We have been attending to a number of insurance claims in the aftermath of the recent devastating Calgary hailstorm. Fortunately, most of those affected had adequate cover over their buildings. However, some of their loss was not necessarily fully covered. This is where the role of an insurance adjuster came in to play.
The Role an Adjuster Plays In Insurance Claims
An insurance adjuster is accountable to an insurance company that pays their professional fee. The adjuster’s task is to determine the extent of the insurer’s liability in the case of a particular claim.
Following a due diligence, they ‘adjust’ the insured person’s claim accordingly. The process is broadly speaking as follows:
- An insurance client suffers a loss, and sends their claim to their insurance company.
- The insurance company forwards the claim to an insurance adjuster for their recommendation.
- The insurance adjuster confirms the extent to which the policy covers the loss.
The role of an insurance adjuster is hence to filter out any incorrect, overstated, or even fraudulent claims. However, at the same time they should endeavour to ensure that genuine claims are met, within the scope of insurance policies.
Can Anybody Be an Adjuster in Calgary?
No not at all. The Alberta Insurance Council in Calgary regulates adjuster activities, and issues licenses in the names of individuals or firms. There are three levels of individual licences, as we explain briefly here.
Adjuster Level One Licence
Entry level practitioners are employees of adjuster firms in good standing. There are no educational requirements, however they must pass the Alberta Adjuster Level 1 examination.
Adjuster Level Two Licence
Intermediate level practitioners are employees of adjuster firms in good standing. There are no educational requirements, however they must pass the Alberta Adjuster Level 1 examination.
But they must also have completed six courses from the Insurance Institute of Canada, and have at least 24 months of consecutive claims adjusting experience.
Adjuster Level Three Licence
Level three practitioners are employees of adjuster firms in good standing, with more than 60 months experience in the previous ten years. They must also meet the level one and level two requirements, and be an associate or fellow of the Insurance Institute of Canada (or hold a chartered insurance professional or a fellow chartered insurance professional designation).
In addition, they must have completed one advanced course from the Insurance Institute of Canada, or an equivalent program.
Our Role in Insurance Adjuster Inquiries
An insurance adjuster will compare our quote with the terms of the insurance policy, and determine how well the two line up. They may, if they so wish, discuss our quote with us. Our feedback is always factual. We try to avoid discussing the merits of an insurance claim.
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