Carrier designated to investigate and agree a claim on behalf of all subscribers to one contract, whose decision binds them within the limits set in the contract.
A claim on a risk carried by fifteen subscribers cannot be investigated fifteen times: the adjusting cost and settlement delay would make the subscription market unusable. The contract therefore designates a claims leader, which investigates, appoints the adjuster, negotiates with the insured and agrees the settlement, its decision binding the other carriers for their shares. The arrangement is graduated by stake: routine claims fall to the leader alone, those above a threshold require a second agreement party, and the most serious or most disputed go back to all carriers. The claims leader is not necessarily the underwriting leader, and separating them is good practice where the competences differ. Two points deserve vigilance. A follower delegates an indemnity judgment it does not control, and must therefore measure the leader's claims handling quality as carefully as its underwriting appetite. And the contract must say clearly which law and which jurisdiction apply, failing which the promised coordination unravels at the first serious disagreement.
A 42M EUR fire loss on an industrial risk placed with thirteen carriers in 2026. The claims leader appoints the adjuster, negotiates and agrees a 37.4M EUR settlement after eight months. The second agreement party threshold was set at 10M EUR: only two carriers had a say, and the other eleven paid their share on a decision they took no part in.
claims leader, parties accordantes, agreement parties, gestion déléguée des sinistres, claims agreement