Meet the Claims Handling Team

Taunton-based partner Vittorio Cinque is responsible for managing our claims handling team and, in order to find out more about what the team does and how they can help clients, we had a quick catch-up while he has been working remotely.

Vito’s team, which focuses on professions and financial lines claims, is made up of around 40 claims handlers from technicians to claims managers who are predominantly based in our Taunton office, with the rest of the team working out of our Bristol, London and Dublin offices.

Whilst the claims team are based, operationally, in the south west of England, they are an international claims handling team and often work with many of our offices in Latin America, Australia, Europe and the US. “There really are some incredibly talented claims handlers in the team who are multi-lingual, which is amazing to see on a day-to-day basis,” emphasises Vito.

The claims team handles major broker, managing general agent (MGA) and insurer-led schemes, dealing with thousands of notifications across several jurisdictions. These include accountants, architects, construction professionals, first party cyber schemes, independent financial advisors (IFAs) and solicitors’ professional indemnity (PI). “We frequently provide triaged claim support services to Insurer claims departments, and run-off claims handling, with particular expertise in financial institutions, bankers blanket bonds and crime policies, and D&O (directors’ and officers’),” says Vito.

When asked what misconceptions people have regarding the work that his team carries out on a daily basis, Vito replies: “People think working in claims handling is easy…but claims handlers are at the coal face, liaising with insureds, underwriters and brokers on a daily basis. They are under considerable pressure to know the law and make decisions, which could affect the outcome of a claim. It really is not easy keeping everyone happy!”

Our claims handling team deliberately operate a senior claims handler-led approach, some of whom have been experts in their field for over 25 years. It is also our way of guaranteeing a best in class service and adding a level of comfort that reassures those insurer clients that their book of business will be handled properly.

The claims team has gone through a period of transition. However, they’re now one of the largest financial institution/professional indemnity (FI/PI) claims handling teams in the market. They have invested a considerable amount of time and money in recruitment, their claims management system, and in raising their profile. Discussing the team’s successes to date Vito reflects: “Whilst we have had some amazing success stories with some of our clients, our greatest achievements are internally. To my mind, we are the only TPA claims handling team in the market to have a clear careers ladder, from technician level up to partner.”

Speaking on the developments and challenges the team expects to face over the next 12 to 18 months, Vito highlights that data really is king at the moment. “I repeatedly mention to the team that it is no longer good enough to say that we are exceptional claims handlers. All our clients are data hungry, and so we need to ensure that our robust systems, one of which is allowing us to work seamlessly, remotely, at the moment, continue to provide the MI our clients require.”

To find out more about our Claims Handling Team, please click here.