Ethical Behavior and Success

To understand the connection between ethics and quality service it is important to understand the meaning of ethical values in the insurance context.  The ethical insurer and its ethical claims and underwriting staff must treat the insureds and claimants with whom they come in contact honestly, fairly and with utmost good faith. The contact must reflect the highest integrity, respect and empathy for the people who need the service of the insurer.

Finally, the insurer must reflect a high level of trustworthiness, fairness; honesty and personal accountability. Vince Lombardi reportedly said

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.

The statement applies equally to football – about which Lombardi was speaking – and insurance. Excellence in the organization depends on the high ethical values and excellence in keeping the promises made by an insurance policy by the insurer’s employees and officers.

Without excellence in those involved in the business of insurance; without excellence in claims handling; and without excellence in underwriting coupled with ethical behavior and conduct, an insurer will almost certainly fail. The insurer that demands excellence in claims handling and underwriting within the confines of ethical conduct and values will invariably succeed.

The professional insurance adjuster recognizes that the work of adjusting insurance claims is a profession of public trust. Independent insurance adjusters should maintain a standard of integrity that will promote the goal of building public confidence and trust in the insurance industry.

ZALMA OPINION

Every insurers needs, to be fair and profitable, a dedication to provide excellence in claims handling. This is accomplished by creating a staff of ethical insurance professionals who are ready and able to deal with those it insures, or those making claims against its insured, fairly, ethically and with the utmost good faith.

© 2021 – Barry Zalma

Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders.

He also serves as an arbitrator or mediator for insurance related disputes. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business.

He is available at http://www.zalma.com and zalma@zalma.com. Mr. Zalma is the first recipient of the first annual Claims Magazine/ACE Legend Award. Over the last 53 years Barry Zalma has dedicated his life to insurance, insurance claims and the need to defeat insurance fraud. He has created the following library of books and other materials to make it possible for insurers and their claims staff to become insurance claims professionals.

Go to the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma;  Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at https://www.rumble.com/zalma ; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/  The last two issues of ZIFL are available at https://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/  podcast now available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zalma-on-insurance/id1509583809?uo=4