Roof Age, Coverage Decisions & Loss Settlement | P&C Insurance

Wind and hail claims represent nearly 42.5% of all incurred homeowner loss dollars — a figure that has climbed toward 47% in recent years — and the roof takes the brunt of nearly every storm event. For P&C underwriters, agents, and claims managers, the decisions made at the time of application determine how that exposure is shared, settled, and managed. Mary Beegle, CPCU, AU, CIC, CISR, AIS, ARE — Vice President of National Programs and Senior Product Development Analyst at MSO, with more than four decades of experience in P&C underwriting and management — presents Part 2 of the MSO webinar "Roofing Inspections & Coverage Considerations," originally delivered live on April 8, 2026. This is Part 2 of the webinar originally presented as Roofing Inspections and Coverage Considerations. Part 1, covering roofing materials, IBC code requirements, and inspection fundamentals, is presented by Nils Deacon, Manager of Inspection & Rating Services at MSO.    • Roof Risk & Inspection Fundamentals for P&...   Topics covered in Part 2: — Why roofing systems are a central underwriting variable: wind and hail claims as nearly half of all homeowner loss dollars — Brief history of roofing (thatch to terracotta to post-WWII asphalt shingles) and what it tells us about material durability — Four decision points for roof selection: availability, cost/durability balance, and style, code, and HOA requirements — Case study walkthrough: Jack & Jill Hill, first-time homebuyers in Pennsylvania with a home needing a new roof — Underwriting the existing roof: material type, weight load, fire/wind/impact resistance, and lifespan by geography — Geography and climate factors: wildfire proximity risk, salt air, UV degradation, extreme temperature cycling, and hail exposure — Hail damage: severe (1"+ diameter) vs. sub-severe cumulative granule erosion and long-term shingle lifespan impact — Roof age as the primary underwriting variable: documentation challenges, morale vs. moral hazard — Verifying roof age: seller property disclosure statements (SPD), tax assessment records, building permits, HOA charters, contractor inspection, drone inspection, and on-site inspection — Roof value and market impact: 5–10% of home value, effect on buyer negotiations and saleability — Accepting or declining a risk: fraud statements, unfair discrimination standards, and what carriers can and cannot base decisions on — 60-day free look period: cancellation rights, state variation, and how to use it effectively — Underwriting concessions for old or marginal roofs: binders conditioned on replacement, higher property deductibles, flat-dollar and percentage wind-hail deductibles — Loss settlement provisions: replacement cost vs. ACV, roof ACV endorsements, functional replacement cost, and matching exclusions — Limited loss schedule (LLS) endorsements: how age-and-type payout matrices work, benefits for insurers and insureds, and the challenge of communicating them at application — Direct vs. latent error framework: moving from blame to collaborative solutions in claims handling — Industry challenges: storm chaser contractors, assignment of benefits, inspector misrepresentation, rising material and labor costs, stricter building codes, and new materials with limited performance data — Bonus: Roof Aging Farm research project and why manufacturer warranties are unreliable as underwriting benchmarks 0:53 Introduction and why roofing underwriting matters 5:07 Brief history of roofing materials 10:08 Four decision points for roof selection 15:21 Underwriting the existing risk: material, geography, and hail exposure 16:40 Roof age: documentation, verification methods, and moral hazard 30:48 Coverage and loss settlement options for marginal risks 49:25 Industry challenges and collaborative solutions 53:43 Bonus: Roof Aging Farm & Data, Climate, and Roof Condition Research Reports Watch for P&C CE credits: MSO webinar replays are available on this channel. To earn CE credit, register for an upcoming live MSO webinar: https://www.msonet.com/event/mso-webi... Follow MSO on LinkedIn for upcoming webinar announcements:   / mso-inc-the-mutual-service-office-inc-   Learn about MSO's services: https://www.msonet.com/corporate/why-... This video is part of MSO's MSO Presents series, featuring educational webinars for P&C insurance professionals including underwriters, agents, risk managers, and claims managers.