I lost my house in a fire recently, and the insurance claims process goes something like this: * Insurance agent gives you a check for $XXX,XXX, payable to you

I lost my house in a fire recently, and the insurance claims process goes something like this: * Insurance agent gives you a check for $XXX,XXX, payable to you AND your mortgage holder. * You endorse it. * You MAIL the check to the mortgage holder. * They endorse it. * They take their cut and mail the remainder back to you as another check. Scared me to death, putting an endorsed check for $hundreds of $thousands in the mail. But the process is evidently enshrined in law... probably not much changed from a century ago.