Claims Business: ClaimsPro, Ryze, CoreLogic

ClaimsPro, a Chicago-based independent claims adjusting firm, has acquired CH Hester, an adjusting company based in Mobile, Ala.

ClaimsPro said the acquisition will broaden its geographic reach. CJ Hester serves Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The addition of CJ Hester’s team of adjusters will also enhance the company’s expertise in catastrophic and large-volume events in hurricane-prone areas, ClaimsPro said in a press release.

The impact on ClaimsPro customers will be limited to name and branding only, the company said.

ClaimsPro appointed former CJ Hester Chief Executive Officer Cathy Hester as district manager of the business. She said the company’s existing team of adjusters will be added to ClaimsPro’s roster.

Tampa-based Ryze Claim Solutions has acquired Wimberly Claims Service in Jacksonville.

Wimberly was established in 1973. The company handles all lines of insurance adjusting throughout Florida and the Southeast with a nationwide catastrophe response, RYZE said in a press release.

“I have personally known the Wimberly family for over 25 years. I am proud to have them a part of our growing company.,” stated RYZE Chief Executive Officer Tony Grippa.

Ryze provides claims adjusting, third-party administration and alternative dispute resolution services nationwide, with 800 employees, the company says on its website.

Property data firm CoreLogic said it has closed on its acquisition of Next Gear Solutions, a digital workflow platform for the property restoration industry.

Next Gear Solutions, headquartered in Oxford, Miss., offers a cloud-based suite of products, including DASH, SettleAssist and MICA, that facilitate collaboration among property insurers and contractors, with the goal of better outcomes for those experiencing property losses. DASH is a web-based management software system that allows restoration contractors to streamline their job management, equipment, work order requests, calendar, reporting, business accounting, and job estimating into one integrated portal. LuxorCRM is a customer relations management software specifically developed for restoration contractors. Next Gear’s platform also offers moisture mitigation management applications, as well as consulting services for the restoration industry.

Net Gear products are used by managed repair networks, franchisors, contractors, and insurance carriers. Net Gear says its mobile job management, damage documentation, and estimate auditing tools are used by more than 8,700 restoration companies across North America and a majority of the nation’s 25 largest insurance carriers.