NAPIA's Annual Meeting Provides Great Information About Claims Trends
I am in Del Mar, California, meeting with a hundred public adjusters at NAPIA's Annual Convention. At the first NAPIA convention I went to, I spoke about Examinations Under Oath. That was in 1985, in Carmel, California. Since then, I have learned at these meetings how some of the brightest minds apply insurance policy language to maximize benefits for policyholders. You'd think the insurance industry would have its adjusters do the same, but most of their conferences involve how to not overpay.
I find that the best public adjusters show up for this meeting. Those who say they do not need to be here or that they are better than those who are here are wrong. We all can learn and get better at what we do for a living. At NAPIA’s annual meeting, a bunch of smart and motivated colleagues get together to debate and share experiences or views on how to do insurance adjustment better. There is no better place to learn.
While I know everyone is busy and training is expensive, all public adjusters should join NAPIA, go through the educational offerings, obtain certifications, and attend these meetings. Little tips and learned perspectives lead to better and quicker recoveries for the policyholder. I will catch some grief from public adjusters who are not here, however they should be here.
When considering which public adjuster to hire, policyholders should determine how dedicated the public adjuster is to the profession of adjusting as well as that person’s knowledge and skill. Credentials matter. The training and education required to obtain certifications may reflect how dedicated the public adjuster is to your claim. Talk of success is cheap; policyholders should carefully check the background, training and experience of the person they select to represent them in an insurance claim.
Are You Disaster Ready?
What do you expect in case of loss? Who cares? Who has disaster preparedness/recovery money for that?
I don't have all the answers, but I do have this one on disaster preparedness/recovery:
A letter pertaining to disaster (hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flood, fire, etc.) has been sent to President Obama on behalf of all insurance policyholders. As a matter of transparency on the record of insurance consumer protection, any response by President Obama will be posted on the following Website for review: http://www.disasterprepared.net/president.html
Qui potest et debet vetare, jubet: (Law Maxim)
HE WHO CAN AND OUGHT TO FORBID A THING [IF HE DO NOT FORBID IT] DIRECTS IT
Question concerning Examinations Under Oath.
The attorneys for the insurance companies doing the
EUO seem to be asking questions that have nothing to do with the loss, (i.e., How long have you lived
in this state, request a list of previous addresses, what high school did you attend, where were you born.
Also they request tax returns for three to five years).
We have seen the EUO’s last one to four hours
with questions that seem to have nothing to do with the fact that the insured filed a claim for damages
that they have bought insurance to cover. Are there guidelines for questioning during a EUO?