Insurance Appraiser Training

A typical insurance appraiser training session is broad in scope, and teaches participants the methodologies necessary to review policyholder claims effectively. Trainees also learn about insurance-industry financial procedures and rules and the regulatory guidelines to which insurance appraisers must conform when performing tasks. Training courses are generally available online or onsite.

Identification

• Insurance appraiser training is an instructional effort that companies undertake to establish adequate controls in policyholder claim processing activities. A control is a set of directives that a department head puts into place to prevent losses resulting from fraudulent claims, errors and technological malfunctions in premium-calculation processes. Regulators, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), support training initiatives, enabling corporate managers to ensure that personnel perform tasks in accordance with laws.

Features

• Training seminars allow insurance appraisers to examine claims forms and other documentation to determine coverage, investigate and assess damage, and collect evidence to support contested claims in court. Trainees also learn how to review and refer questionable claims to investigators, according to O*NET OnLine, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational research branch.

Expert Insight

• Organizations often hire specialists not only to teach insurance appraiser training courses, but to review internal controls and provide recommendations for improvement. These specialists hail from various departments, and include actuaries, attorneys and financial accountants. For example, a property-and-casualty insurance company may bring in a former NAIC investigator to draw up adequate appraisal policies.

Skill Set

• O*NET OnLine notes that training polishes the skills and regulatory acumen of insurance appraisers. Trainees hone their communication skills, time-management aptitude, financial dexterity and social perceptiveness. Participants also improve their analytical skills.

Tools and Equipment

• Insurance appraiser training sessions teach how to use the tools of the trade, including distance-measuring wheels, mobile wireless handheld communication devices, personal digital organizers and computer-aided design software. Other tools and equipment include document management software, financial analysis software, measure markers and claims-processing applications.

Benefits

• Training workshops benefit sponsoring organizations because these sessions help rein in fraudulent claims, thus reducing corporate operating expenses and policyholder claims payments. Trainees also gain from the sessions by improving their productivity. Well-trained insurance appraisers can increase their earning power, which averaged $88,000 per year as of 2010, according to the career data portal Indeed.

Target Audience

• Training seminars target a varied audience, including adjusters, examiners and property assessors, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other attendees include professionals with no direct connection to the appraisal occupation but willing to learn about the insurance industry. Consultancies that provide appraisal guidance to insurance companies also find the sessions economically advantageous.