When Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced that the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee would hold Disaster Management Sub-Committee hearings on the large number of insurance claims being closed without payment, the American Policyholder Association (APA) was there to help.

On January 24, 2025, Senator Hawley issued a letter to insurers stating in part:

“Denying coverage to American policyholders at a time when so many of them have been displaced and left grieving is not merely a betrayal — it is morally obscene.”

On May 13, 2025, APA Executive Director Doug Quinn was invited to testify at Senator Hawley’s Disaster Management Sub-Committee hearing. He testified alongside victims Natalia Migal and Jacob Vertel, as well as insurance whistleblowers Nick Schneider and Clifford Millikan.

Quinn’s testimony addressed not only his personal experience with insurer fraud, but also the strategies used to perpetrate it — often by third-party vendors hired by insurers to process claims.

Migal and Vertel detailed their experiences with adjuster-churning, claim denials, and severe underpayments to their storm-damaged homes.

In confirmation and solidarity, whistleblowers Schneider and Millikan testified that they were instructed to underpay consumers, minimize losses, and alter estimates to reduce claims payouts. Both reported suffering punitive actions from their employer when they did not comply. The APA has received similar reports from whistleblowers and victims nationwide.

The APA thanks Committee Chair Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Ranking Member Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), and their respective staffs for aligning with the APA’s mission to defend American policyholders from fraud.

The APA remains in communication with congressional leaders and will continue making itself available to elected officials capable of creating meaningful change.

You can watch the full hearing here

Risk Ready is a mobile app developed to help property owners navigate the complex insurance claims process.

The app features a risk analyzer to identify policy gaps, a virtual dwelling inspection for evidence, and a content inventory for valuables. It also includes a networking feature called Care Circles and a claims command center with AI coaching.

Email caitlin@apassociation.org for the QR code with the free membership or for any questions!

There are more than 100 million renters in the US, and 45% of them do not own Renters Insurance! Renters insurance is a type of property insurance specifically designed to protect tenants in a rental space. While the landlord will often carry coverage on the building itself, this does not necessarily protect the tenants of the building.

Personal property coverage is implemented to cover personal belongings including but not limited to furniture, clothing and/or electronics in the case that they are lost or damaged due to fire, theft, or water damage.

Renters insurance can be broken into three distinct types of coverages; personal property, personal liability and additional living expenses (ALE). Personal liability coverage is implemented to cover personal injury in the place of rental (i.e. slipping and falling on the property due to owners’ negligence).

ALE coverage is implemented in the case that the rental property is unlivable – this covers a portion your expenses for temporary housing in the event you are displaced. It is important to remember that each policy has different limitations in regards to exactly what is covered; therefore, it is important that you are familiar with your personal policy.

Please note: renters insurance does not cover damages including structural damage to the rental or personal property of roommates. Each tenant is responsible to have their own renters insurance;

If your IC refers you to a contractor, YOU are responsible for that payment; however, that vendor may be loyal to the IC, not you.

Some vendors may be influenced by what we call “check-writer bias” meaning they can be tempted to alter, hide, or limit damage to save the insurer money. For example, a contractor part of a Managed Repair Program’ may use lower quality materials or building methods that aren’t compliant with local building codes.

Information that is shared within the parameters of this group is CONFIDENTIAL. What you see here can be sensitive information – screenshots & sharing outside of the group is not allowed.

If you are currently not apart of this Facebook group, please contact Caitlin at Caitlin@APAssociation.org.

While we believe that fraud happens on all sides, here at the APA we want fraud prosecuted equally on all sides.

After being appointed to the Board of Directors, the APA was appointed to the P&C Fraud Taskforce. Our perspective that insurance fraud is not just perpetrated against insurers, but also by the third-party vendors hired by insurance companies such as TPA’s and engineering firms.

Being made a part of the P&C Fraud Taskforce offers that insurance fraud is not just perpetrated against insurers, but is also commonly perpetrated by insurer hired third-party vendors. This year a new “Internal Fraud” initiative based on addressing these crimes will be pursued.

The Coalition’s mission statement is: “To unite members in a concerted effort to discuss, identify, and combat fraudulent activities within the property and casualty insurance sector, the task force will focus on collaborative efforts to address emerging fraud schemes, complex fraud, the importance of anti-fraud private and public partnerships, as well as fraud detection and crime prevention measures.”

We would like to thank the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud for openly embracing our organization and other consumer protection organizations who defend policyholder rights.

Doug Quinn and Heather Shapter attended the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud Mid-Year Meeting on behalf of the APA this past June, and they will be attending the CAIF Annual Meeting in Arlington, VA on December 2–3.

MORE UPDATES TO COME

In his personal life, Vitor is the proud husband of Kristina DeOliveira for the past 15 years & together they welcomed three sons into the world: Dylan, Landon and River.

His love of sports, especially football and soccer, has trickled down to his sons, for he is raising little soccer champions!

When he is not cheering on his sons from the sidelines, he is rooting for the Baltimore Ravens football team as well as the Brazilian National Team and Real Madrid soccer teams.

Vitor is a devoted member of the APA, actively dedicating time to push forth the APA mission at sector conventions on behalf of our organization.

“Vitor is a staunch advocate for policyholder rights and a huge asset to APA’s mission,” said Doug Quinn, APA’s Executive Director.

Thank you so much for all that you do, Vitor!

June 9–10

Aug. 20–22

Sept. 3–5

Sept. 17–19

Sept. 28–30

GO RIGHT TO THE EXECUTIVE SUITE
It is easier to start at the top of the totem pole rather than having to work your way up. Some carriers refer to this as a “Presidential Complaint,” and lower-level employees are required to respond to the executive suite & justify their actions. Claims managers tend to be more fair when they know there is outside scrutiny on a case.

Information that is shared within the parameters of this group is CONFIDENTIAL. What you see here can be sensitive information – screenshots & sharing outside of the group is not allowed.

If you are currently not apart of this Facebook group, please contact Caitlin at Caitlin@APAssociation.org.

While the APA has been working hard on this story with the CBS News crew for nearly a year, our work to expose these alleged crimes was first highlighted in a groundbreaking article by Washington Post reporter, Brianna Sacks, in 2023.

The producer from NBC’s “Nightly news with Lester Holt” reached out to the APA after reading the Washington Post article and aired our story about the APA’s efforts on national television. Interest from 60 minutes soon followed, and after extensive collaboration, the exposé aired. The program sent a shockwave through the insurance industry, law enforcement/regulatory authorities and the general public who have reasonable expectations.

Many media outlets are reaching out for information and even interviews, but the state of Florida has released historic changes to the rules that must be followed by insurance adjusters in order to address the problem uncovered by the APA Board Advisor extraordinaire Steven Bush.

The APA is encouraged by Florida authorities’ assertions that they are nearing the end of a focused investigation and we expect to hear the news of arrests soon.

Stay tuned for more!

Before joining the family in their business, Crystal was in the hotel industry where she managed the strategic profitability of over 127 different assets (properties) in a national portfolio including renovations, maintenance, and years in sales and revenue generation.

In her personal life, Crystal enjoys traveling, hiking, lake-life and spending time living life to the fullest with her husband, kids and two dogs.

Crystal is a 6-year breast cancer survivor, and she is absolutely thriving.

In the words of APA Executive Director, Douglas Quinn: “She is tough, compassionate, & has a high energy, positive demeanor. Crystal is just the kind of high caliber, business professional that we want to have a seat on the APA Advisory Board.”

Congratulations, Crystal!

Information that is shared within the parameters of this group is CONFIDENTIAL. What you see here can be sensitive information – screenshots & sharing outside of the group is not allowed.

If you are currently not apart of this Facebook group, please contact Caitlin at Caitlin@APAssociation.org.

For some context, AEREP (APA ENGINEER REPORT EVALUATION PROGRAM) is the APA’s outlet for individuals to analyze engineer reports for inaccuracies and ethical violations. The more evidence we have of insurer fraud, the bigger case we can build.

The additions to our current AEREP platform include member-access ONLY. To access the program, your member-login is required.

Also, the program itself is characterized by toggled “yes” or “no” questions as well as written responses.

We are looking to make the platform as user-friendly as possible. If there are any questions while using the program, someone from the APA is a phone-call away for further assistance.

Please view our downloadable resources found under the “TOOLS” tab on our website, www.apassociation.org, and read our “AEREP” resource for more information on how to read and score an engineer report.

Thank you to Eric Davisson of Claim Titan for his time and collaboration in helping us build this program!

To be considered for this membership, interested professionals must be nominated by a peer or submit an application themselves for further review by the team here at the APA. A majority vote by the Board of Directors is required to be accepted for this membership.
So, what does this membership entail?

As mentioned previously, this membership is the most involved and therefore requires a bigger financial contribution to the mission – $9,985 annually or $840 a month.

Board Advisors work closely with our Board of Directors, receive invitations to all Board Meetings, political meetings with elected officials, craft specific lobbying efforts along with intentional strategy for the APA and will have our Executive Director’s personal contact information.

The commitment to becoming a Board Advisor is characterized by long-term dedication and assistance in the creation of long-term policy to push forward the APA mission; however, we are conscious of Board Advisor’s time and never ask for more than what is practical with their schedule.

If you want to play a huge role in the decision-making in our organization, and you are interested in this membership, please email Caitlin at Caitlin@APAssociation.org for more details.

Oct. 17-18

Oct. 23-25

Oct. 23-25

Dec 4-6

Dec 9-11

The American Policyholder Association’s Annual Membership Summit is coming to Nashville, Tennessee from October 17th through 18th! Over these two days, we will plan APA’s next steps, discuss strategy, network, and more!

This event is open to all Professional and Corporate Members, as well as the Advisory Board. We are excited to pack as much education, strategy and entertainment into these two days.

This will be similar to the APA Summits that you’ve attended in the past, however it may look a little different this year. We are looking forward to focusing on each member’s opinions and thoughts on insurer fraud and the future of the industry. We will still have great speakers and classes, however we are ready for the ever-growing APA family to get more involved.

At last year’s annual summit, we were honored to be joined by speakers like Jay Feinman, author of Delay, Deny, Defend and Dr. Ana-Maria K. Tenekedjieva, an economist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

As always, this event is free for our members. Registration is required and a $250 deposit must be put down to hold your seat. As long as you attend, the deposit will be returned to you or you have the option to donate It to the APA’s mission. For Sponsorship opportunities, please e-mail Morgan@APassociation.org. More information will announced soon. Look out for e-mails from the APA and updates in your member portal! E-mail info@APassociation.org with any questions.

Heath spends his free time with his two adorable
sons. They can often be found spending time together caring for their rescue horses or exploring the woods on their ranch outside of Tyler, Texas.

He also loves to travel, often with his family but he’s also known to travel across the world to find the best materials for his next product.

The APA Team is so grateful for your constant support and guidance.

We are putting together task-driven teams to accelerate the growth of the APA to the next level of development and prominence as a national powerhouse consumer protection organization. Each initiative will be captained by a Board Advisor and manned by Corporate and Professional members.

No matter what your interest or area of expertise, we have a project for you to either join or get started. Some tasks on this list
have already been conquered, and some are just getting started!

This list can be found in your Member Portal for review. To join any team or to start a new one, please e-mail Caitlin@APassociation.org.

During each event, Doug will teach your team insurer fraud and the red flags. He will also dive deep into the APA’s mission. They will learn how being an APA member will help them on a daily basis, as well as when the insurer has crossed a line and when it’s time to report fraud to the APA.

The APA is dependent on our members in the field. No matter what your exact professional expertise may be, it is up to you to truly understand insurer fraud and report it to the APA. This is your chance to make sure your team has the skills to know what to look for when assisting policyholders.

Multiple members have already taken advantage of this membership perk and you could be next! Email Morgan@APassociation.org to schedule an event at your office today!

May 15th – 17th

May 20th – 22nd

June 3rd – 4th

September 11 – 13th

Sept 29th – Oct 1st

Not only losing their possessions, livelihoods, sense of well being, but also dealing with insurance claims, government bureaucracy, and the trauma they’ve lived through. Mental health issues have long been the secret anguish that many survivors suffer with alone.

APA Company Members, Tina and Negal Nabhan from Public Service Adjusting (pictured above) has taken the innovative step of hiring an on-staff therapist to help survivors cope with the mental health issues that often follow a serious loss.

We salute this compassionate move that will help loss impacted families to move forward and recover.