Despite increased costs of outsourcing claims adjustment, an extreme wind event this past May serves as a reminder that insurers will continue to need independent claims adjusters and brokers should be prepared to field calls from claimants. The future of independent adjusting firms was a discussion topic Aug. 29 during the Canadian Claims Summit. Tim Guernsey, vice president of commercial claims for Waterloo, Ont.-based Economical Insurance, suggested it can sometimes cost twice or even 2.5 times as much to outsource claims adjusting to an independent adjusting firm compared to having the claim handled by an insurer’s staff.