Company: CRD-A
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-030894
Chunk: 88

Company: CRAWFORD & CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1B
Chunk 88
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 from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe the following critical accounting policies require significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. Changes in these underlying estimates could potentially materially affect consolidated results of operations, financial position and cash flows in the period of change. Although some variability is inherent in these estimates, the amounts provided for are based on the best information available to us and we believe these estimates are reasonable.

We have discussed the following critical accounting policies and estimates with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors, and the Audit Committee has reviewed our related disclosure in this MD&A.

47

Revenue Recognition

Our revenues are primarily comprised of claims processing or program administration fees. Fees for professional services are recognized at the time such services are rendered. Out-of-pocket costs incurred in administering a claim are typically passed on to our clients and included in our revenues under GAAP. 

We often sell multiple types of claims processing and different levels of processing depending on the complexity of the claims within a contract. We also typically provide a menu of offerings from which the customer chooses to purchase or not at their discretion (i.e., optional purchases). Each service and related pricing is separate and distinct and provides a separate and distinct value to the customer. Pricing is consistent for each service irrespective of the other service(s) or quantities requested by the customer. For example, if we provide claims processing for auto and general liability, those services are priced and delivered independently.

Deferred revenues, which are primarily in our Broadspire segment, represent the estimated unearned portion of fees related to future services to be performed under certain fixed-fee service arrangements. Deferred revenues are realized based on the estimated rate at which the services are provided. These rates are primarily based on an evaluation of historical claim closing rates by major claim type. Additionally, recent claim closing rates are evaluated for a significant deterioration or improvement in the longer-term historical closing rates used.

Our fixed-fee service arrangements typically require us to handle claims on either a one- or two-year basis, or for the lifetime of the claim. In cases where we handle a claim on a non-lifetime basis, we typically receive an additional fee on each anniversary date that the claim remains open. For service arrangements where we provide services for the life of the claim, we are only paid one fee for the life of the claim, regardless of the duration of the claim. As a result, our deferred revenues for claims handled for one or two years are not as sensitive to changes in claim closing rates since