Commercial property adjuster John Rankin got the call at 8:15 Monday morning. During the night, a pipe in a commercial building's fire suppression system had burst, flooding the premises and damaging 80 percent of the company's inventory.

This was peak selling season for the insured, a wholesale paper supply company. Delivery deadlines were backed up and cash was needed quickly in order to replenish inventory and get back in business.

With 300 open files in his caseload, John was eager to close the file quickly. His decision to sell the damaged inventory back to the insured for 20 percent of its replacement cost seemed a wise decision. He saved the insurer close to $150,000 by not having to remove and dispose of the damaged paper. The insured was comfortable with the final settlement.