Okeoma Ikwuegbu
Northampton
Summary
Experienced professional with focus on claims handling and customer service. Skilled in resolving claims efficiently and ensuring customer satisfaction through thorough investigation and communication. Proven ability to manage complex cases and deliver timely outcomes. Committed to leveraging strong analytical skills to drive continuous improvement and achieve higher customer trust and retention.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
2018
2018
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work History
Technical Claims Handler
Allianz
Milton Keynes
10.2022 - 01.2025
- Managing portfolio of commercial property claims, including material damage and business interruption, with authority to handle claims up to £100k independently and up to £200k in collaboration with a large loss handler.
- Providing guidance to policyholders and communicating claim decisions promptly, ensuring professionalism and empathy to promote customer satisfaction.
- Attend joint site visits with major loss team and loss adjuster to assess and evaluate complex claims, ensuring accurate information gathering and effective collaboration in the claims process.
- Providing coaching and training on policy wording and claims handling procedures to new starters
- Acting as referral point on a buddy system to provide technical guidance to colleagues
- Liaising with underwriters to ensure that the policy wording is properly interpreted and applied
- Coordinate the assignment of claims experts and loss adjusters, and evaluate their recommendations to ensure comprehensive and accurate claims assessments.
- Coordinate and collaborate with panel solicitors to identify and pursue recovery opportunities effectively
- Carry out initial investigations into potentially fraudulent claims, gathering evidence and insights before escalating to the verification team for further analysis
- Identifying and resolving complaints in line with procedure, ensuring prompt and effective resolution to maintain customer satisfaction
- Undertaking other ad hoc tasks as required by the business
Commercial Claims Handler
Home Repair Network
Remote
07.2022 - 10.2022
- Proactively managed a case-owned portfolio of commercial property claims within delegated authority
- Provided guidance to policyholders and communicated claim decisions timely with professionalism and empathy, adhering to FCA's rule of treating customers fairly
- Validated and negotiated costs per claim, recording an average saving of £12,000
- Acted as a referral point to provide technical guidance to colleagues
- Liaised with the insurance company to ensure that the policy wording is properly interpreted and applied
- Collaborated with surveyors and contractors, reviewed their reports, and made final decisions on claim outcomes
- Analyzed repair quotes on Symbility, negotiated settlements, and ensured fair settlement of valid claims
- Conducted first-line investigations of potentially fraudulent claims before referring to the insurer
- Identified opportunities for continuous improvement in business services and standards
Claims Handler
Allianz Insurance
Milton Keynes
10.2019 - 07.2022
- Proactively managed a caseload of property claims including material damage and business interruption claims from various losses
- Provided guidance to policyholders and communicated claim decisions timely with professionalism and empathy
- Acted as a referral point on a buddy system to provide technical guidance to colleagues
- Tested new technology, volunteered for new process pilots, and provided training to the team
- Liaised with underwriters to ensure proper interpretation and application of policy wording
- Instructed experts and loss adjusters and reviewed their recommendations
- Analyzed repair quotes on Symbility, negotiated settlements, and ensured fair settlement of valid claims
- Instructed and liaised with panel solicitors on recovery opportunities
- Conducted first-line investigations of potentially fraudulent claims before referring to the validation team
- Identified and resolved complaints in line with procedure
- Undertook other ad hoc tasks as required by the business
Fraud Analyst
Virgin Money
Milton Keynes
03.2019 - 10.2019
- Company Overview: seconded by TSYS TMS EMEA
- Investigated potential fraud cases based on information from the automated fraud detection system
- Conducted first-line investigations, stopping and referring probable fraud to specialized teams
- Made an average of 50 outbound calls to cardholders to validate flagged transactions
- Managed cardholder complaints on inbound calls, resolving issues at first contact
- Escalated complaints for further investigation or resolution beyond mandate
- Seconded by TSYS TMS EMEA
Credit Analyst
Diamond Bank Plc
Lagos
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Reviewed retail, SME, and mortgage credit applications ensuring compliance with bank's risk acceptance criteria and anti-money laundering/KYC requirements
- Advised business teams on structuring credit applications to enhance quality and reduce turnaround time
- Analyzed financial statements using Moody's Risk Analyst software to guide recommendations
- Ensured adherence to service level agreements, providing updates to stakeholders within agreed timelines
Team Lead, Credit Disbursement
Diamond Bank Plc
Lagos
06.2011 - 12.2016
- Set up new loan accounts in the system and notified business units upon completion
- Monitored mailboxes for new credit disbursement requests and managed all mails within SLA
- Tracked deferred documentation required for new loan accounts
- Posted fees and reconciliation entries with accuracy, minimizing potential income losses
- Prepared Excel reports of disbursed loans for management use
Branch Operations Supervisor
Diamond Bank Plc
Lagos
07.2006 - 06.2011
- Coordinated branch operations and facilitated quality service delivery by tellers and associate staff
- Supervised daily servicing of the branch ATM, ensuring minimal downtime
- Managed team KPIs and ensured adherence to service level agreements
- Performed branch administrative functions, including staff scheduling, maintaining reorder levels, and processing payments to vendors
Education
MBA - Marketing
Obafemi Awolowo University
B.Sc. - Microbiology
Abia State University
Skills
- Communication
- Analytical
- Customer Service
- Complaint Resolution
Certification
- Level 3 Data Driven Professional Apprenticeship (Expected Completion: September 2025)
- Certificate in Insurance, Chartered Insurance Institute (Mar 2022)
Timeline
Technical Claims Handler
Allianz
10.2022 - 01.2025
Commercial Claims Handler
Home Repair Network
07.2022 - 10.2022
Claims Handler
Allianz Insurance
10.2019 - 07.2022
Fraud Analyst
Virgin Money
03.2019 - 10.2019
Credit Analyst
Diamond Bank Plc
01.2017 - 01.2019
Team Lead, Credit Disbursement
Diamond Bank Plc
06.2011 - 12.2016
Branch Operations Supervisor
Diamond Bank Plc
07.2006 - 06.2011
B.Sc. - Microbiology
Abia State University
MBA - Marketing
Obafemi Awolowo University
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