Public Adjuster Bond
A public adjuster surety bond is a simple statutory compliance obligation in most jurisdictions. This class of surety bond (an independent adjuster bond where I.A. language is still on the books) is generally freely written, i.e., so long as the bond principal (adjuster) does has not declared bankruptcy nor is subject to any outstanding liens and/or judgments, then the public adjuster bond is issued without credit report review. There are a few states that require bond language which is more onerous which does subject the applicant to credit review but they are few.
A public adjuster is an insurance claims professional. Unlike an "independent" adjuster, he or she acts on behalf of policyholders rather than the carriers that insure those policy holders. Wonderful Wikipedia states that a public adjuster's general responsibilities are but are not necessarily limited to:
- Evaluating existing insurance policies in order to determine what coverage might be available to an insured
- Researching, detailing, and substantiating damage to property, property contents and any additional expenses
- Evaluating business interruption losses and extra expense claims for those businesses
- Determining the settlement value of covered damages
- Preparing, documenting and supporting claims on behalf of insureds
- Negotiation of settlements with the claimants' carriers
- Re-opening claims and negotiating for more money if discrepancies are found after claim settlements
Given the many ways that an adjuster can engage in inappropriate conduct or divert third party monies to personal ends, most states strongly regulate the profession. The states that have adopted the National Association of Insurance Commissioners model rules for public adjusters largely require surety bonding as part of license approval. A public adjuster bond is a simple code compliance obligation. The surety bond guarantees that the adjuster will indemnify "any person in the state who sustained damages as the result of erroneous acts, failure to act, conviction of fraud, or conviction of unfair practices in his or her capacity as a public adjuster." Visit some of our state pages to learn more:
Public adjuster bonds are not expensive. The annual premium for this class of surety bond is generally between one and two percent of bond penalty for well-qualified and creditworthy applicants. If an adjuster operates in many states or the applicant is a firm that requires many adjuster bonds for its firm and sub-licensees, we offer special program rates.
National surety bond leader, SuretyOne.com is a specialist in the bonding needs of the insurance sector. We offer both surety and fidelity bonds needed by claims professionals in all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Questions about this surety bond? Call us at (800) 373-2804, email us at Underwriting@SuretyOne.com or click here for live chat. A public adjuster bond is quick, easy, available for any credit condition and is issued same-day.
Surety bond application review and quoting are free of charge. There is no obligation to purchase.
