind of remote work: namely, the expanded capacity for on-site, "boots on the ground" adjusters that DIMONT can now offer clients, due to the recent acquisition by the Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based company Metro Public Adjustment Inc. (MPA). First announced in August 2021, the partnership between DIMONT and MPA brings together "one of the largest providers of specialty insurance claims and loan administration services to the residential mortgage industry" and "one of the largest public adjusting companies in the United States." at announcement included leadership changes within DIMONT itself: MacIntyre, formerly CEO, became the company's President, while McCaffrey, previously President of MPA, took over the role of DIMONT's CEO. Between MacIntyre and McCaffrey, the two bring decades of industry experience to the table. McCaffrey founded MPA in 1993, and led that company for nearly 30 years prior to the merger. MacIntyre previously served in leadership roles for companies such as DocMagic and ServiceLink, as well as serving as one of Black Knight's COOs for nearly 18 years. With mergers and acquisitions regularly reshaping the face of the industry amid ongoing challenges stemming from the pandemic and its related economic ripples, DS News asked McCaffrey and MacIntyre what led to the acquisition, how it has fundamentally changed and strengthened both companies, and what DIMONT is excited to bring to the table for its clients in 2022. THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP When discussing what the union of DIMONT and MPA brought to each entity, one phrase that kept coming up during our interviews was one I've already mentioned: "boots on the ground." As MacIntyre explained, hazard claim companies have traditionally been limited to only adjusting claims online. "We did not have the ability to adjust claims in person," she said. "Metro has been around for 25-plus years. ey are the leading public adjusting firm in the industry. ey bring the boots on the ground adjusting, which is critical, especially in high- dollar claims and complex peril losses." Estimating that the partnership between DIMONT and MPA has increased DIMONT's "boots on the ground" capacity nearly tenfold, McCaffrey said that the company is now better positioned than ever before to tackle the headwinds that 2022 may bring: shifting volumes, a continued strain imposed by the health crisis, and an overall need to be able to scale strategically and navigate those headwinds successfully. "We're able to scale up and to scale down because of the way we've structured," McCaffrey said, adding a note that DIMONT is a "debt- free company" that "has the financial strain to be able to handle all the needs of the servicing and hazard claim community." Chief among those needs is the ability to service and adjust claims on-site. "No other hazard claims company does that," McCaffrey said. MacIntyre also noted the strain that labor and resource costs have put on many industry Cover Story By: David Wharton

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