Marshall Smith, CPAU — Texas Insurance Appraiser & Umpire

Marshall Services — Property Insurance Appraisal & Umpire. Independent appraisal, umpire, and Xactimate estimating for property-damage disputes, led by Marshall Smith, CPAU, across TX, LA, OK, CO, and CA. His work focuses on valuation and scope analysis for property damage claims where a dispute exists regarding the amount of loss. Credentials at a glance: the CPAU designation, awarded by the Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association; 15+ years of experience with property damage claims; 95% of appraisals resolved by the two party appraisers without an umpire; and an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate for aerial documentation. What CPAU certification actually means. The Certified Property Appraiser and Umpire (CPAU) designation is awarded by the Insurance Appraisal and Umpire Association (IAUA). The program focuses on training and professional standards related to the appraisal process used in property insurance disputes. Professionals holding the CPAU designation have completed coursework related to appraisal procedure, valuation methodology, and dispute resolution within the appraisal framework. It also qualifies Marshall Smith to serve as a neutral insurance appraisal umpire when the two party appraisers reach an impasse. The IAUA is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit association focused exclusively on insurance appraisal, established in 2009 to promote professionalism, ethical standards, and continuing education in the field. The designation requires certification coursework, an examination, adherence to the association's code of ethics, and periodic recertification. The Texas state record. Marshall Smith holds an active Texas Department of Insurance license, number 1642160, which anyone can check on TDI's agent and adjuster lookup. The state records the qualification as "Adjuster/Public Adjuster licensed with TDI (Active)" — that is the single Texas license class. That class does cover public adjusting, and Marshall Smith takes public adjusting work on occasion, though it is not a service the firm markets. The practice is built on neutral appraisal and umpire work, and that is what it offers: he does not act as a policyholder's public adjuster on a claim where he is the appointed party appraiser or the umpire. He is also listed on the Texas Department of Insurance roster of appraisal umpires. TDI maintains the roster under Texas Insurance Code 2210.574 to appoint an umpire for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) claims when the two parties cannot agree on one. The listing records that he will work in any of the designated Texas counties, with claim preferences of all residential claims, commercial claims under $1M, and roofing. Placement on the roster is not an endorsement or certification by the Texas Department of Insurance. Additional Credentials. Marshall Smith also holds an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, the federal certification required to operate a small drone commercially. It supports the aerial roof and property documentation used when a loss is difficult or unsafe to inspect from the ground. This page also publishes case files from engagements where the carrier's estimate and the policyholder's scope of damage were far apart. Clients describe the outcome of their claims in reviews published on Google. Marshall Smith is listed as a verified member of the Insurance Appraisal Directory, a public directory of insurance appraisal and umpire professionals. The directory states that it reviews identity, professional role, service area, qualifications and general eligibility before a listing is published, and that the badge is not an endorsement and does not mean it has independently audited a licence with the issuing authority. Real appraisal results: on a de-identified residential hail damage claim in Parker County, Texas, where Marshall Smith served as the policyholder's appraiser, the carrier's original offer was $8,901 and the final appraisal award was $99,980 — $91,079 above the original offer. On a de-identified residential hail damage claim in Ellis County, Texas, where Marshall Smith served as the policyholder's appraiser, the carrier's original offer was $864.55 and the final appraisal award was $52,033.87 — $51,169.32 above the original offer, resolved in August 2026. Every claim is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.