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katadj
USA
315 Posts |
 Posted - 02/28/2004 : 07:52:46
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Start by taking the quizzes posted and see how you fare in them.
Some are quite basic and others are more difficult. Only YOU know the results.
You may take them as many times as you need to in order to learn. |
Edited by - katadj on 02/28/2004 07:54:13 |
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Brooks Todd
USA
43 Posts |
Posted - 02/28/2004 : 18:26:34
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Yes the quiz I took was challenging.
I did ok not great not poor |
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katadj
USA
315 Posts |
Posted - 02/29/2004 : 01:06:14
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That's a start, you should be informed enough to get 90-100% on all.
Keep on learning. |
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sbeau4014
USA
53 Posts |
Posted - 02/29/2004 : 10:04:39
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| Gloverb, In response to your post of 2-26, you make a good point or two. If the work product of a 1-2 year adjuster is the same as that of a 20 year adjuster, the pay should be the same for them on a per file basis. You mention development of a system whereby the claims are matched to the experience level of the adjuster, which can be a tricky issue. I've seen (and worked clean-up and done hundred of reinspections) adjusters that have had over 20 years experience and you would never know they had that much time in on the job. I've also seen new adjusters in the 1-5 year range that were excellent adjusters and could adjust circles around the "more experienced ones". Length of time isn't always a good indicator. As for testing ones experience by doing commercial casualty adjusting, specifically liability and WC claims I don't really agree with that statement. In most states, work comp adjusting anymore is basically a glorified bill payer job. There is the normal amount of investigation, but not much real adjusting. On the casualty side, there is more of a challange for some of the speciality type of adjusting (intellectual property claims, products, contractural liability, etc), but your basic GL claims can be as routine and mundane as hail work. It can also be a lot more complex, depending on the facts of the claims involved. There are plenty of challanging type of claims in the commercial property field but are rarely handled by "cat adjusters" as they are either handled inhouse or given to independents that are used on a day to day basis. These can be a lot of the manuscript coverages written, electronics policies, a lot of the inland marine type coverages out there, earnings and extra expense coverages, etc. I've been around about 25 years and worked about every type of claim there is out there both as staff and as an independent and found that there can be big challanges in the property field. As for the topic here It would be hard for me to say what one change I'd like to see. Working claims based on experience level would be great, but determining what experience level one is at would have to be done by testing and evaluation, irregardless of length of time in the profession. Getting degrees and initials after the name does mean something, but doesn't mean that person is any better adjuster because of it (I have a few of those degrees so I can say this and get away with it) All that says is that person can study, work toward a goal and can learn. If they don't apply what they learn it's worthless. Doesn't mean they can adjust a basic hail claim. I knew one claim manager that was my liability counterpart that had 4-5 degrees at the time and 3/4 of his CPCU completed and was probably one of the worst "adjusters" the business has seen and his people skills were zero. Education is very important in this business and probably the most important factor right up there with "service excellence". Being able to determine ones experience level, along with education and people skills/service provided and adjust claims on those criteria would be great. I'm afraid we will never see that though. Too many blow and go adjusters out there that don't want to take the time out of their day to provide the basic service that every policyholder deserves because it cuts into their production. Anyone who has done much clean-up or reinspections knows this all too well. |
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gloverb
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 02/29/2004 : 10:36:22
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sbaeu4014,
Thanks for your response. A lot of what I said in that post was kind of "tongue-in-cheek"; although, I do feel that there is some merit in it. I certainly agree that # of years of experience may not be enough. As one of my old bosses put it, "Does he have 20yrs experience, or does he have 1 yr experience, 20 times?"
JimF pointed out some of the problems with developing a system where adjusters get assignments based on capabilities. The basic problem being that you cannot always determine the complexity of a loss until you get to the loss site.
I do think that some of this is already in place, at least informally at the carrier level. I worked as a loss control rep for almost 20yrs. dealing with wc, gl, & propery. I never received an assignment more than $50,000 in annual premium during my first 5 yrs. The more experienced reps received the larger assignments.
I agree with JimF that cat adjusters dealing with hail losses could be separated. Most cat adjusters only want these types of assignments anyway. |
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Todd Summers
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 10:45:54
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| Ok, here is a stupid question... Steve, what is an "intellectual property claim?". Are you referring to what I think of as a complex claim? You know, large loss, cov A,B and C, unreasonable and aggressive contractors, ALE limits reached, attorney and/or PA involvement, 6 inches thick, open 6 months or longer, etc.? |
Edited by - Todd Summers on 03/19/2004 10:56:50 |
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CCarr
Canada
1200 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 11:26:25
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Todd, your question is not stupid, and there is no need to preface it as such.
A couple of generalized definitions of "Intellectual Property" (IP) will serve to address what it is, in contrast to what your thought of it was.
IP is characterized as property that enjoys legal protection and stems from the exercise of the mind. IP includes patents, trademarks, copyright, and design protection; and more.
Another general definition is that an IP is any product of the human intellect that is unique, novel, and has some value in the marketplace; i.e. an idea, invention, literary creation, business method, industrial process, formula, report or presentation, and more.
If you did a Google search on the subject, you would have an abundance of reading for several weeks.
An interesting site on the issue is:
http://www.intelproplaw.com
Regarding "IP claims", Claims Mag has a good article on the subject, at the following link:
http://www.claimsmag.com/Issues/April/intellectual.asp |
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trader
USA
236 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 11:38:12
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Does the number of 90% of all catastrophe claims nationwide are hail/roof for all carriers sound correct? Auto hail damage may also be in this figure Does that number stand up? If this is correct one good hail storm would send a newbee to the major league the next storm and they would do just fine.
And 10 closed files per day is better than less than 10. Old guys can still close 6 and clean up. |
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Todd Summers
USA
99 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 12:00:05
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Duh!
Thanks CCarr for making me closer to intellectual than stupid. |
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trader
USA
236 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 12:22:01
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| Vote with your feet. Why would you work for a vendor that would not give you an advance? |
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Quaka
Cuba
17 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2004 : 12:45:17
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| If I could make ONE CHANGE to this industry, I would want all carrier decision makers, staff adjusters, claim reps, etc to work a cat 3, 4, or 5 using the mediocre fee schedules now on the market. The inside folks have no clue, but they sure love to dictate their outsourced filed experts. NFIP is now dealing with the garbage in, garbage out, crap is king issue from Isabel. Staff WYO adjusters doing claim work on flood without any clue to the policy is one area of their fiasco. Lousy fee schedules, mediocr skills from the carriers and the ability to hold the carrot out, expecting the cat experts to work for peanuts. When the proverbial cat 4 or 5 hits , maybe the East Coast, then we experts will get our chance to cash in, close thier files and make enough money to leave the industry, for good. MAy this be our year of redemption. |
Quaka Mole |
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Tom Toll
USA
154 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2004 : 19:07:05
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Experience is always a teacher, only if the student wishes to learn. I have also met and know some ol timers whose work was sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. Their only desire is to turn em and burn em and then run for the hills, foregoing their holdback. That is not good for this industry and the vendors should start weeding out the no goodems. I have met a number of adjusters, male and female, with only two or three years experience that could put some of the older adusters to shame.
It is absolutely a question of pride of product, along with knowledge that separates the good and bad, not necessarily experience levels. Some vendors just continue to hire the no goodems, which paints a negative picture of that vendors perception or ability to know good or bad adjusting.
I have seen and heard things in my 44 years of adjusting that would fry eggs on ice. Wish I could expound on some of them, but, lawsuits are costly.
Keep your nose to the grindstone, take pride in what you do, and work for vendors who recognize that. Only you, the indvidual, can become the best you can be. No one can do it for you. |
Edited by - Tom Toll on 03/20/2004 19:09:26 |
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sbeau4014
USA
53 Posts |
Posted - 03/20/2004 : 20:06:14
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Todd, I have learned and tried to impress upon all trainees I dealt with, that the only stupid question out there is the one you have and are afraid to ask someone for the answer. Clayton is correct in his answer to your question. Most IA's will never deal with claims like that as they are generally handled inhouse, but was listed as an example of what would be a complex liability claim file( and it would be 6" thick in a couple weeks and takes sometimes trs to close).
Trader, the 90% figure of cat claims being hail sounds high to me. Keeping in mine that flood, wind, freeze, ice dam, lightning weight of ice/snow and some fires are cat losses (as per PCS for reinsurance purposes) I don't know what the right % would be, but I'd guess less then the 90%. And as for "And 10 closed files per day is better than less than 10", those are the ones that we get to stay behind and do the clean-up. I agree 100% with Tom's comments on here |
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If I Could Only Make 1 Change To Change Adjusting
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