What Is A Public Insurance Adjuster And How They Can Help You?
By Bryan E. Thomas

Public Adjuster Qualifications - How to Find Help After the Storm
By Don Wood

There are three categories of adjusters - company, independent, and public. Their licensing requirements are usually the same. The difference is in how they are paid. You will need one or more of them when you suffer an insurance loss.

The first is a company adjuster. He's a staff adjuster, working for your insurance company. He's on salary and handles all kinds of claims in your area - either residential or commercial but usually not both. He's been with the company long enough to be licensed and trusted with the company's clients. He's the one dispatched when you call your agent or home office to "report a claim." Your agent represents you only until you have a claim. Now, the staff adjuster becomes the face of the insurance company. Within a few days after he's done, he's usually followed by a quality control adjuster who makes sure he did not overpay the claim and he worked hard to answer your questions. Many local staff adjusters have check-writing authority up to a limit determined by their skill and tenure. Some of them do "on-site settlements" or "table-top claims handling." They work hard under strict guidelines, and they are good at what they do.

The second is an independent adjuster. He comes from a bureau of adjusters. Some of the large bureaus are Pilot, Crawford & Company, and General Adjustment Bureau (commonly called GAB).These men are also nicknamed "storm chasers." A local catastrophe results in a call "Send us 100 adjusters." They will be dispatched to the area and will put on your insurance company's hat while they are in town. They are usually paid a sliding fee per claim. Their job is to finish as many claims a day as they can. They are paid per claim, and they are usually very helpful and thorough. They have seen all kinds of claims and they travel a lot. Their estimates are sent back to the regional office where the checks are drafted and mailed to the customers. The independent adjusters are the ones who want to settle your claim quickly, at least on the front end. Once they complete their work, you will probably not see them again. You will be dealing with someone in the regional office who reviews your file and processes supplement requests.

The third category, and the most important adjuster for our purposes here, is the public adjuster. Most public adjusters work alone. Their license is issued by the same state insurance department that licenses the staff and independent adjusters. They are usually bonded, and they are held to high knowledge and ethics standards. There are few large public adjuster firms. Most are one man companies. They handle fewer numbers of claims than either of the other two categories because of the nature of their job. You will see why in a moment.

Insurance Companies Best Kept Secret - Public Insurance Adjusters
By Bryan E. Thomas

As the policyholder, you have a right to know about the insurance industries best-kept secret - Public Insurance Adjusters. We are the experts who represent you exclusively when a loss occurs to your business, commercial or residential property. The insurance companies have their representatives; you need someone whose loyalty is entirely to you.

For many homeowners, the preparation of a property damage claim without the assistance of their own insurance loss adjuster is unfamiliar territory. The documents are filled with complicated jargon and calculations that only a claims adjuster will thoroughly understand: depreciation, replacement costs, and actual cash value. At times, the list seems endless, especially when you have enough on your hands just getting your life back together. But it´s your responsibility to document and prove your claim to the insurance company, either by yourself or with the aid of a public adjuster.

Many policyholders just like you have asked the same questions: How do I estimate my loss? Will I recover enough to rebuild? Can I do this myself, without a public insurance adjuster? This uncertainty is easily removed through the professional assistance of our proven team of professional public adjusters.