Daily Claims

With the hurricane season a bust so far, many insurance adjusters out there want to work daily claims. Daily claims are everyday claims for things like fires, burst pipes, and other events that aren't associated with a catastrophe. I know many adjusters that make their living on daily claims.

The hurdle to getting work as a new claims adjuster is being trusted by the company and meeting a need the company has. With that in mind, here are some things that can make you more attractive as a daily claims adjuster.

• Ask the HR department or claims manager where they need adjusters in your state. If it's 3 hours away, offer to take claims in that area without charging millage for the first few claims.
• Make sure you're licensed in the state.
• Attend any insurance or adjusting training offered by the company, especially if it's free.
  
• If you get a chance to run claims, focus on excellent customer service, fast turnaround, and noting the file/communicating with the examiner. Excelling at these activities will make you stand out and lead to more claims!
  

Adjusting News

ABC News reminds us that it's still hurricane season while Reuters examines why this has been one of the quietest hurricane seasons in a long time. Reuters attributes the slow storm activity to El Nino, which in turn increased wind shear. Additionally, the temperatures in the Atlantic have been about two degrees cooler than average.

Insurers in general are happy... adjusters and claims departments, not so much.

The slow storm activity makes this a good time to diversify as described in this post. Anything that makes you more attractive as a daily claims adjuster!

2009 Season

I'm holding out some hope for the 2009 season- after all, Hurricane Wilma was a late October storm. However, since there hasn't been much going on lately, I've been focusing on beefing up my professional insurance certifications.

Two insurance certifications I have are the Associate in Claims and Associate in Insurance Services. These have been extremely valuable to me, both in broadening my education and my earning potential.

I've also been working on additional adjusting licenses. I already have Alabama, Florida, and Texas licenses, as well as an NFIP flood adjuster license. My next goal is to get a Louisiana adjuster license, and complete some continuing education credits to make sure I stay on top of my field.