Chubb Aims to Ward Off Insurance Claims

CHUBB GROUP of lnsurance Companies has joined a growing trend amongresidential insurers employing damage-control inspectionson luxury homes that are typically used on commercial properties. The insurance industry expects the move to preventcostly damage.

Warren-based Chubb, which targets high net-worth individuals around the world through its personal insurance division, this month began offering free to existing policyholders a scanning service that can detect moisture and electrical hot spots behind walls and in between floors of their homes. The work is done with infrared-or thermal-cameras used regularly by the military and fire departments to assess risk and curtail their costliest claims, according to experts.

Chubb expects about a 13 percent return-on-investment on the service, called Masterpiece Homescan, which uses 11 infrared cameras made by Oregon-based Flir Systems that cost $10,000 each, says Mark Schussel, spokesman for Chubb. The biggest costs associated with the service lie in training appraisers on how to use the equipment and evaluate the results, he says.