Business Interruption Loss Valuation for Insurance Claim
Whenever a business suffers including the Fire & Natural Disasters,
a substantial material loss due to FIRE, FLOOD, THEFT, or other CATASTROPHE including the Economic Damages, this loss is inevitably followed by a downturn in sales and increase in running costs.
These consequential losses are covered by your BUSINESS INTERRUPTION POLICY. These losses are invariably complicated to present and it is therefore recommended that you utilize the expert services for the following reasons.
- As with the material loss, the responsibility of calculating and proving the Business Interruption claim rests with you. The Loss Adjusters appointed by the Insurers will employ experts in this field, but will not prepare the claim on your behalf. They cannot serve two masters.
- A Business Interruption claim represents a specialist element which requires particular knowledge and experience in order to achieve the fullest possible recovery.
Generally, there are three types of business interruption insurance typically encountered.
- "Business interruption" insurance is intended to compensate the insured for the income lost during the period of restoration or the time necessary to repair or restore the physical damage to the covered property.
- "Extended business interruption" provides coverage, typically limited by a period of time, for the income lost after the property is repaired but before the income returns to its pre-loss level.
- "Contingent business interruption" provides coverage for the insured's loss of income resulting from physical damage, not to its property, but to the property of providers or suppliers on the one hand or consumers of its product or services on the other.
The latter two coverages are typically offered as extensions of the business interruption coverage, subject to additional premium for each.
Challenge:
Business interruption claims, by their very nature, present a basic challenge: How does the insured determine the "actual" loss sustained? Simply stated, the actual loss sustained is most often defined as what the company would have earned had the loss not occurred, less what it actually did earn.
Methodology: But For
The amount the company "would have earned had the loss not occurred" is essentially retroactively forecasted. This requires a methodology that looks at what would have happened in normal times and conditions during the period of loss. The methodology may incorporate many factors, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Facts surrounding the loss and its impact on the insured's business
- Company forecasts
- Historical trends
- Recent changes in capacity and product or service sales mix
- Significant contracts
- Marketing initiatives and plans
- New product or service launches
- Changes in the competitive landscape
- Changes in the economy
Reasonable and Supportable Projection of Lost Revenues
Developing a reasonable and supportable projection of lost revenues is a key to developing a solid business interruption claim.
We can prepare the reasonable and supportable damages valuation for the business interruption and business income loss.
Examples of Industries and Assets:
Agricultural Concerns
•Farm Equipment •Fertilizer Distributing Equipment •Livestock •Winery & Vineyard •Hay Production
Aviation & Marine Industries
•Airplanes/Aviation Equipment •Barges/Tugs •Boats/Vessels
Commercial Services
•Chemical Processing •Coating Companies •Commercial Bakeries •Dairy and Ice Cream Plants •Food Processing •Graphic Arts Companies •Material Testing •Painting Companies •Printing Companies
Construction Equipment & Vehicles Dealers
•Construction Equipment •National & Local Car Dealerships •Trucking Companies
Contracting Companies
•Excavation Contractors •Fire Sprinkler Companies •Flooring Contractors •General Contractors •Paving Contractors •Petroleum Specialists •Plumbing Contractors •Pre-stressed Concrete Forming •Stone Contractors •Utility Contractors
Environmental Services
•Fertilizer Manufacturing Equipment •Soil Remediation Equipment •Wastewater Treatment Facility
Industrial Manufacturing
•Bag Printing & Manufacturing •Boiler Fabrication & Repair •Door Manufacturing •Injection Molding •Metal Production •Tank Fabrication
Timber & Lumber Industry •Lumber Manufacturing •Milling Companies •Pressure Treated Lumber •Woodworking Companies
Hotel and Entertainment Businesses
Oil and Gas Participants
Logistics/Distribution
Transportation Companies
Hospital and Healthcare Facilities