Frequently Asked Questions
When a storm damages the roof of your church or someone is injured in a fall on your property, you're faced with a property or liability loss. That's not the time to learn how to file an insurance claim. Here are some common questions many policyholders ask about claims and answers to help you through the process.
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Property Claims
Liability Claims
Passport to Ministry®
Claims
What should I do if my property sustains damage?
- Contact your agent: Notify your agent as soon as possible. If the loss occurs over a weekend, report the claim early Monday morning or call the claims department at 1-800-333-3371 and leave a message.
- Write it down: Write down a detailed description of what happened, including information about the extent of damage.
- Make necessary repairs: Make any necessary repairs to protect your property from further damage. These repairs are covered by your policy.
- Contact authorities: Contact the police in cases where the law has been violated, such as theft, burglary, vandalism, auto accidents, or suspected arson.
What if I need to report an emergency claim?
- Daytime claims: If your claim requires immediate attention, you may contact a Brotherhood Mutual adjuster directly by calling our toll free claims line at 1-800-333-3371. Claims representatives are available at Brotherhood Mutual 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Thursday. Claims hours on Friday are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
- After-hours claims: If your claim requires immediate attention and our office is closed, you my contact a Brotherhood Mutual adjuster by calling our toll free emergency pager at 1-800-933-1849. You will be prompted to enter your phone number (including the area code) followed by the # key. Your call will be returned promptly.
What will happen after I submit my claim?
- Acknowledgment: Brotherhood Mutual's claims department will acknowledge your claim by telephone or in writing within 24 hours of notification.
- We'll help you: Our experienced staff will gather any other information needed and tell you how to resolve your claim as quickly as possible.
How can I help settle my claim quickly?
- Get estimates: Generally, two repair estimates by qualified contractors will be required when your building is damaged.
- List the damages: If your personal property is affected, you'll need to submit a complete list of damaged items.
- Work with your adjuster: Your adjuster will also need to verify the value of the damaged items, so the more information (original invoices, specific brand and model information) you provide, the faster we can process your claim.
How will the adjuster assess the property damage?
- On-site inspection: For more serious losses, you'll need an on-site inspection by a staff or independent adjuster to help establish the full extent of your damages and give you firsthand guidance to settle your claim.
- Accurate assessment: Contrary to popular perception, claims adjusters don't look for ways to minimize your damages. Their job is to establish the true extent of damages resulting from the claim. Your full cooperation will enable claims workers to do their job quickly and fairly.
What is a liability claim?
- Liability losses: Liability losses involve damage to someone else's property that you have borrowed or leased or injury to some person on your property or taking part in an activity you sponsored.
- Liability claims: Liability claims are settled based on negligence, the failure to use the amount of care considered reasonable in a particular situation. Just because someone is injured on your premises or at one of your sponsored activities doesn't mean you're liable for damages.
What do I do if my church gets a liability claim?
- Contact your agent: Contact your agent immediately if there is an accident, or if you become aware of anything that indicates there might be a claim.
- Responsibility: Don't acknowledge or deny responsibility when an accident occurs.
- What to say: Avoid making statements such as, "We'll take care of everything." Instead, say, "We'll report this injury to our insurance company, and they'll be in touch with you."
- If there's an injury: If someone is injured, see that appropriate medical care is provided immediately. Without acknowledging responsibility, provide our name, address, and phone number if requested by an injured person.
What if I need to report an emergency claim?
- Daytime claims: If your claim requires immediate attention, you may contact a Brotherhood Mutual adjuster directly by calling our toll free claims line at 1-800-333-3371. Claims representatives are available at Brotherhood Mutual 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Thursday. Claims hours on Friday are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Eastern Time.
- After-hours claims: If your claim requires immediate attention and our office is closed, you my contact a Brotherhood Mutual adjuster by calling our toll free emergency pager at 1-800-933-1849. You will be prompted to enter your phone number (including the area code) followed by the # key. Your call will be returned promptly.
What happens if someone sues our ministry?
- Complaint and summons: The plaintiff's lawyer will give your church or ministry two documents: the complaint, a description of the lawsuit, and the summons, a request for your response.
- File a response: In general, you have 20 days to file an answer. In some states, the response time can be a little longer. However, if you fail to file an answer within the time limit, the plaintiff will receive a default judgement.
- Call quickly: If you receive a summons and complaint, notify Brotherhood immediately so that we can evaluate the demand.
At Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company, we work to provide a positive claim experience. Based on our research, 98 percent of surveyed policyholders who've had claims say our claims service met or exceeded their expectations. To see what some of our policyholders say about our claims service, go to Claims Testimonials.
We've created step-by-step instructions to walk you through the claim process in the Passport to Ministry section of this site.
For emergency assistance, please follow the instructions in our Passport to Ministry claims section.
For further assistance, please contact our Passport to Ministry team:
Phone: 800-876-4994
Fax: 260-482-7709
E-mail: passport@brotherhoodmutual.com