What are the three main types of insurance adjusters?

Insurance adjusters fall into three primary categories distinguished by who they work for. Staff adjusters: directly employed by the insurance company; receive salary and benefits; handle the insurer's claims as their main work. Independent adjusters: work as contractors, typically through independent adjusting firms; hired by insurers for overflow work, catastrophe response, or specialized expertise; paid per claim or per assignment. Public adjusters: hired by policyholders to represent them against the insurance company; typically work on contingency (10-20% of settlement); represent the insured's interests in negotiating with the insurer. State licensing rules apply to each type; some states have separate license categories for public adjusters because of the consumer-protection considerations. The fundamental ethical principle: adjusters owe fiduciary duties to whoever pays them — staff and independent adjusters to the insurer; public adjusters to the insured. Other adjuster categories include: catastrophe (CAT) adjusters who travel to disaster areas; specialty adjusters (heavy equipment, marine, aviation); auto-only adjusters; complex commercial adjusters.