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Public Notice to Property owners - particularly homeowners. This week another serious attack on your ability to seek a fair insurance settlement, this time a proposed ban on hiring a public adjuster. Seriously, how naive do insurance companies think we are? Consumers with a shred of remaining doubt should consult Jay M. Feinman’s excellent book on the topic, “Delay Deny Defend.” In light of publications such as Feinman’s it is truly remarkable how much credibility the average property owner extends to his insurance company. Public Adjusters are on the front lines and as such they are witness to thousands of unfair insurance settlements. Despite that many Public Adjusters continue to report hesitation by homeowners to challenge their settlements, however obviously unfair. What reason could there be for these attitudes to remain? To me the answer is clearly the deep pockets and resulting huge advertising and public relations efforts on behalf of insurance carriers. Quick quiz: Who is your ‘good neighbor?’ How about the ‘good hands?’ If you are like most, you might surprise yourself with how quick you answer correctly! Such an onslaught is frankly difficult to resist. In that context, firms for instance Sawgrass Mutual Insurance coverage stand a fairly good chance of discrediting all who cry foul. In a letter final month to policyholders, Sawgrass mentioned claims involving public adjusters “frequently acquire substantially longer” to settle and public adjusters may exaggerate damages since their fees are based on a percentage in the claims. In a letter final month to policyholders, Sawgrass said claims involving public adjusters “frequently acquire substantially longer” to settle and public adjusters may perhaps exaggerate damages mainly because their charges are based on a percentage from the claims. Sawgrass recently sent a letter to policyholders discouraging them from engaging Public Adjusters. Insurance companies tend to make much from the claim that public adjuster claims can acquire longer. But this argument rings hollow. Clearly cases involving disputes could take lengthier to resolve. But to hold the Public Adjuster responsible for the dispute is somewhat self-serving. Could the carrier decrease the time to settle by agreeing to a fair settlement appropriate away? The answer is obviously yet. Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters President David Beasley said the letter from Sawgrass includes misleading statements about public adjusters. A member in the group has filed a complaint with state’s Department of Financial Services, citing a state administrative rule that says no insurer “shall represent or imply to any claimant that public adjusters are unscrupulous, or that engaging a public adjuster will delay or have other adverse effect upon the settlement of a claim. Claims Adjusters (also known as Public Adjusters ) represent policyholders exclusively.

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