Long story short, we had a few wicked hail storms in our area over the last few years. Neighbor had their home inspected and the roof and siding met criteria for replacement. Claim processed, repairs/replacement done. Same contractor inspected our house with the Allstate claims inspector, Allstate guy says siding sustained damage, roof is fine. Sends me the report. I call Allstate the next day asking about my options; I say I don't want to file a claim because we may sell the house and the siding, being freshly repainted last year, doesn't look too bad. He says the inspection triggers compensation when there's damage found, and whether or not I use the money to replace the siding is my business. We'd been debating on whether to replace the ugly, stained, trampled but structurally sound roof anyway, which costs roughly half of the replacement cost for siding. So, I decide that we'll use some of the money to replace the roof first, then replace the siding out of pocket if and when the time comes.

Allstate sends the check. Wife goes to deposit it, bank says it needs to be cosigned by mortgage company. She calls the mortgage company, which says it can either be done in person in West Virginia (um, no) or mailed to Atlanta, and that it will require post-replacement inspection, along with some other documentation (wife took the call while juggling kids and dinner, had to cut it short). Haven't called for further specifics yet, but why would the mortgage company get involved with the transaction if Allstate is paying it out, and why would they need to if, as the agent said, once they compensate you for the damage, subsequent repair/replacement is on you, regardless of where the money comes from? Is there a risk of fraud investigation if I use the cash for another home improvement project first? I can't imagine so, given what Allstate told me about the process.

---

The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W