| 07/01/2008 1:37 PM |
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I received an email from Eberls, and they would like me to join their roster. However, they next State Farm IDL is in October. This does me no good. So I am reaching out for other options. If a CAT hits does State Farm run these IDL's more frequently? What can I do to be prepared for this season. I have been doing daily work, but I want to go down on a CAT this year and every year after this one. |
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Ray Hall Senior Member Posts:2443  
| 07/01/2008 4:46 PM |
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I would recommend to any adjuster that is working daily claims to print out the last 30 days of work in PDF form and send this to many of the vendors by overnight mail. If you have made a living for months, this will show in your closed files and you should not have any trouble if a big one hits. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO, this works both ways. Ask you employer to give you a letter of recommendation. I would not ever put all my eggs in one basket. |
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sbeau4014Founding Member  Member Posts:427
| 07/01/2008 7:12 PM |
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I would recommend NOT doing that Ray as if I worked for a vendor that got that information I would immediately tear up the resume' and all the paperwork, and it wouldn't matter to me if that person was God's gift to the adjusting world or not. You see if someone would do such a thing I would instantly know that they have some ethical problems in that the information they just sent me is confidential and protected by the privacy laws of the country and if they would do that to impress me with their work, what would ever prevent them from doing the same thing with the work product they are doing for me. All of us need to remember that what we do for a vendor is not to be given out to anyone who isn't entitled to it, or else you open yourself, the vendor and the carrier to potential civil damages.
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/02/2008 12:27 AM |
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Steve I neglected to say black out the confidentual information with a marker pencil. I call your old work "reading files". I have files that are over 20 years old on interesting liability claims and property losses with a long captioned report. Sorry to cross you on this topic, but I think old reading files are the best examples of your "work product". I have had several people ask for some old reading files on my work. |
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/02/2008 11:50 AM |
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I have never ever wanted to give bad advise to another adjuster. Steve Beaumont is probably one of the top adjusters in the country that has decided to be a storm adjuster after many years as a claims manager; therefore, please weigh both post and take his as the best advise. |
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Leland Advanced Member Posts:741
| 07/03/2008 1:15 AM |
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Blacking out confidential information is called making a "redacted copy".
I sometimes get roof inspection reports from ######, a very respected vendor. Their reports are extremely detailed and well written. The first time I got one I saw the bill and it was about $150.00 more than other roof reports I've seen. Then I looked at the report and realized why. I also understood why ####### insurance company always requests this inspection company. These reports, in my opinion, would hold up in court far better than most.
I called them up the other day and asked them to send me some redacted copies of 2 or 3 sample reports. They agreed right away. I am going to forward copies to the students in my Florida ###### certification class. I am also going to send a copy to my Katrina supervisor with ####### Adjusting Firm.
Of course a good redacted copy will be carefully reviewed to make sure confidential info doesn't slip in. It does no good to delete the name of the insured and then have a photo of the insured's business name included.
Many independent adjusting firms will ask for redacted sample reports of an adjuster's work. It's not unusual at all. It's hard for me to think of a better way to determine if an adjuster can write a report than to read one he or she has written.
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BobH Veteran Member Posts:759 
| 07/03/2008 1:27 AM |
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Thats a great point Leland, and nice to see you around here again. Musta been busy.
Posted By Michael Moorhead on 07/01/2008 1:37 PM
If a CAT hits does State Farm run these IDL's more frequently?
If it is a really big storm, State Farm may run some on-site IDL's like they did for Katrina. If this years storms are minor, then there are plenty of adjusters on stand-by and you would not want to quit your day job. Bob H
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| 07/11/2008 12:34 PM |
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Mike ,relax, incerase your calm ,you have been blessed you are now in the cat bird seat, entering the storm season and having no prospect of state farm calling you out is what I call a great blessing . Now you actually have the prospect of maybe getting a real job adjusting . And you may even get a chance to make some real good money , which you are never going to do at state farm. |
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BobHVeteran Member Posts:759
| 07/11/2008 12:57 PM |
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Posted By Richard Olive on 07/11/2008 12:34 PM
And you may even get a chance to make some real good money , which you are never going to do at state farm.
Are you saying that about State Farm specifically - or Cat Adjusting in general? I fully agree that adjusters should work daily claims between catastrophes, or you can get really rusty. Personally I like working for State Farm, their checks don't bounce and I have done very well working for them.
I worked a hurricane for a carrier that went bankrupt in 1992, and some of the carriers I worked for at Northridge in 1994 also went BK. I eventually got pennies on the dollar.
State Farm is very organized, tends to be well staffed and has someone on site who knows the answers.
If an adjuster is starting out - they may have their head handed to them at any Catastrophe due to the volume and demands. So I agree with starting out with a non-Cat day job for a while, which Mike is doing for now. Bob H
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Tom TollModerator & Life Member Senior Member Posts:1865 
| 07/11/2008 3:03 PM |
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Richard, I have read all your posts and it appears your not very happy with being an insurance adjuster. Perhaps, in order to maintain your health, you should find another vocation. I agree that the companies do try to squeeze as much out of an adjuster as they can, without proper compensation, however, I still maintain it is best to be professional in this field of endeavor. In todays business society, no job is perfect. They all have their weakness's and problems. It will get worse as the economy worsen's, and it will. I have been at this for 49 years now, this past April and have seen a multitude of changes in the adjusting arena, some good, some bad. It is the nature of the beast. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
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sbeau4014Founding Member Member Posts:427
| 07/11/2008 4:34 PM |
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I have never worked for State Farm as I was always working when I got the call, but would not hesitate to if the chance comes up when I'm looking for work. I have 6-7 friends that have worked catastrophe work for them for years and have done so very successfully, and made plenty of money doing it. Sure they give the adjusters a ton of work to do and they do require a certain quality to the work product, as do most carriers and/or vendors of that are sizeable. That does put a lot of stress and demand on the adjusters, but the carriers need to have quality controls in place. I tend to agree with what Tom said above Richard, and you don't seem happy with catastrophe adjusting. If like you said in another post, you have worked for 3 carriers in the last month and have have put them on the list of carriers never to work for again, that isn't a good track record. I don't know how long you were retired, and if you retired from regular adjusting or cat adjusting. You had mentioned elsewhere that you had been adjusting for 20 years before your retirement, and if you had been retired for a very long time there have been changes that have hit the claims adjusting and catastrophe adjusting business. It isn't getting easier by any stretch of the imagination, part of that is due to bean counters, part is due to the litigation environment, and numerous other factors. I've been doing this for a little while and have seen lots of changes in that time frame, and can't say any of them have been good for the actual claims handler with the exception of technological changes such as computer estimating, digital photography, laser measurment, etc. I don't know you at all, but if I was unhappy about what I did for a living as it appears from your posts, I wouldn't be doing this. My mental health (or lack thereof) and happiness is a lot more important to me then the size of the paycheck.
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Ray HallSenior Member Posts:2443
| 07/12/2008 10:45 AM |
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I have enough regular claims and catastrophe experience to know the name of the game is closed files. All claims have to have proper documentation in the closed file that will pass a review process. Closed files does not mean sloppy work, and all insurance claim files must pass muster.
I remember the first storm I worked for a very large carrier and large vendor. The regional Veep told a room of 100 adjusters, just closed files guys this is why we hired you. We closed files with a hand written estimate, adding machine tape, 2 or 3 poloroid photos, no diagrams and a copy of the check.
I did not work for this group for 4 years and the next event I noticed a lot of tighting up. I ask several of the people who worked we me 4 years ago, what had been going on for 4 years. The answer was." It was too easy and we were not doing a professional job, reinspection revealed some of our guys were walking around the house and guessing at the number of squares!!!! All catastrophe adjusters are in one large apple barrel, crooks, honest, competant, not competant, warm bodies, bad, good, very good, but not one of use has ever been called excellant, but thousands of us have been called a necessary evil at certain times; but replaceable!!!! |
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