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Insurance adjusters are the people responsible for verifying that a claim is legitimate and the amount of damage costs
along with a proposal to settle the claim. They often are employees of the insurance company which would make them more interested
in the company's position or they may be a public adjuster. A public adjuster is an independent contractor which makes
them self employed and should therefore serve the interest of the claimant.
Public adjusters are often hired by
attorneys on behalf of a claimant when large losses are at stake because they are trained to discern the difference in high
dollar damage. An individual may easily see where there is 2 or 3 thousand dollars of damage but when there
is tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands dollar damage, the average person can't tell the difference between
ten and fifteen thousand dollars in damage.
Insurance adjusters rarely rely on their own judgement in areas they
are not expert in so they will often consult contractors, physicians and other professionals to compose the claim findings.
Adjusters have a responsibility to report fraud also. The statements, pictures and any other information gathering efforts
can be used in a case against one reporting a fraudulent claim.
I often get a response from a prospective client
that they don't like a particular company. I am an independent agent that represents different companies and I have
got this kind of response about all companies. I usually get the feeling the person didn't see eye to eye with the
adjuster due to a claim. There is a suspicion I have that insurance adjusters encounter those that can't seperate
their sentimental attachment to the loss involved from it's actual value and don't feel obligated to offer
any consolation to that person. A claim from one with an emotional attachment to a loss can rarely be satisfied
to the claimants satisfaction.
The position of claims adjuster is regulated by the state and carry licensing and
continuing education requirements. These guidelines vary from state to state but are usually transferable if one gets
licensed and moves to another state. There is also the ability to be a non-resident licensee and also have licenses in
more than one state. There are fees involved with the services of an adjuster that vary widely but have limits set by the
state.
There are national and international organizations of adjusters that an adjuster can join that will give
them additional training that qualifies the adjuster to help with disasters that may require the assistance from across
the nation or around the world.
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