Do You Want to be an Insurance Adjuster? Do You Have What it Takes?
Are you prepared to commit yourself to the responsibilities of an adjuster…of the profession?
Before you answer, know this: The role of an adjuster is not just a job. It’s a calling…
It has been said that the origins of adjusting profession in the United States can be traced back to the In the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In all of history, no cow is more infamous than Mrs. O’Leary’s. This poor farm animal was accused of kicking over a lantern and starting a fire. The fire itself, despite its humble origins in a barn, became ferocious. It destroyed 3.5 square miles of the city, left 120 people dead and thousands more homeless. Financial losses were estimated at $200 million, an order of magnitude that not only crippled or ended the lives of many insurance companies of the day, but also propelled some of the most well-known carriers of the 20th Century [e.g. the Home Insurance Co. of New York and the Aetna of Hartford] to heights of greatness in the United States.
Yet, it wasn’t the Chicago fire that really put the adjusting profession on the map of [then] highly regarded professional employments within the insurance industry. It was the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire…a tragic event that propelled the adjusting profession to one of serious consideration for the hundreds of thousands of insurance claim adjusters who would follow throughout the 20th century and beyond.
Since then, the claims profession has served an active and honorable role in helping those who suffered injury or damage to property due to this unfortunate twist of fate. Without this profession’s dedication and commitment, both consumers and corporate America would face the uncertainty or impossibility of adequate recovery from loss necessary to put lives and businesses back in order.
Today, the massive effort of repair, replacement and recovery of injured lives and damaged property falls to the claims adjusters, CAT troopers, field investigators, automobile and property appraisers, and the front-line supervisors who guide their efforts. The claims profession has become a crucial part of American culture in the maintenance of our nation’s health and economic prosperity, and insurance claims adjusters are charged with the highest obligation and duty to respond to the needs of our society with utmost consideration, good faith, and ethical behavior.
To thoroughly understand the increasingly complex role of the claims professional, one must be familiar with terms and concepts of law, risk management, and insurance, the elements of claims and the claims environment, the impact of loss on policyholders, and the importance of the adjuster’s role in helping those who have sustained such losses get back on the road to recovery.