The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-10-14
Blackal Discusses Casualty Insurance
 Adjusting At National Session In w. Va.

During the last session of the general assembly there was Q very pronounced feeling that laws af- fecting adjusters for casualty irlsur- ance company adjusters should be passed, declared State Insurance Commissioner John O. Blackall, speaking at the convention of the International Association of CaSu- alty and Surety Underwriters and the National Association of Casu- alty and Surety Agents at White Sulphur Springs, w. Va, Tuesday.
 Public hearings on various bills, he said, showed that there was no particular feeling against life or fire insurance company adjusters, but there was sentiment against casualty adjusters, particularly those handling claims arising from automobile in- surance and landlord and tenant policies.
 The assembly, he related, passed a law requiring that adjusters must be licensed, and must follow regu- lations laid down by the state in- surance department.
 Agents sometimes find their business adversely affected by the manner in which claims growing out of their policies are settled. The actual authority of the Insurance Commissioner of Connecticut prior to July 1. 1887, over the conduct of the handling of claims by insurance companies was found in Section 4l0i of our law stating that if in the commissioners opinion a company was doing business in an illegal or improper manner, or was falling to adjust and pay losses when due, ex- cept claims to which the Commis- Sioner ruled there was 8 substan- tial defense, he might order the company to discontinue such illegal or improper methods, or order 1t to adjust and pay losses as they be- come due. Our Supreme Court in one instance ruled that this law gave the commissioner authority to inquire into all the reasons why liability was denied by any carrier on policy.
 AdjuSters
 Tt will be seen that under this law the commissioner had no im- mediate authority over adjusters, except there was a special law re- quiring the licensing of public ad- justers. Whatever authority this law gave over company adjusters was of the indirect authority oper- ating out of the supervision of a company. It stands to reason that an insurance carrier would not long continue in its employ an adjuster whose actions would be brought to the attention of the commissioner too often. There were introduced into the last session of our General Assembly several bills on the licens- ing of all adjusters, and on the practicing of law, and on the regu- lation of insurance companies. which indicated that there must be some impetus for a more careful supervision of men who represent insurance companies in settling claims with the public. As hear ing came along, however, it ap- peared that there was no particll- lar situation arising in the fire field nor in the life field as such, but there was a very pronounced feel. ing that laws affecting casualty ad- justers should be passed. In view of the substantial number of mem- bers of the bar in the Legislature I think 1t is fair to assume that the experience of these men with ad- justers was at least one motivat- ing influence in the passage of a new bill. I think myself 1t can ho