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The carrier playbook against public adjusters goes public

Archive story from the 2026-05-30 edition. This is the reporting as filed; source publication and event dates may differ. Check the dated storyline for subsequent developments.

Carriers are circulating endorsements that effectively tell homeowners that hiring a public adjuster could cost them coverage. Merlin frames it as a coordinated "quiet war" on the policyholder-advocacy side of a claim.

Why it matters

Anything that scares homeowners away from advocacy makes it easier to lowball the same claims you're trying to get paid on. When the PA gets squeezed, the contractor's supplement is next.

Our assessment

It looks like a fight between carriers and public adjusters, which is easy to sit out. It is really a test of how far a carrier can narrow who is allowed to challenge a number, and contractors are the next name on that list. Read your customers' policies for anti-advocacy endorsements at intake, and note the endorsement in the file before you write the first supplement.

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Legal (policyholder side) Medium confidence at publication

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Terms in this story: Supplement Public Adjuster

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