The Pacific Coast Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (PCAPIA), previously known as the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, was started in 1978. The attendance of public adjusters for today’s Spring meeting set a record. The prior and current leadership of PCAPIA, along with its Executive Director, Jennifer Barrack, show that they are doing something right.
The current national issues facing public adjusters were addressed early in the meeting. Nancy Dominguez, the Executive Director for the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA), addressed the anti-public adjuster endorsements now found in many insurers’ excess and surplus lines policies. She discussed the lawsuits filed in Florida and other jurisdictions on this issue and noted the Kentucky statutes that prevent the licensing of new public adjusters and prohibit public adjusters from negotiating claims.
The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) President, Justin Skipton, followed Nancy. He reiterated the efforts that NAPIA has made regarding the endorsements and the situation in Kentucky. A lawsuit has been filed in Kentucky challenging the constitutionality of the new legislation. I want to give NAPIA leadership a shout-out for maintaining a continuous presence of officers and board members traveling to PCAPIA and other public adjuster association meetings. NAPIA leaders are showing up, and it is noticed.
I always pick up and learn something from public adjuster continuing education. Jeff Major gave a sterling presentation on what it takes to properly and ethically adjust a water damage claim. Water damage claims are the most common type of loss adjusters face. When you find a person with the education, experience, and passion for teaching about the subtle nuances of this type of claim, it is truly an enlightening experience. I was fortunate to be in the audience for it. I overheard Luis Esteves tell Jeff what a wonderful program it was and that he was going to copy portions of it for a teaching session with his public adjusters in Texas.
A serious candidate running for California’s insurance commissioner position spoke and answered questions. Ben Allen is a Democratic California state senator from the Santa Monica and the Westside Los Angeles area. He has built a reputation around environmental policy, education, and government transparency. He has served in the California Senate since 2014. He is obviously very smart and very into the nuances of insurance. His academic résumé is very polished. He has a Harvard undergraduate degree, Cambridge graduate work, and a law degree from UC Berkeley. He has stated that he is taking no money from insurance companies in his run for this position. At the same time, his campaign is stressing a balanced response to the insurance issues facing the state. Given the concerns of a revolving door regarding state insurance regulation, not taking money from insurance lobbyists is a good start, and maintaining a need for balance and supporting the private insurance marketplace is good policy, as far as I am concerned.
Cheers to PCAPIA! Had a wonderful and very informative time at the Spring meeting.
Thought For The Day
“California’s insurance system is broken.”
Ben Allen
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