Lightning claims present rich opportunities for fraudsters — and the stakes for those claims keep getting higher. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the cost per lightning claim in the United States has surged 93 percent over the past seven years — to just over $5,000. Overall, lightning claims cost carriers about $1 billion last year.
Carriers can protect a significant amount of capital by improving how they handle lightning claims. To help, ISO is happy to announce the Lightning Strike Report — the latest enhancement to our Decision Net® Weather Forensic Reports.
You can use the Lightning Strike Report to evaluate claims more effectively and determine whether to fast-track them or investigate further. Improvements include:
- expanded geographic coverage for lightning strike activity (from a two-mile radius to a five-mile radius around the loss location)
- increased time period around the weather event (from 24 hours to 72 hours — or 36 hours of coverage on each side of the event)
- the ability to sort lightning strike findings in the Severe Weather Event table by proximity to the loss location
- an exclusive focus on cloud-to-ground lightning, the type most likely to cause injuries and property damage
The report continues to include general weather metrics for specific calendar dates, including a graphical display of hourly temperature, wind, humidity, and barometric pressure readings. As with the rest of the Decision Net Weather Forensic Reports, your Lightning Strike Report is available for viewing for up to 30 days, with free unlimited updates throughout that period.
Learn more about Decision Net Weather Forensic Reports now. >>