Posts Tagged ‘florida department of financial services’
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For the insurance professional in Florida, education is an on-going requirement. the Florida Department of Financial Services recognizes that insurance policies and the law are constantly changing and, that it is important for adjusters to keep abreast of the latest developments. For that reason, Florida claims adjusters must complete 24 hours of continuing education every two years.
Course requirements include 2 hours of Ethics, 10 hours of Law and 12 hours of Optional subjects.
Ethics is the study of values, right and wrong and decision-making as applied to the adjustment of insurance claims. Courses in Ethics include materials that refer to cases and court decisions that highlight disputes that occur between claimants and insurance companies, as well as statutes and penalties that may apply in the event a claims adjuster violates the Code of Ethics.
Courses designated as ‘Law’ generally refer to the application and changes in laws that apply to property and casualty claims. Optional courses are those which inform the student about subjects more general in nature that have application to the adjuster’s job duties, such as stress on-the-job.
Continuing Education requirements may be completed in a live classroom setting, or online. the major difference between the two formats is that online courses require a quiz, while live classes do not.
A sampling of online courses may include such courses as:
Insurance bad Faith Online-2 hours
Medical Records and the Law Online-2 hours
Sexual Harassment and the Law-2 hours
FL Laws Governing Medical Care and Professional Liability-4 hours
Ethics and Adjusters-2 hours
Negotiation for Adjusters (2 credit hours)
Hurricanes a Florida Peril (2 credit hours)
Slip and Fall and Insurance Fraud (2 credit hours)
Black Boxes, Cell Phones and Auto Safety Issues (2 credit hours)
National Flood Insurance Program (4 credit hours)
When selecting an online or live provider, be sure to make sure that the company or school not only provides the correct approved courses for your license, but also includes uploading your credits into the state’s roster. You can verify the status of a provider or school with the Department of Financial Services.
Searching adjuster continuing education online will also give you an idea of the ranking or popularity of a school. Putting search terms into Google such as ‘Florida Adjuster Continuing Education’ will give you a list of available schools.
Failure to comply with continuing education requirements will result in a $250 fine, so don’t wait until the last minute to begin your work!
Students may access the online courses at:
http://www.ce.ucf.edu/ASP/insurance/
Dr. Michael Birzon is the designated instructor for both the online and live classes and he may be reached at: flainsu@mail.ucf.edu
Dr. Michael Birzon is an attorney and adjunct professor with Florida Insurance University/University of Central Florida. Dr. Birzon has litigated claims for over 30 years and is the author of the Accredited Claims Adjuster Designation approved by the State of Florida. You may contact Dr. Birzon at (407) 927-1235 or email at: flainsu@mail.ucf.edu
Deputies say trio staged auto accident
By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer In Print: Sunday, March 14, 2010
TAMPA — Sheriff’s deputies arrested three people who they say staged an auto crash on Sheldon Road on Friday night.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that Amauri Perez Delgado, 40, Zoraida Domitila Zayas Padilla, 41, and Frank Lopez Masso, 30, met before the crash to plan how they’d carry it out. about 10 p.m., they staged a crash at Sheldon Road and Hamilton Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
They were planning to get money from their insurance companies by filing an insurance claim with an unknown pain management clinic, their arrest reports say.
They were charged with participation in a staged crash and taken to the Orient Road Jail. Bail was set at $7,500 each.
The arrests come amid news that the number of staged auto crashes appears to be increasing nationwide.
Tampa ranked second in the nation behind Brooklyn, N.Y., for questionable auto claims for the first half of 2009, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau statistics. Tampa Bay ranked fourth in a similar comparison of metropolitan regions.
The method in which the three Tampa residents are accused of carrying out their plan is the most common way staged auto crashes are done, according to Detective Michael Hennessy, who investigates insurance fraud in Tampa for the Florida Department of Financial Services.
In Florida, most staged crashes are carried out by a group of people who plan a crash and then either carry it out or set up a scene to appear as if there had been a crash. usually, no innocent drivers are involved, Hennessy said.
After the crash, the drivers often file for medical services.
Florida Insurance Council executive vice president Sam Miller recently said that the number of staged auto crashes in Tampa will cause higher auto insurance rates.
An Allstate spokeswoman estimated that, nationally, 20 percent of premiums go toward helping insurers cover the cost of fraud.
Cracking down on auto insurance and personal injury fraud is a top priority for the insurance industry this legislative session. They’re seeking to give state insurance fraud investigators the authority to pull over suspects, and they want to ensure that personal injury clinics are licensed with the state and owned by doctors.
That’s an important piece because sometimes clinics are involved in the scheme, detectives said.
[Last modified: Mar 13, 2010 09:01 PM]
Auto Insurance Views » Blog Archive » Watch out! Tampa leads in …
Tampa, Florida –Look out Miami! Tampa is taking over as the statewide leaderwhen it comes toauto insurance fraud. this is not a claim to famethe city wants to have and it’s not looking much better on thenational level, with Tampa ranking second nationwide.
It’s believed the surge of auto insurance fraud cases where the scammers stage auto accidents is up in Tampa because they are being squeezed out of Miami by investigators.
Alex Sink, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, joined Tampa Police and Allstate Insurance representatives to promise a crackdown on these scammers.
“It represents millions of dollars of fraud and the reason it’s important to us, the everyday person, is because the insurance companies just take the costs of that and put it back into our premiums,” said CFO Sink.
Police officers demonstrated a common technique used by the accident stagers known as a “swoop and squat” where an unsuspecting driver is targeted.
But, state investigators say the type of staged accident they see the most in the Sunshine state involves only the criminals themselves. They stage the accident, file fraudulent claims for injury and damage, and ultimately pocket the money from the insurance company.
‘You and I are paying for the cost of auto insurance fraud,” said Amy Moore, a spokeswoman for Allstate Insurance.
“An everyday driver that has an auto insurance policy is paying for auto insurance fraud in the form of higher insurance premiums and the estimate is around $200 to $300 annually,” Moore added.
If you know of someone who has committedinsurance fraud, you could beeligible for a reward of up to $25,000 ifstate investigators areable to prove it. you canfile a fraud report on-line with the Florida Department of Financial Services or call the fraud hotline at: 1-800-378-0445.
You cantake steps to protect yourself. Insurancecompanies advise you to followcars at a safe distance when you’re on the road. if you get into an accident, be sure to have a disposable camera or your cell phone camera ready to take pictures of thescene, anotepad to take notes about what happened, and collect the driver’s information and license plate information and any witness information. you are also advised to file a report with police and bewary of unsolicited tow truck drivers who arrive on scene.
Watch out! Tampa leads in auto insurance fraud
Auto Insurance Views » Blog Archive » Watch out! Tampa leads in …