No. It is not unusual for insurance companies to have relationships with contractors who provide repair estimates to insurers. Please understand that quite often, the same contractor provides estimates to insurance companies over and over again on various losses. This creates a relationship where the contractor is relying upon the insurance company for future income and sometimes the contractor’s estimates reflect this relationship. If you are introduced to a contractor by your adjuster, please further understand that when the smoke clears, you may find that you have executed an “authorization for repair”, which is a contract between you and the contractor, leaving the insurance company out of the mix. If the contractor then does shoddy work or if he attempts to repair a structure that can’t be repaired (damaged more than 50%, etc.) you may find your only remedy is against the contractor. Your insurance company will claim that you entered into a separate contract with the contractor over which the insurer has no control. Bottom line; make sure to always do your homework on contractors before you hire them, especially if the insurance company wants you to use a particular contractor.