To be exact, insurance assessment is an act entrusted by the parties to an insurance contract unilaterally, both parties and other entrusting parties, requiring them to collect reasonable fees, handle the survey, appraisal, inspection, valuation and claim settlement of the subject matter insured, and negotiate to issue an assessment report. Companies or other economic organizations engaged in insurance assessment, that is, insurance assessors, also known as insurance assessment banks or insurance assessment companies, are economic entities that are independent of the government, administrative departments and various links and departments in the economic field and face social services. An insurance adjuster has the following attributes:
1. The insurance adjuster is an intermediary service agency.
An insurance adjuster is neither an insurer nor an applicant, but an intermediary service institution connecting the insurer and the applicant. It is an economic entity that is independent of other departments and serves the society. Insurance assessors, insurance agents and insurance brokers constitute a complete insurance intermediary market.
2. The insurance adjuster runs through the insurance business.
Insurance assessors are not only engaged in the insurance claims business familiar to the public, but also engaged in the evaluation, appraisal and estimation of the value and risk of the subject matter insured, as well as the inquest and loss calculation after the loss of the subject matter insured. Its business runs through the insurance business.
The service of insurance adjuster is paid.
As the insurance assessor is an economic organization, its existence and development need economic benefits, so its services to the parties to the insurance contract and other clients are not free, but reasonable fees are charged and paid services are implemented.
2. What is the function of the insurance adjuster?
As an organization providing intermediary services, the insurance assessor's function is mainly entrusted by one or both parties to the insurance contract, charging reasonable fees, using scientific and technical means and professional knowledge, and proving the subject matter of insurance reasonably, fairly and scientifically through inspection, appraisal, evaluation and adjustment. Specifically, an insurance adjuster has the following functions:
(a) Claim assessment
Claim settlement is the main function of insurance adjuster. It has become the development trend of the international insurance market that insurance companies entrust insurance assessors to participate in claims settlement. Because insurance assessors are composed of experts from all walks of life, they not only have profound professional knowledge, but also have knowledge of finance, insurance, finance, economy and legal management, and have a good grasp of some big claims, especially some high-tech claims. The claims assessment of insurance assessors generally includes procedures such as on-site investigation, loss assessment and issuance of assessment reports. The responsibility of claim assessment is mainly manifested in the inspection, appraisal, liability determination and damage determination of damaged property.
(2) underwriting assessment
Traditional insurance assessors generally only do claims assessment, but with the development of economy and technology, insurance assessors gradually participate in underwriting. Underwriting assessment is mainly reflected in two aspects:
1. Evaluating the cash value of the insured property refers to surveying, inspecting and evaluating the subject matter insured, and evaluating its present value through scientific analysis, research and calculation, so as to determine the reasonable insured value and insured amount.
2. Assess underwriting risk. Insurance companies generally have to assess the risks of the subject matter insured. Risk assessment of some special subjects beyond the assessment ability of insurance companies can be entrusted to insurance assessors. Insurance assessors investigate, identify, analyze and predict the objective risks of the subject matter insured before underwriting, so as to make a scientific judgment on the nature, conditions, risk degree and responsibility scope of the subject matter insured.
(three) to supervise and verify the loading and unloading of goods
In marine cargo insurance, shipowners or their agents often entrust insurance assessors to supervise the loading and unloading of goods on their behalf for the convenience of recovery in the future, that is, to monitor the subject matter of loading and unloading of means of transport and record the loading and unloading process. In the same transportation, the insurance adjuster may be entrusted by different shippers or consignees on the same ship to supervise and record the loading and unloading process of the goods, or be entrusted by the insurance company to supervise the loading and unloading of the insured goods. Therefore, insurance assessors can represent shippers, consignees, transportation companies and insurance companies with conflicts of interest at the same time, which is conducive to reducing their work and conforms to the principle of economic benefit.
(four) to participate in disaster prevention and loss prevention
Preventing disasters and losses is an important link in the development of modern insurance industry. Insurance assessors and the experts they employ are professionals with certain achievements and skills in the corresponding fields, and have good insurance knowledge. They can put forward pertinent opinions on the safety facilities in many links from the perspective of insurance, especially put forward reasonable suggestions and schemes for the disaster prevention and loss prevention of the subject matter insured by them, so insurance assessors play an important role in the disaster prevention and loss prevention of insurance.
Further reading: How to buy insurance, which is good, and teach you how to avoid these "pits" of insurance.