Public adjusters need to double-check their licensing paperwork. That was my thought while reading an Order temporarily suspending many public adjusters from any public adjusting activities because the Georgia Department of Insurance claims that its paperwork does not reflect an approved contract. There are a lot of public adjusters named in the Order, including past Presidents of the Georgia Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (GAPIA) and one Past President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters.
The Order states [click on image to read full Order]:
After reading the Order, I immediately wrote an attorney, Holley Soffer, who is an expert on contract and administrative requirements of public adjusters. She responded to me by saying:
I can tell you that many of the people on here have completely complied with the requirement. In fact, I have submitted contracts, on behalf of some of them, and have proof of the receipt with a reply from Georgia stating so.
As a matter of fact, I recalled that public adjuster Brandon Lewis gave a speech at GAPIA’s fall meeting warning about Georgia’s licensing regulations and that public adjusters needed to get their contracts approved by the Georgia Department of Insurance. I almost fell out of my seat because Brandon Lewis was on the list of over 160 public adjusters to have a license suspended.
I contacted Brandon Lewis asking how this could happen. He sent me a note from an attorney for the Department of Insurance admitting that mistakes were made in issuing the suspension Order and that the case against him was dismissed:
I suggest that all insurance adjusters should double-check their current license status and make certain that they are up to date with appointments and other regulatory requirements. For those that need help, I suggest consulting with an administrative attorney such as Holly Soffer.
Thought For The Day
A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.
—Roy H. Williams