Claims Mag’s Mary Anne Medina caught up with BP’s Claim Manager, Daryl Willis in a frank and open interview about his responsibilities and challenges in managing BP losses.  Read interview…

While the Atlantic Hurricane Season officially begins on June 1st, today historically marks the beginning of the most intense period of tropical activity.  This year appears to be no different.  Per Dr. Jeff Masters:

August 18 historically marks the point where Atlantic hurricane activity makes a major spike upwards (Figure 2.) On average, we can expect to see two named storms and one hurricane during the last half of August. The last half of August usually sees a moistening of the atmosphere off the coast of Africa, as the the African monsoon kicks into high gear. This year is no exception (Figure 3.) The dry Saharan Air Layer (SAL) has retreated to the north, leaving a moist atmosphere conducive for tropical cyclone development off the coast of Africa.

Keep your eye of Wunderground and Stormpulse to follow the latest…

Options!

As an Adjuster you have lots of options and many choices regarding the direction of your career path.

We often find that folks coming into Insurance Adjusting have discovered this niche industry through a personal experience with an insurance claim, for example after a hurricane.  Having been exposed to only one kind of claim, it often happens that they are unaware of a whole world of career paths available in the Insurance Adjusting industry.  CAT claims are just one aspect of Adjusting – there are so many more.

First, just about every aspect of our life in this country is insured; there insurance for autos, homes, boats and planes, personal liability, business liability, workers compensation, farms…  the list goes on.  If there is something to lose, there’s typically  insurance for it, and insurance is here to stay.  These different coverages are available through thousands of insurance companies both nation wide and international, and you guessed it…ALL OF THEM NEED ADJUSTERS, THIS IS WHERE WE COME IN.  Often students attend our class and discover a career path in adjusting that matches their special skill set or experience that they had never even thought of.

Next, there’s a big difference between “staff” adjusters and “independent” adjusters, and both sides of the fence have great advantages.  Staff adjusters work as employees, directly for the insurance company.  Positions can include paid holidays, full benefits, company car, company laptop, free training and more.  Promotion opportunities abound, and there is an ability to work a wide range of different claim types.  I personally know Staff Adjusters who have retired after their career as millionaires (no joke)!

Independent adjusters work primarily for claims adjusting companies [sometimes called bureaus or TPAs (third party administrators)].  Careers for independent adjusters also vary widely; some work locally, some travel, some are paid by the hour, some by the day, others by the claim.  The work is flexible and enjoyable, and one commonly noted aspect of this path is that the pay is great!  Independent adjusters often make high six figure incomes, and often working only part of the year.

I can go on for pages, but let me leave you with this.  There are claims jobs for folks who want to travel to catastrophes, for folks who want a traditional career, for folks who want to travel, for those who want to work in their own area, for folks who want the stability of a salary, for those who prefer to have their earnings in direct proportion to their performance, for folks who know planes or boats or boilers or farms, folks who enjoy investigative and detective work and the list just goes on.

There are many choices, and we are here to help you get started today. Your first step is training. As you go through our training process, you will begin to see the right direction for you and if you have questions, we are here to help…we’d be happy to discuss any aspect of the various career paths in Adjusting.  We think you will find our Adjuster Career Consultants helpful, friendly and able to help you to make the right decision for your career.

Have a wonderful day,

Adam

According to Jeff Masters:

All of the major models have been predicting a major pattern shift in the global atmosphere late this week, which leads to breakdown of the Russian heat wave and the start of the Cape Verdes hurricane season. The models have been consistently predicting a tropical storm will form off the coast of Africa late this week, and track west-northwestward across the Atlantic.

The NOGAPS model is predicting possible development of a tropical depression near the coast of Nicaragua or Honduras late this week.  Full Story.

Previously, Dr. Masters had attributed the slightly lethargic start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season to certain climatological conditions caused by the historic heat wave in Russia.  With relief on the immediate horizon for the Russians, however, those conditions will abate and immediately clear the way for an expected fast and furious 2010 Hurricane Season.

I woke up to a “major problem” that needed fixing ASAP.  It got me to thinking, which leads to the following post.

I learned early on in the field as a CAT adjuster that you must improvise.  Power’s out, street signs are down, trees and debris block the road, gas is sold out or the gas stations are closed down, water and food can be scarce, cell phones don’t work, people steal stuff, hotels are full and the list goes on.  But I noticed something when I deployed to my first hurricane: some adjusters were sitting around waiting for the infrastructure to get back up and going or they were complaining about how hard things were and how impossible to adjust it was.  I determined right then and there I was going to be one of the new adjusters that got it done – and I did!  I’ve driven ungodly distances for gas, filled up all 6 of the five-gallon tanks in my truck (just to have them stolen and have to do it all over again).  I’ve slept in my vehicle.  I’ve done my claims in my computer in my vehicle using a power inverter when power was out.  I’ve eaten from the Red Cross truck.  I’ve found ways to scope seemingly inaccessible houses (I’ve got some real stories here).  I’ve camped for hours and even days at Kinkos, the only internet access in town.  I’ve printed out hard-copies of reports to send via UPS when internet access was impossible.  In other words, I improvised, rolled with the punches and found creative ways to get it done.  And you know what?  It was exhilarating!  There’s something seriously cool about coming up against a seemingly insurmountable obstacle and figuring out a way to succeed regardless.

I’ve found that the more you run up against these “insurmountable” problems and solve them, the more you realized that “insurmountable” is something in your mind, not in reality.  I encourage you – if you are facing an “insurmountable” obstacle – roll with it, improvise, and dig deep for a solution.  You’ll be surprised what you’re capable of.

Best,

Adam

Travel!

Every year there are major hail storms, forest fires, floods, ice storms, earthquakes or tornados that require the mass deployment of thousands of Insurance Adjusters.  In the 2009 storm season alone, there were literally hundreds of catastrophic events, despite the fact that ’09 was the slowest hurricane season since 1997.  Adjusters are still working ’09 catastrophe claims!

These CAT losses occur everywhere throughout the country.  Although some prefer a career doing “daily claims” in their own hometown, CAT adjusters travel frequently throughout the country and even sometimes throughout the world.  It is not uncommon, for instance, for a CAT Adjuster to spend the winter in their hometown, then deploy in the spring to adjust hail claims in say Colorado, followed by a summer of hurricane claims in Texas or Florida.  Many Adjusters also deploy to ice storms in New England or the heartland in the winter.

The end result is that Insurance Adjusters end up enjoying and exploring our country in a way few other professions allow.  Not only do we travel all over, we also get to stay for a while – usually weeks or months, but occasionally – if we choose – for longer.  As we work with local contractors, lawyers and homeowners, we make friends and acquaintances all over the map.

Most Adjusters fly or drive in to their deployment and find a hotel, motel or condo.  Some Adjusters utilize RVs and trailers.  Husband and wife teams are common and work very well – it’s not uncommon to meet retired couples traveling the country and enjoying a lucrative second career!

We would be more than happy to answer all of your questions about Adjusting and the various career paths available.  Call one of our Adjuster Training Consultants today to discuss your career!

We’re very pleased to announce that our 100% online Georgia Adjuster PreLicensing Course is now available!  This 40 hour, self-paced online course satisfies Georgia’s mandatory PreLicensing course requirement.  And, just as importantly, it will comprehensively prepare you to pass the also required Georgia state adjuster exam.

Course Overview

Course is comprised of a series of 41 lessons and quizzes covering topics including: Insurance Terms & Concepts, Standard Fire Policy, Homeowner’s Insurance, Commercial Policy, Inland Marine, Ocean Marine, Aviation, Boiler & Machinery, & Flood Insurance Policies, Surety Bonds, Workers Compensation, Personal Auto and Auto Liability, Ethics, and more.

After the completion of all lessons and quizzes, students will be able to take multiple Practice Exams in preparation for the state exam.

Learn More |  Register Now

According to Dr. Jeff Masters at Wunderground, the July sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic were the hottest in recorded history.  That type of energy is what accelerates the heart beat of climatologists across the country as we enter the teeth of hurricane season 2010.

3 storms are currently brewing, 2 in the Atlantic and one already in the gulf.  Check out Stormpulse for the latest models and projections.

For those folks wishing to pursue a career in catastrophe claims adjusting, NOW is the time to begin the process!

Per a Yahoo report yesterday:

If a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast and whips up oil from BP’s massive spill, cleanup workers will not be able to swoop into action to fix the mess.  A new Obama administration edict requires that requires that the oil be tested before it can be cleaned, according to a response plan obtained by The Associated Press.

So, how will this play out?

If a hurricane hits, the Obama administration’s response plan says workers must sort out where the oil came from and who should pay for it “prior to removal of contaminated debris.”

“The cleanup process after a storm will require representative sampling and investigative work to maintain accountability,” the 35-page document, dated July 14, said. “The sampling process will be conducted as quickly and efficiently as possible to help identify the source of the oil.”

Some experts aren’t 100% on-board with the prudence of the plan:

Delays caused by the testing could range from hours to days, said Ed Overton, a professor of Environmental Studies at Louisiana State University. Once a sample is collected, it takes three to five hours to process the material. Ultimately, the time will depend on how many samples are being tested, said Overton, who is also head of the joint Coast Guard-Northern Oceanic Atmospheric Administration hazmat chemical analysis team. He called the government’s plan crazy.

In any case, the great bureaucratic machine will likely multiply the number of hands involved in the post-hurricane recovery process.  Is it possible that HAZWOPER 40 relevance is just beginning?

Folks, I found this except from “As a man thinketh” by James Allen, and I just have to share it.  I keep re-reading it.  Here it is:

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream.   The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg.  And in the highest vision of a soul a waking angel stirs.  Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not remain so if  you only perceive an ideal and strive to reach it.  You cannot travel within and stand still without.  Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labor.  Confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop:  unschooled and lacking all the arts of refinement.  But he dreams of better things.  He thinks of intelligence or refinement, of grace and beauty.  He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life.  The wider liberty and a larger scope takes possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he uses all his spare time and means to the development of his latent powers and resources.  Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him.  It has become so out of harmony with his mind-set that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside.  And with the growing of opportunities that fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it altogether.  Years later we see this youth as a grown man.  We find him a master of certain forces of the mind that he wields with worldwide influence and almost unequaled power.  In his hands he holds the cords of gigantic responsibilities; he speaks and lives are changed; men and women hand upon his words and remold their characters. sun-like, he becomes teh fixed and luminous center around which innumerable destinies revolve.

He has realized the vision of his youth.  He has become one with his ideal.”

And here’s a great summary of this principle by Jim Rohn:

“The fact is that wealthy people don’t think and act the way they do because they have wealth. They have wealth because they think and act that way.  How many people are on a diet today who don’t stand a chance of losing (and keeping off) any weight because they’re still the same person who gained all that weight to start with. Let me repeat again, so you’ll grasp how important this is: Slim people don’t think and act the way they do because they’re slim.  They’re slim because they think and act that way.”

Building great adjusters, one person at a time!

Thanks from AdjusterPro

Hey Adjusters, I’m going to post a “Top 10 reasons to become an Adjuster” count-down.  Look for the next one every following Monday!

Reason #10 is EASE OF ENTRY.

Here’s a few facts:

Did you know – the average medical school debt is $154,607?
Did you know- on average – a lawyer doesn’t even make six figures until his/her fifth year of practice?
Did you know that I personally made well into six figures in my first year as an Adjuster, without having to go through years of schooling?

Years of school and piles of debt are simply not options for most of us in this economy, and thankfully there are other profitable, enjoyable careers that are much easier to break into.  Insurance adjusters can make a very good living, have the option to travel, help people daily and, to cap it all off, it’s relatively easy to get started.

All of AdjusterPro’s instructors know the adjusting business; we’re active, successful Insurance Adjusters, and our job is to prepare you for a successful career in Insurance Adjusting business.  In one week’s time, we will take care of all of your licensing requirements, train you in the essentials of the business and get you up to speed writing claims with Xactimate (the most popular software in the business).

What’s more, the Insurance Adjusting Industry does not discriminate regarding sex, age or race.  In fact, adjusting companies are actively looking for the diverse skill-set that comes with our varied backgrounds.

We’d be happy to answer all of your questions and provide the information you need to make the right decision for you.  Feel free to call one of our Adjuster Career Consultants today at (214) 329-9030– we’re happy to answer all of your questions.

Best,

Adam

Hi folks -

We have all heard from newly licensed adjusters when asked about why they want to become CAT adjusters and the responses range anywhere from their old industry slowed down to where they can no longer make a living and support their family and they heard you can make good money as an adjuster or they were just burned out doing whatever it was that they used to do.

These days more than ever many new adjusters give the reason they came to the industry because they want to help people , they want to give back and give a helping hand to those in need. The fact is we are not there to represent the insured, we are there to represent the interest of the Carrier, not the homeowner.

As a matter of fact , if folks actually read the verbiage included in our Independent adjuster licensing rules and regulations, it clearly states that the department of Insurance from which ever state your licensed in as an independent adjuster is granted authority to represent the interest of the insurance company ONLY !!

Who represents the insured, the homeowner ?  Public adjusters represent the insured.

When it’s time to pay the piper we are sent to assess and pay (recommend to pay) all reasonable damages that the insured is legally entitled too.

It can really get to you sometimes when people that really need the money have their claims denied because the cause of the loss was an excluded peril.

I have left a few claims with my heart in my throat, there are lots of things that are emotional and sad and it has gotten to me a few times, but I have never let the insured see anything other than my game face.

Don’t misunderstand me because I genuinely care and I have always let new folks know to never forget to temper and balance your skills as an adjuster with kindness and compassion for the insured.

My mentor’s taught me early on that we are there to represent the interest of the Carrier, however, we must never forget that these folks have a legal contract with the Carrier and to pay them (recommend they get paid) fairly equitably and promptly based upon that contract .

Some folks can have a conscience issue from time to time and may have had a few sleepless nights over a certain claim or two, but just like some of the vets here have told me , you have to not let it get to you, you have to remain objective.

There are some folks who did let it get to them to the point they couldn’t do it anymore and either quit or were asked to leave and had their claim files taken away

Some folks become Public adjusters for that very reason and while a Public adjuster is not looked on highly by many on the Independent side, if there wasn’t a need for them , they would not exist, not only exist but thrive.

Yes there are those PA’s who inflate claims and use less than ethical methods in representing the insured, but those aren’t Public adjuster’s, those are criminals hiding behind a PA license.

I have met and worked with many PA’s( one actually saved my life by giving me CPR after my ladder accident) and have dealt with crooks, but for the most part they were professional people looking to get their client everything they are entitled too.

Carriers dislike PA’s , I even dislike PA’s because as an Independent adjuster, if a PA gets involved and reopens one of my claims, what that means to me is that claim isn’t closed, which means until it closes, I don’t get paid.

The Carrier’s don’t like PA’s because  they cost the carrier more money by an increased scope of damage and an increased claim award.

There is one carrier (nameless) that literally just made my jaw drop in the way they dealt with insured claims and seemed to go out of their way to nickel and dime the insured knowing these folks were in a desperate situation and used that to to pay out as little as possible and danced dangerously close to the line of operating in Bad Faith.

So stating you want to help folks , give back, well you can do that by giving them everything they are legally entitled too.

Once again,

I have had some conscience issues in the past , but I can tell you that those moments are grossly outnumbered by the way I felt when my claims were closed and the insured was paid everything they were legally entitled to and they were able to move on with their lives.

Robby Robinson

www.adjusterspace.org

CatAdjusterX@gmail.com

One of the most appealing aspects of handling claims to me is that no two claims are ever exactly alike.  They are each their own puzzle to be solved and while most are of the pretty ho-hum variety, some can be quite complicated and even exotic.  Cat adjusters in particular, entering areas with severe damage have to contend not only with all that Mother Nature has wrought, they have sometimes have to contend with Mother Nature’s ugly step-children – snakes and alligators for instance.

Claims Mag, a great resource for the “Business of Loss”, has a fun article on some of the top animal related claims from simple rodents chewing wires to alligators blocking the threshold.

For those adjusters looking to diversify their professional portfolio, online HAZWOPER 40 Certification is now available in both English and Spanish through AdjusterPro.

What is HAZWOPER 40?
HAZWOPER is an loose acronym for OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard.  This standard defines safety protocol for various types of personnel exposed to hazardous materials.  HAZWOPER 40 is the most comprehensive and rigorous certification within this standard.

How is HAZWOPER 40 valuable to adjusters?
We see HAZWOPER making great sense because it adds another tool to your professional toolkit.  Like Rope and Harness certification, there is a demand for licensed independent adjusters with special training of a niche type – in this case, claims resulting from environmental disaster.  While you may not be donning a hazmat suit and rolling tar-balls, you will almost assuredly be expected to understand the implications of hazardous environmental conditions as you handle a claim.  And the bottom line is that all things being equal, adjusting firms providing these claims services are going to give the nod to a HAZWOPER 40 trained adjuster over an adjuster without the cert every time.  And finally, while odds are that nothing will come of it, there is no telling just how a major hurricane could interact with the oil contaminated waters of the gulf and affect shore-line properties.

Start your HAZWOPER 40 Certification Now

Hey Adjusters!

No one really knows how many millions of gallons of the dispersant Corexit were used, but it’s a massive problem.  Some scientists are speculating that we’ll see harmful effects for decades, as this dispersant can cause toxic rain.  The chemicals in Corexit were kept secret from the public, and we really had no say regarding the application of these toxins.  This is particularly galling for those of us in the Gulf!

Here’s some interesting articles:

NY Times re. BP using Corexit after they were ordered to stop (click here)

Natualnews.com facts about Corexit: (click here)

Interested in your thoughts,

Best,

Adam