For financial & insurance operations

Make consequential work dependable enough to delegate.

We’re building Cortal for financial and insurance operations: AI workers that carry out the work, check the result, resolve exceptions, and follow what happens next.

From loose ends
to work carried through.

A wrong policy. A missing location. A payment that never arrived.
See how Cortal is designed to follow through.

LOSS NOTICE CL-104

East Wharf

Water damage

Date of loss14 February
Policy attributionP-22 P-21 ↗
Source matched to policy period
POLICY PERIOD
P-21In force on 14 February
P-22Begins 1 March

The loss predates the renewal.

Illustrative outcome

Right claim. Right policy.

Attribution corrected. Coverage still needs your judgment.

Illustrative responsibility

Claims review

A claim attributed to the wrong policy.

Work

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Find the policy behind the claim.

Review claim CL-104 against the history before preparing a coverage recommendation. The imported summary assigns it to policy P-22.

Open the received claim summary
Claim CL-104
Water damage at East Wharf; loss date 14 February.
Imported attribution
Policy P-22, renewal commencing 1 March.
Assigned responsibility
Establish the applicable policy and cite the source.
Still unresolved

Which policy was in force on the loss date?

Next action

Locate the original loss notice and the policy periods.

Business progress

Review opened. No coverage decision or payment.

Checks

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

The dates contradict the summary.

The loss notice predates P-22. An earlier policy, P-21, covers the date range. Matching a customer name was not enough.

Compare the source excerpts
Loss notice · p. 183
CL-104: incident date 14 February; East Wharf.
P-21 schedule · p. 12
Period: 1 March of the prior year through 28 February.
P-22 schedule · p. 207
Renewal period begins 1 March, after the incident.
Still unresolved

Does the claim belong under P-21, and which endorsement applies?

Next action

Correct the attribution using the loss date, then inspect the relevant wording.

Business progress

Attribution error found. Coverage still undetermined.

Correction

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Correct the attribution, preserve the reason.

The review now links CL-104 to P-21, with the previous P-22 attribution retained in the correction record.

Inspect the correction record
Before
CL-104 → P-22, based on imported summary.
After
CL-104 → P-21, based on loss notice and policy period.
Open wording · p. 76
An endorsement refers to vacancy; occupancy at the loss date is not established.
Still unresolved

Was the property vacant in the sense required by the endorsement?

Next action

Ask the claims handler a focused question with the loss notice and wording attached.

Business progress

Attribution corrected. Coverage judgment remains with the handler.

Outcome

Day 2 · Authored snapshot · sample data

A verified attribution. An open coverage question.

A second pass confirms the claim ID, location and loss date against P-21. The handler receives a review they can inspect without repeating the policy search.

Inspect the review handoff
Checked result
CL-104, East Wharf, 14 February: P-21.
Supporting sources
Loss notice p. 183; policy schedule p. 12; endorsement p. 76.
Question for the handler
What occupancy evidence establishes whether the vacancy wording applies?
Still unresolved

Coverage cannot be resolved from the evidence available.

Next action

Obtain occupancy evidence and the handler’s coverage judgment before progressing.

Business progress

Review handed over. Claim not approved; no payment authorized.

Improvement

After review · Authored snapshot · sample data

Propose a date check before attribution.

Candidate procedure: require claim ID, location and loss date to agree with the policy period before accepting an imported attribution.

Inspect the candidate evaluation
Trigger
CL-104 was linked to a renewal that began after the loss.
Qualification cases
Renewals, overlapping policies, missing loss dates and amended notices.
Release boundary
Evaluate missed errors and unnecessary holds on held-out histories, then consider a bounded pilot.
Still unresolved

Will this check catch similar errors without creating excessive review?

Next action

Qualify the check and observe a limited release. Changing coverage authority needs a separate decision.

Business progress

Candidate check awaiting qualification. No measured improvement claimed.

Example input: a 240-page policy and claims history. Document size illustrates the task, not a performance benchmark.

REVISED PROPERTY SCHEDULE ACCEPTED ✓

Every location accounted for.

LocationReconciliation
LOC-018 Duplicate entryIncluded twiceOne entry retained
Omitted location Same insured valueMissingRestored to schedule
Total unchanged. Composition corrected.

Illustrative outcome

Matching totals weren’t enough.

Each location reconciled. The revised schedule is accepted.

Illustrative responsibility

Property-data reconciliation

Matching totals hide two wrong locations.

Work

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Reconcile the locations, not just the total.

Compare a revised property schedule with the source register before it is used for renewal. The two files both total £12m.

Open the schedule comparison
Source register
1,000 locations; total declared value £12m.
Submitted schedule
1,000 rows; total declared value £12m.
Assigned responsibility
Match each location and its value to the source register.
Still unresolved

Do both files represent the same locations?

Next action

Compare stable location IDs and values row by row.

Business progress

Schedule received. Matching totals alone do not establish correctness.

Checks

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

One duplicate conceals one omission.

The schedule includes LOC-018 twice and omits LOC-081. Both locations have the same declared value, so the total stays unchanged.

Inspect the row-level mismatch
Register LOC-018
Canal House · £250,000 · one location.
Schedule rows 18 and 81
Both contain LOC-018 · £250,000.
Register LOC-081
Quay House · £250,000 · absent from schedule.
Still unresolved

Is the register the agreed source for the missing location?

Next action

Confirm the source version and replace the duplicated row with LOC-081.

Business progress

Two membership errors found despite matching counts and totals.

Correction

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Restore the missing location.

The revised schedule replaces the second LOC-018 with LOC-081 from the agreed register. Both source and revision remain inspectable.

Inspect the revised row
Schedule row 81 · before
LOC-018 · Canal House · £250,000.
Schedule row 81 · after
LOC-081 · Quay House · £250,000.
Reconciliation
Each register location occurs once; values agree; total remains £12m.
Still unresolved

Will the receiving team accept this revision as the current schedule?

Next action

Send the checked revision through the agreed handoff and request acknowledgment.

Business progress

Reconciliation complete. Recipient acceptance still pending.

Outcome

Day 2 · Authored snapshot · sample data

The revised schedule is accepted.

The receiving team acknowledges revision 2 as the schedule for review. The row-level correction and the downstream acknowledgment are separate evidence.

Inspect acceptance and its limit
Verification
Revision 2 matches the agreed source register by location ID and value.
Recipient acknowledgment
“Revision 2 received and accepted as the schedule for our review.”
Limit
No evidence here establishes pricing, bound coverage or renewal completion.
Still unresolved

What does the receiver’s subsequent review conclude?

Next action

Keep the accepted revision linked to the renewal and follow the review outcome.

Business progress

Schedule accepted. Renewal and coverage remain outside this result.

Improvement

After review · Authored snapshot · sample data

Make membership a candidate check.

Candidate procedure: compare unique location IDs and per-location values before accepting matching totals.

Inspect the candidate evaluation
Trigger
An equal-value duplicate and omission cancelled out in the total.
Qualification cases
Equal-value swaps, repeated IDs, renamed locations and legitimate additions.
Release boundary
Test against independently reconciled schedules before limited use.
Still unresolved

Can the check distinguish an error from an agreed portfolio change?

Next action

Evaluate discrepancies with operators, then qualify a bounded release.

Business progress

Candidate check awaiting qualification. No faster deployment or accuracy gain claimed.

Example input: a 1,000-row property workbook. Row count illustrates the task, not a performance benchmark.

PAYMENT INVESTIGATIONPMT-207

Instruction sent

Reference confirmed

Destination checked

Account matched

···

Settlement pending

Bank trace requested

Illustrative outcome

Sent doesn’t mean settled.

The facts are checked. Posting remains unconfirmed.

Illustrative responsibility

Payment investigation

An instruction exists. The funds have not posted.

Work

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Establish what happened to the payment.

A supplier reports that payment PMT-207 has not arrived. The internal instruction is marked initiated.

Open the payment inquiry
Instruction PMT-207
£8,400 to supplier account ending 6219; initiated Day 1.
Supplier inquiry
“We cannot see the funds in our account.”
Assigned responsibility
Trace the instruction through available destination and settlement evidence.
Still unresolved

Was the payment merely initiated, or has it settled?

Next action

Compare the instruction, destination reference and posting records.

Business progress

Investigation open. Payment receipt is unconfirmed.

Checks

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Initiated is not settled.

The payment instruction exists and its destination matches the approved supplier record. The available records contain no posting confirmation.

Compare the three observations
Instruction
PMT-207: initiated for £8,400.
Destination check
Account ending 6219 matches the approved supplier record.
Settlement evidence
No matched bank posting; recipient still reports funds absent.
Still unresolved

Is the transfer pending, rejected, or delayed by an intermediary?

Next action

Request the provider trace using the existing payment reference.

Business progress

Destination checked. Settlement remains unresolved.

Correction

Day 2 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Correct the status, avoid a duplicate payment.

The investigation record now says “initiated; settlement unconfirmed” instead of “paid.” The original instruction stays linked.

Inspect the status correction
Before
Internal inquiry summary: “Paid.”
After
“Initiated; no settlement evidence available.”
Trace request
PMT-207 and destination reference supplied to the provider; reply pending.
Still unresolved

What will the provider trace establish?

Next action

Wait for the trace and reconcile fresh posting evidence. Do not issue another payment without a separate decision.

Business progress

Status corrected. No funds moved by the investigation.

Outcome

Day 3 · Authored snapshot · sample data

The investigation is accurate. Settlement is still open.

The inquiry now separates a valid instruction from missing settlement evidence. Neither the provider trace nor the recipient’s posting confirmation has arrived.

Inspect the open investigation
Verified result
Instruction and approved destination agree.
External dependency
Provider trace pending; no matched posting confirmation.
Recipient state
Funds still reported outstanding in this scenario.
Still unresolved

Has the payment settled anywhere along the route?

Next action

Follow up on the provider trace and reconcile any new bank or recipient evidence.

Business progress

Investigation remains open. Payment receipt is not established.

Improvement

After review · Authored snapshot · sample data

Propose an evidence rule for “paid.”

Candidate procedure: reserve “paid” for a matched posting under the workflow’s agreed settlement definition. Keep initiation and destination checks separate.

Inspect the candidate evaluation
Trigger
An initiated instruction was described as paid.
Qualification cases
Delayed postings, partial payments, rejections, reversals and duplicate references.
Release boundary
Evaluate against reconciled histories and bank-specific evidence before a limited pilot.
Still unresolved

Which evidence is sufficient for this workflow’s definition of settlement?

Next action

Agree the definition with operators, qualify the check, and observe reversals after release.

Business progress

Candidate check awaiting qualification. Payment authority is unchanged.

Example input: a payment instruction, account activity and a recipient inquiry.

RECOVERY PACKAGE RC-309

The missing piece,
followed through.

Paid-cost evidenceRequested · supplied · accepted
Evidence request resolved

Package accepted

Recipient acknowledgment

Payment outstanding

Illustrative outcome

Accepted. Still followed up.

The evidence request is resolved. Recovery payment remains outstanding.

Illustrative responsibility

Recovery follow-up

A complete package meets a missing-evidence request.

Work

Day 1 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Carry the recovery beyond submission.

Recovery RC-309 has a package that is complete against the agreed checklist. It has been submitted, but the recipient has not accepted it.

Open the submission record
Package RC-309
Incident report, cost schedule and supporting invoice.
Submission receipt
Package delivered to the receiving team on Day 1.
Assigned responsibility
Resolve evidence requests and follow acceptance and payment separately.
Still unresolved

Does the recipient have enough evidence to proceed?

Next action

Watch for an acknowledgment or a specific request.

Business progress

Package submitted. Acceptance and payment are outstanding.

Checks

Day 3 · Authored snapshot · sample data

The recipient needs a different proof.

The receiving team requests proof of payment for the repair. An invoice proves the amount charged, but does not establish that it was paid.

Inspect the evidence request
Recipient request
“Please provide evidence that the repair invoice was paid.”
Existing attachment
INV-884: repair invoice and amount due.
Gap
No matched payment record in the submitted package.
Still unresolved

Is there an authorized payment record that matches this invoice?

Next action

Find the payment record and match its invoice reference and amount.

Business progress

Evidence request received. Checklist completion did not ensure acceptance.

Correction

Day 4 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Resolve the request with matched evidence.

A payment record matching INV-884 and its amount is added to the package. The response identifies exactly what was added.

Inspect the supplementary response
Invoice
INV-884: £6,200 repair cost.
Payment record
Posting for £6,200, reference INV-884; sensitive details redacted for this sample.
Response
Supplement 1 attaches the matched record and refers to the recipient’s request.
Still unresolved

Does the recipient accept the supplementary evidence?

Next action

Follow the response until the recipient confirms acceptance or names a remaining gap.

Business progress

Missing evidence supplied. Acceptance remains pending.

Outcome

Day 6 · Authored snapshot · sample data

Package accepted. Recovery payment outstanding.

The recipient confirms the evidence request is resolved and accepts the package for processing. No recovery payment has been received.

Inspect the acknowledgment
Recipient acknowledgment
“Supplement received. The evidence request is resolved; package accepted for processing.”
Verified work
The requested payment record is linked to INV-884.
Recovery status
No recovery payment posting recorded.
Still unresolved

When will the recovery be paid, and for what amount?

Next action

Follow the agreed payment milestone and reconcile any posting with RC-309.

Business progress

Package accepted. Recovery value is still unrealized.

Improvement

After review · Authored snapshot · sample data

Propose an earlier evidence check.

Candidate procedure: check whether paid-cost evidence is required for this recovery type before submission.

Inspect the candidate evaluation
Trigger
The recipient requested payment proof after receiving a checklist-complete package.
Qualification cases
Recipients with different requirements, unpaid invoices and partial payments.
Release boundary
Compare request rates and unnecessary document collection in a bounded evaluation.
Still unresolved

Does the extra check prevent rework without collecting unnecessary evidence?

Next action

Qualify against prior requests, pilot within agreed boundaries, then keep observing outcomes.

Business progress

Candidate check awaiting qualification. No automatic change to collection or payment authority.

Example input: a recovery package, recipient correspondence and payment status.

Illustrative workspace · sample data. Intended behavior, not customer results.

Your judgment,
where it matters.

Start with examples of work done well, agree the boundaries, and make the difficult calls with the relevant evidence in front of you.

  1. Show what good looks like.

    For a property schedule, matching totals is not enough. Show a reconciled example where every location appears once.

  2. Agree what can be delegated.

    A payment investigation can establish the facts. Issuing another payment requires its own authority.

  3. Answer the question that remains.

    In claims review: does the vacancy wording apply? The loss notice and endorsement support the question; the handler supplies the judgment.

    Explore the evidence ↑
Ready for your judgment CL-104
One question. The evidence beside it.

Does the vacancy
wording apply?

The claim belongs to policy P-21. The attribution is corrected; coverage needs your interpretation.

01Original loss noticeLoss date confirmed
02Policy endorsementVacancy wording
Explore the responsibilities
Illustrative question · Coverage remains open

Better with experience.
Only when it earns it.

A correction is a starting point. A proposed check has to earn its place in the procedure.

  1. Correction

    A claim was linked to the wrong policy.

  2. Proposed change

    Check the loss date against the policy period.

  3. Evaluation

    Test unseen histories, including renewals and missing dates.

  4. Bounded release

    Try a qualified check within an agreed scope.

  5. Observation

    Watch for missed errors, unnecessary holds and later outcomes.

Our aim is to turn experience from real work into tested improvements, so more responsibility can be delegated with less supervision.

A better procedure does not grant more authority. Changing what a worker may do requires its own decision. These are candidate checks awaiting qualification, not measured gains.

Claims
worker
Payments
worker
Future
workers
Shared foundations
ExecuteVerifyLearn

An infrastructure hypothesis. Transfer still to be proved.

Useful beyond
one worker.

We want execution, verification and learning to become reusable foundations: first across Cortal’s workers, and eventually for workers built by other companies.

The hypothesis is that experience can make the next responsibility less costly to establish and supervise. Transfer across customers and workers still has to be proved.

Read the thesis ↗

What would you
hand over?

Recurring work with expensive checking, difficult exceptions, or handoffs that stay unresolved. We’d like to understand what dependable delegation would mean at your desk.

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