Insurance Support

Our unique relationship with the environmental insurance industry in the US and internationally allows us to provide unparalleled technical underwriting, claims management support and loss control services. Our
in-depth knowledge of policy language provides an understanding of coverage and how it relates to environmental expenditures.
Additionally, our underwriting support experience allows us to recognize issues associated with applications, disclosures and representations during all phases of an insurance company’s involvement. With our technical expertise in investigation, engineering, toxicology and remediation, we have the insight required for identifying which activities and costs are necessary and reasonable and which are not, even for the most complex cases.

We provide direct technical support for environmental underwriters by evaluating materials provided with policy application submissions and providing an expert opinion regarding the nature of the potential associated environmental risk. We provide all levels of review from single sites to large portfolios of complex industrial properties on a rapid turnaround basis to support instances where insurance must quickly be put into place, such as property transactions.
Our technical reviews address the potential for a pollution incident to cause bodily injury, property damage or business interruption for potential insurers and their insureds. We prepare concise summary reports
describing current conditions, regulatory issues, potential third party risks and anticipated remedial measures required for each site. Our reports also identify known preexisting pollution conditions that an insurer may consider excluding from a policy.

We also develop technically defensible remediation cost estimates based on the site conditions. Most importantly, due to our insurance industry knowledge, we develop conclusions that are directly related to the information needed by insurers to support policy decisions.

Technical Underwriting Expertise

• Pollution legal liability
• Remediation cost cap
• Lender’s and contractor’s pollution liability
• Product liability
• Pollution liability
• Non-owned disposal sites
• Complex portfolios
• Rapid review and response

We provide technical management, response and oversight for pollution claims under comprehensive general liability, pollution legal liability and remediation cost cap policies for numerous insurance companies. We also coordinate and compile the technical information and the remedial costing
information related to claims made under these types of policies.

WSP stood at the forefront in developing the discipline of environmental claims management and is recognized throughout the industry. We have
been instrumental in the application of technical tools in evaluating environmental claims. Furthermore, a WSP executive serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the esteemed industry publication Environmental Claims Journal.

We perform specialized environmental loss control services or surveillance after a policy has been bound. Our loss control services include visiting insured locations to review ongoing operations, conducting telephone surveys, or reviewing technical documents submitted by an insured postbinding. We also act as the insurers “eyes and ears” for sites undergoing remediation.