What Is a Settlement Reserve and Why Does It Affect Your Payout?
After a car accident, most people spend their time thinking about medical bills, missed paychecks, and the slow work of healing. Few people stop to think about what happens quietly on the other side of the desk, inside the insurance company that will eventually decide their payout. Long before you ever see a settlement offer, an adjuster sets aside a dollar figure tied to your claim. That number, called a settlement reserve, can shape how much you are offered and how hard you may have to fight to reach a fair result. If you…