How Mercury undervalues claims
Valuation engine: CCC ONE Market Valuation
- Mercury uses CCC ONE; comp selection skews toward the lower end of the local market.
- Mercury is strict on documentation — every receipt, service record, and option list must be submitted upfront.
- Mercury frequently undervalues California-specific premium trims (a significant share of its book).
- Independent appraisals with local-market comps move Mercury settlements up consistently.
Montana laws on your side
Appraisal clause
Montana auto policies include the binding appraisal clause.
Sales tax & title fees
Montana has no state sales tax, but insurers must include county option tax, title, and registration fees.
Diminished value
Diminished-value claims depend on policy form and case law.
Statute reference
Mont. Admin. R. 6.6.3001 (Unfair Claims Settlement Practices).
How Mercury calculates ACV in Montana
In Montana, Mercury runs every total-loss valuation through CCC ONE Market Valuation. The system pulls roughly 8 "comparable" listings within a 50-mile radius of your ZIP code, then applies a base value before stacking deductions. For Montana claims, Mercury adjusters tend to subtract $700–$1,400 as a "condition adjustment" based on photos rather than an in-person inspection, and they almost always omit factory option packages (navigation, premium audio, tow package, advanced safety) that boost ACV in the Montana private-party market. Montana has no state sales tax, but insurers must include county option tax, title, and registration fees, but Mercury's first offer in Montana frequently leaves that line item blank until you push back. The comp radius, the condition deduction, and the option-package omission are the three places where Montana drivers consistently recover thousands once an independent appraiser re-runs the numbers.
Montana case study: +$3,000 on a 2018 Ram 1500
A metro Montana client came to us after Mercury offered $13,500 on a 2018 Ram 1500 totaled in a rear-end collision. The CCC ONE Market Valuation report pulled comps from outside the local market and missed two factory option packages. We rebuilt the valuation using Montana-specific dealer asking prices, corrected the mileage adjustment, and added the omitted options. Mercury revised the offer to $16,500 — a $3,000 increase — within 26 days, without invoking the appraisal clause. Representative example; outcomes vary by VIN, condition, and policy language in Montana.
Case details have been generalized to protect client privacy.