Adjusting liability insurance claims requires skill, patience, knowledge of insurance, basic knowledge of tort and contract law, and knowledge and experience as an investigator. The liability claims adjuster is faced with the following basic obligations:1.To understand the law of torts as applied in the state where the adjuster works.2.To understand the law of contracts as applied in the state where the adjuster works.3.To understand sufficient medical terminology to be able to evaluate claims of injury.4.To understand the costs to repair or replace damaged real or personal property.5.To understand how to read and apply the terms and conditions of a liability insurance policy.6.To understand how to thoroughly investigate all claims assigned.7.To conduct an investigation of every claim assigned fairly and in good faith with an intent to find coverage for the loss presented by the insured.8.To understand how to analyze the insurance coverage and apply the facts established by the adjuster's thorough investigation to the policy wording.9.To be able to negotiate with claimants and lawyers to resolve bodily injury or property damage claims.10.To pay promptly all claims the insurer owes under the contract.11.To resist, and not pay, all claims the insurer does not owe under the contract of insurance. In the United States, the average adjuster is a 22-year-old female graduate of a liberal arts college who has little or no training sufficient to allow her to fulfill the obligations imposed on her as a representative of an insurer. Much to the chagrin of insurance claims professionals, some modern insurance companies simply hire a person to be an adjuster, provide no training, and send them out to deal with the public with only the assistance of a claims supervisor who may only have two years-experience.This Compact Book of Adjusting Liability Claims- Second Edition is designed to provide the new adjuster with a basic grounding in what is needed to become a competent and effective insurance adjuster. It also works as a refresher for the experienced adjuster.

This Compact Book of Adjusting Liability Claims is designed to provide the new adjuster with a basic grounding in what is needed to become a competent and effective insurance adjuster. It is also available as a refresher for the experienced adjuster.The liability claims adjuster quickly learns that there is little difficulty with a claimant (the person alleging bodily injury or property damage against a person insured) if the claim is paid as demanded. The insured may be unhappy if the claimant's claim is paid as presented since most do not believe they did anything wrong or fear an increase in premiums charged for subsequent policies.The adjuster must be prepared to salve the insured's emotions, explain why in the law and the policy it was appropriate to pay the claimant and that the settlement is in the best interest of both the insured and the insurer the adjuster represents.The adjuster knows, and must be prepared to explain to an insured, that if a claim is resisted or denied the claimant will be unhappy, will probably file suit. If not promptly settled the claimant's lawyers will rake the insured over the coals to prove that the insured is liable for the claimant's injuries. The litigation will take time, effort, and money to establish the extent of the injuries and who is responsible for the injuries. Failure to settle promptly can cost the insured his or her reputation and will certainly cost the insurer much more than the claim could have been resolved for had it been resolved before the claimant retained a lawyer.

An "adjuster" or "insurance adjuster" is by statutory definition, a person, co-partnership or corporation who undertakes to ascertain and report the actual loss to the subject-matter of insurance due to the hazard insured against. Insurance companies create, by issuing an insurance policy, a contractual obligation to pay its insureds' valid claim. To do so insurers understand that the person insured is not able to prove the cause and extent of loss without assistance. Therefore, insurers dispatch a person with special knowledge - the adjuster - to separate fact from fiction, to establish cause and origin of the claimed loss, and determine sufficient information to enable the insurance company determine the amounts necessary to indemnify the insured as the policy promised. The adjuster is also present to distinguish the valid claim from a claim for which the insurance company is not liable under its policy. The insurance adjuster is not mentioned in a policy of insurance. The obligation to investigate and prove a claim falls on the insured. Standard first party property insurance policies, based upon the New York Standard Fire Insurance policy, contain conditions that require the insured to, within sixty days of the loss, submit a sworn proof of loss to prove to the insurer the facts and amount of loss. The policy allows the insurer to then, and only then, respond to the insured's proof of loss. The insurer can then either accept or reject the proof submitted by the insured.

First published in 1980. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis.

Thorough, yet practical, this book is the ideal guide for any professional who works in or frequently interacts with the insurance industry. Claims professionals, risk managers, producers, underwriters, attorneys (both plaintiff and defense), and business owners will benefit greatly from this multiple volume guide. It is also the perfect resource for insurance educators, trainers, and students whose role requires an understanding of insurance law. The Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair DealingThe principle on which insurance has existed for the last three to four centuries is that insurance business is conducted with the utmost good faith (uberrima fides). The principle, called a covenant of good faith and fair dealing, must be followed religiously by both the insurer and the insured. This means, simply, that both parties to the insurance contract must treat each other in such a way that neither will deprive the other of the benefits of the contract.This, the third part of Zalma on Insurance Claims and includes materials concerning: This is part 103 of Zalma on Insurance Claims and will deal with: -The Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing-Duties of the Insured and the Insurer-Declaring a Policy Void-Processing a ClaimWhen read with Part 101 and Part 102, this volume works to take the reader to a complete understanding of insurance and insurance claims.

This latest addition to Barry Zalma's insurance claims series of books and articles is part of the most thorough, up-to-date, expert-authored insurance claims guide available today. Written by nationally-renowned insurance coverage expert Barry Zalma, an insurance coverage attorney, consultant, expert witness and blogger, Zalma on Insurance Claims provides in-depth explanations, analysis, examples, and detailed discussion of Property insurance claims, Third-party liability claims, Casualty claims and Insurance Fraud.Thorough, yet practical, this book is the ideal guide for any professional who works in or frequently interacts with the insurance industry. Claims professionals, risk managers, producers, underwriters, attorneys (both plaintiff and defense), and business owners will benefit greatly from this multiple volume guide. It is also the perfect resource for insurance educators, trainers, and students whose role requires an understanding of insurance law. This, the eighth part of Zalma on Insurance Claims, includes materials concerning:1.Preparing a case for trial2.Interviewing Techniques3.The art of the Interview4.Interview General Principles5.The Interviewer6.Preparing for the Interview7.Beginning the Interview8.Control of The Interview9.Dealing with Witness Types10.Approaches the Work11.Dealing with the Nervous Person12.Bluffs13.The Mutability of Memory14.The Examination Under OathRead along with all ten volumes this Eighth volume of Zalma on Insurance Claims will provide the reader with everything a lawyer, insurance claims person, insurance claims supervisor, or policyholder need to understand property, casualty and liability claims.