Crivella West Launches BP Claims System

Carnegie, Pa.-based Crivella West, a vendor of risk management and litigation systems, has launched Crivella West Knowledge Kiosk BP Claims Central, an online platform to help reduce the clerical burden on attorneys helping Gulf oil spill claimants.

The system bridges the claimant, counsel and the Fund from which claims against BP are paid, the company says. It includes an executive dashboard that displays and reports the status of all claimants, automating client intake, case evaluations and documentation. The platform also feature deadline tracking and alert systems, an automated correspondence system and a standardized submissions package for adjusters.

"We have anticipated and prepared for change so that new requirements can be added easily and the submission process can commence as soon as the Fund is ready to accept claims," Art Crivella, CEO of Crivella West, says in a statement.

As of August 17, BP had received 151,000 claims, according to its Web site. Of those, 44,400 had been paid at least once, for a total of $368 million. Its claims process has come under fire recently, but attorney Mark Bunim told Insurance & Technology last month that the tangled web of stakeholders and evolving regulatory framework around the unique event make it especially difficult.

On August 23, attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who has previously overseen the 9/11 victims' fund and served as Wall Street "pay czar" in the wake of the TARP program, will take over the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

Nathan Golia is senior editor of Insurance & Technology. He joined the publication in 2010 as associate editor and covers all aspects of the nexus between insurance and information technology, including mobility, distribution, core systems, customer interaction, and risk ... View Full Bio