THE POLICYHOLDER'S ADVOCATE®
Next month, the Alabama legislature will reconvene and has the chance to license public insurance adjusters. Currently, Alabama is one of the few states that does not recognize public adjusters. But after the devastation last year, the value of public insurance adjusters is coming to light.…
Continue Reading Alabama Tornado Teaches Lessons about Public Adjusting
Randy Goodman, of Goodman-Gable-Gould/Adjusters International, was honored with the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters‘ Person of the Year Award at NAPIA’s Mid-Year Meeting. Randy served as President of NAPIA in 1998-99. He has remained an active member and is very deserving of the award. Just before receiving the award, he was bragging to me about recruiting two new recent members from Florida after explaining the benefits of NAPIA membership.…
Florida public adjusters have an excellent educational and networking opportunity at the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Mid-Year Meeting, which will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Miami Beach from December 9-11, 2010. This is a great conference because the insurance claims business is becoming more national in scope. Insurance claim issues in one state impact other states. Public adjusters need to realize that their trade is not isolated by geographic boundaries and that opportunities exist through associated networking with others in diverse geographic regions. It is obvious that more public adjusters than ever are responding to catastrophes far removed from their home and original offices.
…
Continue Reading Florida Public Adjusters Should Attend the NAPIA Mid-Year Meeting in Miami Beach December 9-11
All adjusters, whether company, independent, or public, have significant ethical obligations in Florida. Indeed, these adjusters even have an obligation to turn each other into the Department of Financial Services. The failure to do so is, by itself, a breach of the adjuster’s ethical obligations:
(g) An adjuster shall promptly report to the Department any conduct by any licensed insurance representative of this state which violates any provision of the Insurance Code or Department rule or order.
…
Continue Reading Adjusters Have Codes of Ethics: Florida’s Are Significant and Need to Be Enforced
Risk & Insurance® recently ran an article, Paving the Potholes of Big Property Claims (updated), about large losses indicating that the claims process is anything other than perfect. Harvey Goodman, a public adjuster I mentioned in this morning’s post, was quoted in that article. I first met Harvey Goodman at the Annual Convention of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) at Carmel, California in 1985. I gave a speech about Proofs of Loss and Examinations Under Oath. Harvey is one of those people in the audience who raises his hand, often. He asks the tough questions with unique facts that are often situations he faces. Harvey is a past president of NAPIA and one of the finest public adjusters.…
A guest lecturer at the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Mid-Year Meeting last Friday predicted that courts will find at least some of the damage caused by Chinese drywall to be covered under a first party property insurance policy. Ed Eshoo gave the lecture, "First Party Property Insurance–Chinese Drywall Claims."…
Continue Reading Chinese Drywall Losses Covered Under First Party Property Insurance Policy
Tragedy is sometimes followed by emotional and heartwarming stories overcoming the consequences of the initial disaster. In my line of work, I have seen survivors embrace each other, genuinely surprised each made it through a life threatening disaster. I have witnessed the compassion and caring that otherwise strangers show to their fellow brother and sister in time of need. Yesterday, I attended a wedding of two that only occurred because Hurricane Katrina brought them together.…
Continue Reading A Katrina Love Story Involving a Very Talented Young Public Adjuster
At our recent seminar on insurance adjustment techniques and practices, Texas Hold ‘Em" #2: Merlin Law Group’s Seminar for Texas Public Insurance Adjusters, I warned public adjusters that wrongful practices, especially the unauthorized practice of law by giving legal advice, would probably result in lawsuits against them. Yesterday, I found an article, Class Action Lawsuit Targets Fees Charged by Public Adjuster, that addresses some of my concerns.…
The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) has some of the finest minds in the world regarding claims adjustment under property insurance policies. Our law firm had the opportunity to lead a day long insurance seminar for the Massachusetts Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and NAPIA members last Friday in Boston. The level of discussion and debate over cutting edge claims handling issues made it one of the finest property insurance seminars I have ever attended. …
