Bidding farewell to a legend

Congratulations, we have almost made it to the end of 2020, and I suspect that most of us have never been so happy to see a year come to an end. For insurers, it has been a particularly active year for claims with the coronavirus, wildfires, multiple hurricanes, riots, and an increase in cyber-related events.

I’ve shared with some of you that the coronavirus was the first news story I’ve covered where what we wrote in the morning could be completely different by the end of the day (at least in the early days of the virus). And nine months later, there are still many unknowns about the virus. However, its impact on the insurance industry will be felt for years to come — both in terms of coverage issues, pandemic exclusions, and the ways insurance is sold, as well as how claims are reported and investigated.

For those of you who have read our Iconoclast’s columns for the last 40+ years, the column we publish tomorrow on PropertyCasualty360.com will mark the last time he shares his knowledge and insight on the insurance claims industry as part of this series. Ken Brownlee has taken us on a historic trip through the decades and addressed countless claims. (I believe I was in grade school when he started in the industry.)

He has a knack for identifying both large and small issues, clearly explaining their significance and then providing readers with the understanding that allowed them to accurately and fairly handle claims. Among the topics he’s discussed were adjuster risk management tools, infrastructure, weather claims, sexual harassment, archeology, healthcare, leadership, indemnity, ethics, workplace violence, gun-related claims, resources for adjusters, malpractice, claims technology, litigation,  railroads, fires, flooding, communication and fraud, and there were dozens more.

Ken is a prolific writer and his credits include not only these and other columns but several insurance books, short stories and multiple novels. As a world traveler, he has visited every state in the U.S., been to Europe, several continents and countries along the Pacific Rim. This has given him a global perspective on many issues, which he generously shared with insurance professionals everywhere.

It has been a true privilege for all of us to work with and learn from our esteemed colleague. We wish him well as he moves into this next chapter, which I suspect will include another book or two.

Related:

• The business of risk
• Some claims just aren’t fair…but settlement practices should be