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61 need that backbone of knowledge from being on-site," McCaffrey said. "A lot of adjusting is the mechanics and understanding how the loss occurs. So often, people think they had a plumbing loss, and it was actually a roof leak, or vice-versa, because somebody didn't properly identify the cause of loss." "at is going to absolutely be a game- changer for our clients because now they know their collateral will be protected and they will receive maximum recovery dollars for their losses," MacIntyre continued. "And investors are looking at their book of business, trying to predict future losses and ensuring ways of reducing servicing costs, knowing additional defaults are on the horizon." In addition to updating the book of best practices, DIMONT is also now branching out into the commercial space—something the company hasn't really had the capacity to do in the past. "at's an area that we think we can provide significant value, and we're also moving into providing assistance within the credit union space," MacIntyre explained. McCaffrey also spoke to DIMONT's focus on assisting clients with compliance, explaining that the company is "extremely active" in ensuring the industry complies with all necessary licensing. McCaffery said, "We head up the compliance of public adjusters nationally through our association and collaboration with the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters. We're on the cutting-edge of information, the cutting-edge of knowledge, the cutting-edge of the adjusting process that simply didn't exist in DIMONT before." Finally, because DIMONT and MPA's business models are run independently but can work jointly, McCaffrey notes that the companies "always have clients of service, but then we can shift the workforce over to the servicing side as needed." LEVERAGING EDUCATION Metro Public Adjustment has trademarked the phrase "e Science of Adjusting" to describe their approach to their work, so it's not surprising that they've backed up that phrase with an extensive library of curriculum and training materials designed to bring new team members—or newly acquired companies—up to speed on that science. MacIntyre explained that MPA brought to the table "a library of training materials, as well as a curriculum that we've never had access to." Much of that curriculum was overseen by Bill Underkoffler, MPA's Director of Adjusting, who also runs training for the company. (See the sidebar section for more insights from Underkoffler.) "Bill put together a curriculum specifically for DIMONT, understanding how we do our adjusting," MacIntyre continued. "He brought his expertise into our process, and he spends a significant amount of time with our adjusters and our document review specialist, to help identify damages." McCaffrey and MacIntyre both spotlighted that focus on training and continuing education as a major priority for DIMONT, and something they were eager to showcase. MacIntyre says these educational initiatives help ensure the DIMONT team is up-to-date on everything they need to be, and also bolsters the company's retention and tenure within the team. "We have several folks that have been here since the very beginning, and they're almost always looking for additional opportunities to help grow within their own company," MacIntyre said. "We've spent a lot of time on leadership. We've spent a lot of time on training, and with the acquisition, it's been helpful for the employees to get rejuvenated and spend some time on learning new skills or learning a new way to adjust. Our focus is on training and providing value to our customers and to be able to show our customers the additional value we can provide." McCaffrey also noted that this commitment to education extends beyond just internal training. DIMONT has made aspects of that curriculum available to servicer partners as well. "Some servicers want to adjust their own claims, and they have internal departments. DIMONT is offering complimentary webinars and education—on-site or via Zoom—to educate their staff to make sure they get the best," McCaffrey explained. "We feel that in order to service this industry, whether their adjusters or our adjusters work on the claim or if the insurance servicers have their own departments, we want to be their resource for knowledge and to make sure that they give the best possible product and service to their investors." PROCESSING VS. ADJUSTING As McCaffrey explains, one motto at DIMONT is "We adjust claims." While that phrase might seem self-evident, he explains that it nevertheless highlights an important difference that sets DIMONT apart from other hazard claim companies. "ose companies process claims," McCaffrey said. "Adjusting is a whole different animal. When there's a large catastrophe, like a hurricane or tornado, trying to assess that damage from behind a computer screen, to us, is not acceptable." As such, DIMONT deploys adjusters on-site to assess and adjust losses to protect the collateral for their clients. "e obligation of the servicer is to protect their investor, and the best way to protect the investor is to make sure nothing is overlooked when it comes to processing a covered loss that should be paid for by the insurance so that it protects the investment." is ability to adjust claims on-site can be "In the past, a claim was a claim was a claim. ... With the acquisition of DIMONT, we have additional leverage, we have additional information, we have better claims. Our propensity to get a denial is a lot lower than it was before." —Laura MacIntyre, President, DIMONT

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