Surety Claims Counsel

Amerisure Mutual Insurance•Farmington Hills, MI

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Amerisure is a property and casualty insurance company that creates exceptional value for its partners, policyholders, and employees. With an A.M. Best “A” (Excellent) rating, Amerisure serves mid-sized commercial enterprises focused in construction, manufacturing and healthcare. Ranked as one of the top 100 Property & Casualty companies in the United States, we proudly manage nearly $1 Billion of Direct Written Premium and maintain $1.21 billion in surplus. We are recruiting for a Surety Claims Counsel to join our team in Farmington Hills, MI. This role will be hybrid, working 3 days a week in the office and 2 from home. This role supports the development and ongoing operations of the Surety Claims function within Amerisure’s Surety line of business. The position is responsible for handling payment and commercial bond claims while assisting in the establishment of claims procedures, processes, and systems. The role also provides underwriting support through bond, contract, and case law review, and contributes to drafting and analysis to support both claims and underwriting activities.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate required.
4 years of Surety and/or Insurance experience.
Ability to obtain appropriate state licensing as required.
Intermediate computer skills required including Microsoft Office Suite.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to function in a fast paced, highly visible, and changing environment.
Ability to think strategically with supporting analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to deal with ambiguity.
Ability to facilitate internal meetings and informational exchanges.
Strong attention to detail with a willingness to focus on the customer experience.
Ability to travel overnight up to 20%.

Nice To Haves

1 year of Surety and/or Insurance Claims experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Investigate losses, determine bond liability, determine loss exposure, review and analyze documents and legal pleadings.
Collaborate and communicate with underwriters, agents, principals, and internal stakeholders on payment bond claims and/or commercial bond claims.
Partner on the internal development of Surety Claims system and continue to support the ongoing Surety Claims systems by ensuring development of internal check and balances as well as updates to systems.
Develop and enhance internal reporting and solutions for Surety Claims, supporting short- and long-term information needs.
Prepare and distribute reports to Surety Claims and cross-functional partners.
Assist with the development and management of department procedures and guides.
Develop action plans to proactively resolve claims, timely evaluate exposure, engage relevant parties in negotiations, and support claim settlement.
Establish and maintain proper reserve for each claim to accurately reflect the financial exposure.
Direct and manage external counsel to manage litigated claims.
Partner with Surety leadership to establish annual goals and objectives for Surety Claims initiatives and monitor progress.
Liaison with all supporting Amerisure staff to align Surety Claims needs with existing processes and procedures.
Responsible for the achievement of department goals within the Surety Claims unit, established to achieve the company’s strategic objectives.