About Leland Coontz

Twenty years in property insurance claims, split almost evenly between the two sides of the table. From 2006 to 2016 I adjusted commercial, residential, and liability claims for carriers as an executive general adjuster — including nine years of Mercury Insurance property claims, many over $1,000,000. Since 2016 I've represented policyholders as a California licensed public adjuster, and increasingly served in the neutral and party roles of insurance appraisal.

Appraisal record

• Party-appointed appraiser in dozens of insurance appraisals, residential and commercial, in disputes ranging from single trades to seven figures.
• Many more claims handled through the appraisal process in other roles — as the adjuster on one side or the other while a panel did its work.
• Selected as umpire by agreement of opposing appraisers and by Superior Court appointment; accepted by both carrier-side and policyholder-side appraisers.
• Appraisal panels opposite State Farm, Farmers, AAA (Interinsurance Exchange), Liberty Mutual, Safeco, Travelers, USAA, Nationwide, Allstate, and others.
• Dwelling, contents, additional living expense, and business income appraisals under Insurance Code section 2071 and equivalent appraisal clauses.
• Appraisal hearing, courtroom, deposition, and examination under oath testimony experience.
• Also retained as a litigation consultant and expert witness on property claims handling and appraisal practice.

Regulatory credentials

I served on the California Department of Insurance committee that revised the state adjuster licensing examination, including its fair claims handling content — the standards adjusters on both sides are tested against.

Loss experience

• Fire, smoke, water, theft, vandalism, earthquake, flood, and hurricane losses; contents; additional living expense; business income.
• Major California disasters: the 2007 Malibu fires, the Santa Barbara Tea Fire, the Witch Creek Fire, and contentious Glendale smoke claims.
• National and international catastrophes: Katrina, Rita, Ike, Irene, Sandy, Irma, Harvey, Michael, Odile (Cabo San Lucas), and the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake — including a five-story office building with over $10,000,000 in damage.
• Certified Xactimate estimator.

Licenses & certifications

• California Public Adjuster License #2B53445
• Former Texas Independent Adjuster License #1426905
• Former NFIP (FEMA) Flood Certified Adjuster #06060127
• California Earthquake Certified (SEED); California Fair Claims Practice Certified
• Xactimate certified; IICRC certified; State Farm certified
• Languages: English; German (fluent); Spanish (conversational)