Editor's Note: This is part 3 of a three-part series. Part 1 appeared in the August issue and Part 2 in the September issue.

Many states that require continuing education units (CEUs) for adjusters, whether or not adjusters are required to obtain a license or pass an initial licensing examination, mandate that a certain number of CEUs be on the subject of ethics. In those states, there are usually a number of ways of accomplishing this requirement, either through classes offered by a claims association, obtaining a professional designation such as the Associate in Claims from the Insurance Institute of America, or by purchasing a text and completing a correspondence course such as those offered by the National Underwriter Co.

But what in the world are “ethics,” and why are they so darned important for adjusters? As Winning by the Rules, Ethics and Success in the Insurance Profession states, there are dozens of definitions. At its highest level, ethics is a field of philosophy along with logic and mathematics. That makes sense: an integer is a whole number. The word integrity is based on integers — a logical wholeness — two plus two will always equal four. If we make it equal something else, then the answer lacks integrity. A person with integrity will be honest both at home and at work; one lacking integrity may be honest at work, but cheat on a spouse at home.