About the NMBFiL Trust
National Service Industries, Inc. (NSI) was a major Atlanta-based conglomerate that operated across multiple service sectors during the mid-to-late 20th century. Among its most significant divisions was an industrial insulation business that provided insulation products and contracting services to power plants, petrochemical refineries, chemical processing facilities, paper mills, steel mills, and other heavy industrial sites throughout the United States. During the decades of peak asbestos use — roughly the 1940s through the 1970s — NSI's insulation operations routinely involved asbestos-containing thermal insulation, pipe covering, block insulation, and related materials. Workers in the insulation division, as well as co-workers from other trades at the same facilities, faced significant and sustained asbestos exposure during installation, maintenance, and removal activities.
As NSI restructured its operations, the insulation division was eventually spun off and continued operating as NMBFiL, Inc. The accumulated asbestos liabilities — arising from decades of insulation work involving asbestos-containing materials — ultimately became unsustainable, and NMBFiL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the bankruptcy reorganization, the NMBFiL Trust was established to serve as the sole mechanism for resolving all present and future asbestos personal injury claims against the company. The trust is funded to compensate both current claimants with diagnosed asbestos-related diseases and future claimants who have been exposed but have not yet developed symptoms. It operates under the oversight of a trustee, a trust advisory committee representing current claimants, and a future claimants' representative to protect those with latent disease.
Trust Fund Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Trust Name | NMBFiL Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust |
| Predecessor Company | NMBFiL, Inc. (formerly National Service Industries insulation division) |
| Parent Company History | National Service Industries, Inc. (NSI) |
| Bankruptcy Filed | Chapter 11 (date under bankruptcy reorganization) |
| Trust Established | Under confirmed bankruptcy reorganization plan |
| Payment Percentage | Variable; determined per claim |
| Mesothelioma Claim Value | Variable; based on exposure documentation and current payment % |
| Claims Processor | NMBFiL Trust administrator |
| Claim Types Accepted | Mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease, other asbestos-related diseases |
| Products/Work Covered | Industrial insulation products and contracting services from NSI insulation division / NMBFiL |
An asbestos attorney can provide current payment percentage and estimated compensation figures for your specific claim circumstances.
Who Is Eligible to File a Claim
Eligibility for the NMBFiL Trust requires a qualifying asbestos-related diagnosis and documented exposure to asbestos-containing insulation products or services provided by NMBFiL or the NSI insulation division. Eligible claimants typically include:
- Direct NMBFiL or NSI insulation division employees — insulators, laborers, helpers, and supervisors employed by the company
- Co-workers at shared industrial job sites — pipefitters, boilermakers, electricians, ironworkers, and other trades working alongside NMBFiL/NSI insulation crews
- Power plant workers at facilities throughout the U.S. where NSI or NMBFiL insulation work was performed on boilers, turbines, pipes, and heat exchangers
- Chemical plant and refinery workers exposed to asbestos insulation applied by NSI or NMBFiL on process equipment and piping systems
- Paper mill and industrial facility workers at plants where NSI/NMBFiL insulation operations were regularly contracted
- Steel mill and manufacturing workers who worked near NSI or NMBFiL insulation installation or removal operations on furnaces, process equipment, and steam systems
- Maintenance and repair workers who disturbed, removed, or worked around NSI/NMBFiL-installed insulation during facility maintenance
- Secondary (household) exposure claimants — family members exposed through contact with asbestos-contaminated work clothing of NSI/NMBFiL workers
Documentation supporting your claim may include NSI or NMBFiL payroll records, union membership documentation, Social Security work histories, affidavits from former co-workers, and records from facilities known to have contracted with NSI or NMBFiL for insulation services.
How to File a Claim with the NMBFiL Trust
- Retain a mesothelioma attorney experienced with industrial insulation claims. The NMBFiL Trust covers exposure from a specific corporate entity — the NSI insulation division and its successor NMBFiL. Documenting this specific exposure requires knowledge of the company's operational history and the facilities it served. An experienced attorney will know how to build this evidence base effectively.
- Assemble your complete medical documentation. Gather all pathology reports, imaging studies, biopsy records, and physician letters confirming your mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diagnosis. The quality and completeness of your medical records directly affects your claim's scheduled value.
- Construct a detailed work and exposure history. Your attorney will compile a comprehensive occupational history covering every employer, industry, and job site relevant to your asbestos exposure, with particular focus on identifying NMBFiL or NSI insulation work that occurred at facilities where you were employed.
- Gather exposure-specific evidence. Evidence linking your disease to NMBFiL/NSI exposure may include union work records (Heat and Frost Insulators locals are particularly valuable), co-worker affidavits, employer payroll records, and documentation from facilities known to have used NMBFiL/NSI insulation services.
- Prepare and submit the formal claim. Your attorney assembles the complete claim package — claim form, medical records, work history, exposure affidavits — and files it with the NMBFiL Trust administrator. A request for expedited review accompanies mesothelioma claims.
- Respond to information requests from the trust. The administrator may request clarification or additional documentation. Your attorney manages this correspondence to keep your claim moving forward.
- Review the determination and coordinate with other claims. Once the trust issues its offer, your attorney will advise on acceptance in light of your overall compensation picture, including any other trust claims or litigation that may be pending.
Can You File Other Claims in Addition to the NMBFiL Trust?
Yes. Workers in heavy industry were almost always exposed to asbestos from multiple sources. At any given industrial facility, insulation products from Johns Manville, Armstrong World Industries, Owens Corning, Carey Canada, Pittsburgh Corning, Celotex, and many other manufacturers were in use alongside whatever NSI or NMBFiL supplied. Each manufacturer whose products contributed to your asbestos exposure may represent a separate asbestos trust for which you are eligible to file a claim. The NMBFiL Trust claim is one piece of a potentially much larger compensation picture.
In addition to trust claims, you may be able to sue solvent (non-bankrupt) companies in civil court — such as facility owners, equipment manufacturers, and other parties whose negligence contributed to your asbestos exposure. These lawsuits can yield compensation far exceeding what any individual trust fund pays. Trust fund claims do not bar civil litigation, and many mesothelioma victims pursue both simultaneously. If you are a U.S. military veteran who was also exposed to asbestos during service, VA benefits may provide another avenue of compensation as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
The NMBFiL Trust is an asbestos personal injury settlement trust established to resolve all present and future claims against NMBFiL, Inc., the successor entity to the insulation division of National Service Industries (NSI). The trust compensates workers who were exposed to asbestos through NMBFiL or NSI insulation products and services at industrial facilities and who subsequently developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or other asbestos-related diseases.
National Service Industries, Inc. (NSI) was a large Atlanta-based conglomerate with a significant industrial insulation division that operated extensively across the United States during the peak decades of asbestos use. As NSI restructured over time, the insulation business was spun off and operated independently as NMBFiL, Inc. The NMBFiL Trust covers asbestos personal injury claims arising from both the original NSI insulation operations and the subsequent NMBFiL entity.
The trust covers exposure to asbestos-containing industrial insulation products and services provided by NMBFiL or the NSI insulation division at power plants, refineries, chemical plants, paper mills, steel mills, and other heavy industrial facilities throughout the United States. Claims may be based on direct employment with NMBFiL/NSI or on bystander exposure at facilities where those companies performed insulation work.
Compensation is variable and depends on the specific disease diagnosed (mesothelioma claims have the highest scheduled values), the extent and documentation of exposure attributable to NMBFiL or NSI operations, the strength of supporting evidence, and the trust's current payment percentage. Your attorney will be able to provide a realistic estimate of potential recovery once your documentation has been compiled.
Yes. Filing with multiple asbestos trusts simultaneously is standard practice in mesothelioma cases and does not affect your eligibility for any individual trust. Industrial workers exposed to NMBFiL or NSI insulation products were almost invariably exposed to asbestos from many other manufacturers and distributors as well. An experienced attorney will identify all applicable trusts and file claims with all of them at once.
While not legally required, the complexity of documenting NMBFiL/NSI-specific exposure, coordinating multiple trust filings, and evaluating litigation options strongly argues in favor of professional legal representation. Mesothelioma attorneys take cases on a contingency fee basis — no upfront cost to you, and fees are owed only if compensation is recovered on your behalf.