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Why London-market claims need better visibility
A claim moving between a Lloyd’s underwriter in London and an adjuster on the ground in North Carolina, Louisiana, or Wyoming passes through very different regulatory terrain at each end. Reconciling that gap and doing so consistently across Crawford & Company’s operations in 70 countries is the task facing Robert Fleckenstein, the firm’s vice president of GTS Operations.
Fleckenstein, who is currently in the thick of leading a reorganization of delegated authority at Crawford, has worked in London-market business for close to 15 years, dating back to his time as an independent adjuster. Speaking to Insurance Business TV, he says the basis for judging a claim has changed substantially in that period.
Success is no longer measured by whether a claim was resolved amicably. The yardstick now asks how it was resolved, whether the handling was consistent, and whether it aligned with what a specific program requires.
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Crawford has over 80 years of experience in the global loss-adjusting space, with over 10,000 employees in over 70 countries. We are the largest publicly listed independent provider of claims management and outsourcing solutions globally. The world's top insurers, brokers, and industry-leading companies trust Crawford's specialized division, global technical services (GTS), to adjust their most complex commercial accounts and claims. Wherever and whenever losses occur, GTS taps Crawford's vast network of employees and colleagues to form a customized, rapid-response team with the elite level of experience needed for the most challenging scenarios.
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40%
Board representation of minorities and women
16.4%
Black and African-American US employee representation
58%
Proportion of women across the company
10,000+
Employees across the globe
$20B+
claims managed annually
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years in the industry
20
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Almost 10 years spent as union carpenter / general contractor
Robert Fleckenstein
Vice President of GTS Operations at Crawford
Robert Fleckenstein on Crawford’s push to give London-market insurers clearer oversight of claims handled across the US
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“You could be the best adjuster in the nation, but if the way you are doing that job is not presented in the way that the data needs to speak to it, it’s almost a moot point”
Robert Fleckenstein, Crawford
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2006
2010
2011
2022
2024
2026
Started as staff adjuster for a small mutual company in Philadelphia
2006
Joined a small regional IA firm, transitioning from staff adjuster to IA
2010
Was a part of small IA firm, focusing on London markets
2011
Moved to Crawford GTS
2022
Promoted to VP operations responsible for Large Complex TPA / Captive Operations
2024
Appointed as lead for Crawford USLA reorganization with focus on streamlined operational approach to London markets
2026
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Published Oct 12, 2026
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“The marrying of the data that’s being captured to provide those analytics, as well as conversations and predictive insights from local experts, creates an environment where claims and underwriting operate in a unified practice toward the same outcomes”
Robert Fleckenstein, Crawford
firms holding that data. Rather than waiting for a client to request a particular analysis, he believes claims partners should be able to identify developments worth raising themselves.
That changes what delegated authority asks of a TPA or adjusting firm. The mandate may still involve settling claims on the insurer’s behalf, but the carrier retains a strong interest in seeing how that authority is being exercised.
Delegated authority can still leave considerable discretion with the adjuster handling the file. The carrier, however, wants a much clearer record of how that discretion was used, whether the handling was consistent, and what the claims data may be signaling across the wider program.
That is where Crawford’s “one-market” ambition becomes most concrete. Local rules and judgement will continue to shape how individual claims are handled. The London underwriter still needs a clear line of sight into why those decisions were made. Across a global operation, the quality of the model will depend on how clearly Crawford can connect what happens on the ground with what the carrier needs to see.
“You could be the best adjuster in the nation, but if the way you are doing that job is not presented in the way that the data needs to speak to it, it’s almost a moot point,” he says.
Building a ‘one-market’ model Fleckenstein calls the goal a “one-market” approach to London business: a consistent claims experience for clients no matter who ends up handling a given file. That is a harder task than it sounds, given the fragmented nature of US insurance regulation, which sets requirements and timelines at the state level rather than nationally.
It presents a particular problem for firms trying to give London-market clients a consistent experience, but Fleckenstein describes this as an opening rather than a liability: a chance for Crawford to work alongside Lloyd’s and London-market clients, walking them through the specific requirements that apply state to state, venue to venue, on litigated claims and coverage issues.
The claims team on the ground is responsible for both parts of the job, according to Fleckenstein. Adjusters need to understand the requirements of the jurisdiction in which they are operating, while also explaining those requirements clearly enough that the carrier can see why a claim is taking a particular course.
Fleckenstein argues for agreement in advance on where local regulation may force the claims team to depart from a standard process. On a large or complicated loss, discovering those differences after decisions have already been made can create unnecessary friction between the parties.
“I personally believe that the greatest success comes from having alignment and collaboration before losses even occur,” he says.
As captive and specialty risk programs face more scrutiny, the goal, he says, is to turn claims handling from a reactive function into a tool for predictive analysis, using data to catch trends before they turn into losses.
What data changes for captive programs For captive and specialty risks in particular, a claims file can contribute to a larger body of evidence about how losses are developing. Historical data may reveal recurring causes, concentrations, or changes in severity. Adjusters can then add the context that numbers alone often lack.
Fleckenstein describes the claims function moving from retrospective reporting toward something closer to management of information.
Risk managers should be asking claims partners for analytics that help them understand what is happening across the program. The value comes from pairing those numbers with people who understand the individual claims and the jurisdictions in which they occurred.
Combining analytics with the observations of local claims professionals can give claims and underwriting teams a better basis for discussing both past losses and emerging concerns.
That connection is particularly useful when claims data begins to show repetition. A recurring loss pattern may point to an underwriting issue, a weakness in risk controls, or a procedural problem within the program. The data will not necessarily identify the cause by itself. But it can tell an insurer where to look and give claims professionals something concrete to investigate.
“The marrying of the data that’s being captured to provide those analytics, as well as conversations and predictive insights from local experts, creates an environment where claims and underwriting operate in a unified practice toward the same outcomes,” Fleckenstein says.
Delegated authority, with a shorter leash Fleckenstein does not expect carriers to pull claims authority back in-house. He expects delegated models to remain important, while the level of scrutiny around them increases.
“Delegated authority, TPA programs, so on and so forth, are going to continue to exist,” he says. “However, I believe the governance and oversight of those things are going to continue to increase in significance.”
For claims partners, good execution will therefore include the ability to show their work.
Carriers will want reliable data, but Fleckenstein also expects more from the
