Altieri Transco American Claims Attends the Beginning of Legislative Session

TAMPA, FL (January 2011) – In 2008, the Florida Supreme Court passed legislation that would restrict the use of public adjusters by homeowners. The law prohibits face-to-face contact or phone calls to potential clients by public adjusters for the first 48 hours after a catastrophe.

"The first 48 hours after any property damage are the most critical," said Raymond A. Altieri, Jr., CPPA, President and Founder of the Ybor City-based Altieri Transco American Claims, and current President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA).  "During that time, policyholders may make decisions that could affect how much they'll receive from an insurer."

After the 2008 legislation passed, a group of public adjusters filed a suit to remove the limitations set by the Florida Supreme Court. After the initial rejection by a trial court, the First District Court of

Appeal overturned that ruling, stating that the law is unconstitutional because it violates free speech rights.

Late last year, the Florida Supreme Court heard arguments from public adjusters and homeowners on why this law should be eradicated. "Policy holders should consider using trained representatives because of their knowledge, expertise, and resources in analyzing the policy and evaluating the damage," said Altieri.

For many homeowners and business owners, the damage caused by a hurricane, flood or fire is just the beginning of their nightmare. The real difficulties begin when they contact their insurance company and try to recover their losses. The insurance forms, technical jargon and contractual loopholes can be challenging to navigate, especially when the policyholder is also trying to maintain family, work and daily life.

People who submit claims for hurricane damage with a public adjuster get a substantially higher percentage back on claims than those who didn't. In fact, according to a January 2010 report by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), policyholders with non-catastrophe claims received settlements worth 574% more on average than the settlements received by those policyholders who did not work with public adjusters.

As the founding member and past President of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters, Raymond A. Altieri, Jr. regularly meets with state lawmakers in Tallahassee to provide the consumer's perspective on changing insurance legislation and regulations. With the legislative session picking back up, Altieri has made finding a resolution to this law a top priority as the Florida Supreme Court continues to review the appeal.

For more than 100 years, public adjusters have served as independent advocates for the rights of policyholders and homeowner should continue to have that privilege.

Altieri Transco American Claims is also dedicated to informing consumers about the steps they can take to protect their homes and businesses from a loss, and what actions policyholders need to take after a fire or disaster to protect their property and their claim. This information and other useful tips can be found on their website, www.TranscoAmericanClaims.com or on their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Altieri-Transco-American-Claims/131262940310676

About Altieri Transco American Claims

Altieri Transco American Claims is a Tampa-based public adjuster firm dedicated to securing the best possible settlement for commercial and residential property insurance policyholders after they've suffered a loss. For nearly 25 years, this family-owned business has served as an advocate for homeowners, business owners and property managers by taking on the often cumbersome and confusing insurance claims process. Altieri's team of licensed public adjusters and loss consultants assess the loss, prepare the claim, and fight for a fair settlement that enables their clients to become whole again after a fire, hurricane, storm, flood or other disaster damages or destroys their homes or business properties.

The Altieri family is widely regarded as a trusted leader in the public adjuster field, both at home in Tampa and at the state and national level. The company's founder, Raymond Altieri, Jr., is the current President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA), and the founding President of the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA).  Altieri founded Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) in 1993 and was president for a second term in 2001. To this date the FAPIA has approximately 500 members statewide. Altieri regularly consults with lawmakers in Tallahassee, FL, to provide the consumer's prospective on changing insurance laws and regulations. He has been a featured speaker before a wide number of Florida trade associations in such industries as apartment managers, hotel and motel professionals, and the restaurant industry.