Two independent claims adjusters in the US Southeast have teamed up to launch a platform they describe as a fast, low-cost way for property owners to review insurance carriers’ damage estimates and identify possible shortfalls.
The tool, branded InsuranceClaim123, positions itself as a CarFax-style check for property insurance claims. Its creators say it gives homeowners a way to sanity-check carrier estimates before deciding whether to negotiate, escalate, or walk away.
The system blends limited artificial intelligence with building permit data, photographs, material pricing, and adjuster judgement to flag potential oversights. Those can include missed damage, questionable depreciation, inconsistent repair scopes, and cases where insurers propose repairs rather than full replacement.
Ben Mandell, a former homebuilder who has worked as an independent adjuster since 2017, developed the platform with fellow adjuster Mark Vinson. Vinson, who studied computer science, built the website and underlying system over the past year.
Mandell said the idea came from homeowners’ unease after receiving carrier estimates. He said the platform gives policyholders a way to test whether that unease is justified before spending serious money on representation.
Homeowners upload their insurer’s build-back estimate. Within three to five business days, the system generates a report highlighting items the founders say likely should have been included, or confirming when an estimate appears reasonable.
Each report costs $295, far below what a public adjuster or attorney would typically charge to challenge or litigate a claim.
Mandell shared a redacted example involving a tree strike on a home. In that case, a national carrier proposed limited roof and decking repairs, fascia and downspout work, but excluded gutters. The InsuranceClaim123 report argued that tree impacts usually deform fascia, gutters, hangers, and downspouts together, and said attic inspections should assess potential rafter or truss damage.
The report also flagged mismatches between the amount of roof decking proposed and the number of shingles allowed, questioned partial siding replacement where matching is unlikely, and suggested broader interior damage, including insulation and drywall replacement.
It challenged a 67% depreciation figure as excessive, pointing instead to a typical range closer to 15%. The system estimated the carrier’s offer fell $20,000 to $45,000 short.
Industry critics remain sceptical. Insurer advocates and some public adjusters question whether any system can reliably assess damage without a physical inspection. Mandell and Vinson counter that carriers themselves often revise estimates through desk reviews using documents and photos rather than site visits.
Vinson said he built the system by reverse-engineering how insurers adjust and reduce estimates. As a licensed public adjuster in Texas, he said he reviewed hundreds of redacted adjuster reports obtained from a third-party administrator to train his approach.
Both Mandell and Vinson are known figures in the claims world. They were two of three whistleblower adjusters who testified before the Florida House of Representatives in 2022, alleging insurers rewrote field adjuster reports to cut payouts while leaving the original adjusters’ names attached. InsuranceClaim123 includes video from a 2024 CBS 60 Minutes segment on those allegations.
The site launched this month and, according to Vinson, demand has been heavy from the outset.
Critics also note legal and practical limits. Florida law now allows roof repair rather than full replacement in some cases, and any desk-based review may struggle to separate new damage from pre-existing conditions.
Mandell said the timing matters. He argues carriers increasingly rely on younger, less experienced adjusters and desk-driven processes to compress payouts. He cited extreme depreciation figures as evidence the pendulum has swung too far.
The longer-term impact remains uncertain. Mandell said plaintiffs’ attorneys might use the tool to screen cases before litigation, while public adjusters could use it to triage claims before visiting properties.
Others think homeowners may bypass public adjusters altogether, especially as some insurers push policy endorsements that discourage hiring them.
According to Beinsure analysts, tools like InsuranceClaim123 reflect a broader shift toward claims transparency driven by data access and desk-based workflows. Whether they rebalance negotiations or simply add another layer to disputes will depend on how carriers, regulators, and courts respond.
