Rutgers insurance law professor, Jay Feinman, provided an informative presentation to sixty attendees of the Professional Public Adjuster Association of New Jersey (PPAANJ) yesterday. Feinbaum has been mentioned in several Merlin Law Group blogs:
https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2010/10/articles/insurance/jay-feinman-interview-at-first-party-claims-conference/
https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2016/11/articles/consumer-protection/rutgers-law-school-and-united-policyholders-launch-essential-protections-for-policyholders-project/
https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2010/11/articles/insurance/public-insurance-adjuster-estimate-evaluated-in-federal-court-of-appeals-decision/
https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2017/04/articles/consumer-protection/essential-property-insurance-coverage-information-withheld-from-consumers/
Merlin Law Group’s Knowledge Manager, Ruck DeMinico, is a secret weapon for our firm’s lawyers. Most insurance law firms for policyholders do not invest in a dedicated lawyer to help with legal and insurance industry research. We do. Ruck also handles approvals by departments of insurance for those speaking at insurance conferences and volunteered his services to help one of the fastest growing and largest public adjusting associations, PPAANJ, get Professor Jay Feinman approved as a continuing education teacher.
A couple of months ago, Ruck mentioned to me that the state of New York was requiring Professor Feinman to get a copy of his college diploma which the Professor could not find. At dinner following the conference, Feinman told me that the New York Department of Insurance said that he ‘was not qualified to teach public adjusters.’ It is hard to imagine that a distinguished law professor would be questioned on his credentials to teach insurance to public adjusters, but the New York Department of Insurance has a very high standard for continuing education of public adjusters. After telling this to others at dinner, I heard from friends in New Jersey that say ‘New York treats us as its step sister state.’ I was just happy Feinman found an old picture of his diploma which was accepted by New York so he could teach us. I love everybody from New Jersey and New York—and I am happy for the way they treat Floridians like me. Maybe those government regulators need reciprocity in the winter months.
Les Knox and Jesse Sipe have done an amazing job of quickly leading PPAANJ into a premier public adjusting association. They have been competitors in the same town and down the street from one another. But, they united to make this organization something that any public adjuster would be proud to join. The PPAANJ Board represents a diverse cross section of public adjusters primarily in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, who run their own organization with public insurance adjuster and policyholder interests in the forefront. Any public adjuster doing even the slightest amount of work in New Jersey should join PPAANJ.
Professor Feinman discussed claim issues and the modern climate of insurance. The Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility and United Policyholders have combined efforts to promote Insurance policyholder interests through their program, Essential Protection For Policyholders. This program espouses legislative and regulatory reform to help the insurance marketplace and help policyholders. It deserves study and support by all groups involved in the insurance industry.
