Reasonable Offers

Unlike most other insurance companies we deal with, Erie actually makes reasonable pre-lawsuit settlement offers on regular basis. This does NOT mean that every settlement offer you get from an Erie claims adjuster fair. They will still try to bait claimants with lowball offers. The difference is Erie is not as aggressively committed to lowballing and they occasionally make decent offers right from the start.

Likes to Settle Early

In some cases, Erie will make a decent pre-litigation settlement offer. But more often than not you need to file suit to get Erie to open up. Erie pays outside counsel by the hour, so the longer a case in litigation drags out the more it costs them. For this reason, Erie has a VERY strong preference to settle claims soon after a lawsuit is filed. They will usually make a very good offer right at the start of litigation.

Frugal Defendant

Unlike other, larger auto insurance companies, Erie does not have in-house attorneys to handle claims in litigation. In Maryland, Erie uses outside defense counsel to defend their claims. These lawyers bill by the hour, which makes Erie much more sensitive to mounting litigation costs compared to insurance companies who handle litigation in-house. This makes Erie a more reasonable and pragmatic defendant.

Inconsistent Adjusters

In contrast to other insurance companies, the claims adjusters at Erie seem to have a great deal of autonomy and the ability to make independent decisions. This is good for claimants because it allows individual adjusters the freedom to be reasonable when appropriate. However, it also allows for significant inconsistencies between adjusters in terms of policies and valuations.