An insurance adjuster studies a client’s damaged property to make estimates, analyze information and write up reports. Common tasks of an insurance adjuster include evaluating damaged property, estimating loss amounts, deciding if the individuals’ policies cover the damages, talking to witnesses and police, researching and writing the reports, analyzing the information related to the claims, verifying information with insurance agents, settling claims with policyholders, gathering evidence, meeting with lawyers and testifying in court. Getting an insurance adjuster license requires different guidelines depending on location. Departments of insurance can be contacted to learn these requirements.
Within insurance adjustment, there are company adjusters and public adjusters. Company adjusters represent an individual’s insured items and those of the individual’s employees and/or contractors. Public adjusters represent only the individuals covered by the policy. The adjuster receives payment from the individual, not from his or her insurance company.
An insurance adjuster license is what grants the claims adjuster the authority to make decisions regarding clients’ financial situations. The insurance adjuster license must be obtained before the adjuster can write or sell insurance plans of any kind. Although not mandated by any law, nearly all individual employers of insurance adjusters require a college degree. College courses in insurance adjustment may be pursued at a variety of schools which offer this program of study. An insurance adjuster school will teach the basics of property and casualty insurance, how to adjust insurance claims and insurance laws that vary by location.
After the required courses are taken in insurance adjustment, the candidate must take an insurance adjuster exam before an insurance adjuster license can be granted. Depending on where the test is taken, a section on property and casual adjustment may be included. Other topics commonly found on the final exam include auto liability, adjuster practices and responsibilities, bonds, commercial lines, marketing practices, personal lines coverage, fire policies and licensing requirements.
After the test is completed, a certificate will be mailed to the candidate within a week or so, which will indicate that he or she must mail in a set of fingerprints, an insurance adjuster application and a fee which varies by location. The application can be found on the Internet. Those who apply for an insurance adjuster license must be a resident of the state they are applying in. They must not have any felonies or misdemeanors of forgery, theft or trust.
