Justin Granato
Clifton Park,NY
Summary
Experienced insurance professional with several-year career assessing properties, determining liabilities and negotiating settlements. Detail-oriented, observant and knowledgeable with excellent interpersonal and documentation skills. Efficiently handle high case volumes with accuracy and care.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Large loss adjuster
Progressive
04.2023 - Current
- Proficiency in Xactimate, and ability to accurately estimate repairs
- Property and Casualty license in CT and reciprocal states
- Handle and adjust property claims from first contact to final settlement
- Examine complex policy forms and endorsements to determine coverage
- Maintained accurate records of all claim activities including investigations, assessments, payments and recoveries.
- Completed required investigations on referred files within established timeframes.
- Coordinated with law enforcement and other agencies as needed for claims investigation.
- Resolved claim disputes through mediation and negotiation, minimizing the need for litigation.
- Collaborate with internal and external business partners to verify claims
- Effectively communicate verbally and in writing with customers and agents.
- Ensured compliance with statutory regulations governing loss adjusting practices.
- Assessed liability, negotiated settlements and recommended courses of action for clients.
- Identified fraudulent claims and provided evidence to support prosecutions where appropriate.
- Reviewed existing procedures for efficiency improvements and made recommendations accordingly.
- Conducted detailed interviews with witnesses, claimants and other involved parties to determine the facts in each case.
Senior Property Specialist
Kemper
12.2021 - 04.2023
- Proficiency in Xactimate, and ability to accurately estimate repairs
- Property and Casualty license in CT and reciprocal states
- Handle and adjust property claims from first contact to final settlement
- Represent the company in the field and provide exceptional customer service
- Examine complex policy forms and endorsements to determine coverage
- Collaborate with internal and external business partners to verify claims
- Effectively communicate verbally and in writing with customers and agents
- Property and Casualty license in CT and reciprocal states
- Assessed liability, negotiated settlements and recommended courses of action for clients.
- Conducted detailed interviews with witnesses, claimants and other involved parties to determine the facts in each case.
- Investigated and reported on the causes of loss or damage to insured property.
- Completed required investigations on referred files within established timeframes.
- Resolved claim disputes through mediation and negotiation, minimizing the need for litigation.
- Reviewed and applied state laws and regulations to ensure compliance in claim handling.
Claims Associate III
The Hartford-Albany, NY
02.2015 - 12.2021
- Proficiency in Xactimate, and ability to accurately estimate repairs
- Property and Casualty license in CT and reciprocal states
- Handle and adjust property claims from first contact to final settlement
- Represent the company in the field and provide exceptional customer service
- Handle commercial lines building, Business Personal Property
- Examine complex policy forms and endorsements to determine coverage
- Collaborate with internal and external business partners to verify claims
- Effectively communicate verbally and in writing with customers and agents.Claims Associate II and III
Claims Associate II and III
Liberty Mutual-Albany, NY
08.2011 - 02.2015
- Investigate coverage and liability of claims by obtaining statements and utilizing outside vender assistance when needed
- Communicate effectively with policy holders, claimants and attorneys, claims processes and decisions
- Obtain medical records and evaluate injuries in line with New York State injury threshold
- Handle all phases of litigated claims and work with defense council to determine proper handling and values
- Maintain a superior level of customer service to make the claims process easy for policy holders and maintain customer loyalty
- Serve on various teams and projects within the office
- Assist policy holders with claims/legal process and assist legal department with customer contact
- Identified fraudulent claims through investigations of suspicious behavior or discrepancies.
- Attended hearings or mediations as needed in order to represent the company's interests.
- Analyzed accident reports, medical records and other documents to determine the extent of coverage.
- Negotiated settlements with claimants and attorneys to resolve claims efficiently.
Claims Representative
Progressive Insurance-Albany, NY
09.2004 - 08.2011
- Completed field estimates on personal autos and motorcycles
- Settled bodily injury claims w/ claimants directly
- Multitasked continuously to resolve cases while answering calls for customers following up on the status of their claims
- Provided exceptional customer service to build and maintain customer loyalty
- Completed coverage and liability investigations on commercial claims
- Completed total loss evaluations and processed salvage of vehicles
- Mentor newer employees
- Assessed damages to vehicles and property resulting from a variety of incidents.
- Investigated and analyzed auto insurance claims to determine validity, accuracy, and coverage.
- Managed multiple cases simultaneously while meeting established deadlines.
- Determined liability based on facts gathered from investigations.
- Evaluated repair estimates for reasonableness and accuracy prior to authorizing repairs.
- Interviewed claimants, witnesses, police officers, medical professionals and other parties involved in the claim.
- Conducted in-person and remote assessments of vehicle damages for accurate claim valuation.
- Identified and pursued subrogation opportunities to recover claim costs.
- Negotiated settlements with customers and lien holders paid out total loss settlements and obtained necessary documents to process titles for branding.
- Managed workload to ensure timely follow-up and resolution of all assigned claims.
Education
Bachelors in Arts and Sciences -
State University of New York at Albany
05.2004
Associate in Liberal Arts -
Hudson Valley Community College
05.2002
Skills
- Negotiation
- Microsoft Outlook
- Claims Investigation
- Policy Interpretation
- Automobile appraisals
- Regulatory Compliance
- Property adjusting
- Coverage assessments
- Claims investigations
- Damage Assessment
- Vehicle Inspection
- Claims Handling
- Proficient in Xactimate,CCC
- Written Communication
Additionalinformation - Qualifications
- Strong problem solving skills
- Licensed New York State Auto damage appraiser
- Extensive customer service skills and able to multi-task in a fast paced environment
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Creates a positive work atmosphere while effectively achieving tasks at hand
- Proficient with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint applications
- Ability to work independently
Workauthorization
Authorized to work in the US for any employer
Timeline
Senior Large loss adjuster
Progressive
04.2023 - Current
Senior Property Specialist
Kemper
12.2021 - 04.2023
Claims Associate III
The Hartford-Albany, NY
02.2015 - 12.2021
Claims Associate II and III
Liberty Mutual-Albany, NY
08.2011 - 02.2015
Claims Representative
Progressive Insurance-Albany, NY
09.2004 - 08.2011
Bachelors in Arts and Sciences -
State University of New York at Albany
Associate in Liberal Arts -
Hudson Valley Community College