Independent adjusters, staff adjusters, and public adjusters

A question that comes up from time to time is what are the differences between independent adjusters, staff adjusters, and public adjusters? The thing they have in common is that they all work to adjust an insurance claim. Each is also licensed in their respective state to adjust insurance claims. While the names sound similar there are also some major differences between them and what they do.

Independent adjusters

An independent adjuster is an adjuster that works on behalf of the insurance companies. They are called independent because they do not work for one specific insurance company. An independent adjuster is often contracted to adjust claims with multiple insurance companies. While independent adjusters are not directly employed by the insurance company, they are still required to follow the insurance companies’ guidelines on how to adjust the claims. This may limit how they can adjust the claim and cause them to undervalue the claim.

Staff adjusters

Just like independent adjusters, staff adjusters work on behalf of the insurance companies. The main difference is that a staff adjuster is a direct employee of the insurance company. They only work for one specific insurance company.

Independent and staff adjusters work for and are paid by the insurance companies and likely have the insurance company’s best interest in mind when adjusting a claim.

Public adjusters

A public adjuster is a claims adjuster that represents the policyholder with a claim. The purpose of a public adjuster is to provide the policyholder with an advocate that knows the claims process and can help the policyholder secure a larger settlement for the claim.

Public adjusters are paid by the policyholder and usually as a contingency of the payout of the claim. This means that it is in the best interest of the public adjuster to get the claim settled as quickly as possible and for as much money as possible for the policyholder.

The simplest difference between these three types of adjusters is that independent and staff adjusters work for or on behalf of the insurance company, whereas a public adjuster works for the policyholder. Many people do not know what a public adjuster is or where to even look for one. It is important to know that there is a licensed professional that can help you with your insurance claim. If you would like to learn more about whether or not you should hire a public adjuster, please contact us today.