As complaints regarding insurance rate hikes begin to weigh on regulators in New York, the state’s Financial Services Superintendent, Benjamin Lawsky, has announced a new investigation into the matter. Regulators will be investigating the data submitted by insurance companies to justify their premium increases. The goal is to determine the accuracy of the data that these insurers use. These investigations will work alongside the regular rate review process and insurers will not know when they will be investigated. Lawsky notes that any errors made by insurers in their requests for…
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New York regulators pressure Citigroup to comply with subpoena
New York insurance regulators are pressuring Citigroup to comply with a subpoena regarding investigations into force-placed insurance. Force-placed insurance has long been a source of controversy. These policies require homeowners to purchase coverage that is much more expensive than conventional policies. This is often done for the sake of lenders who hold sway with insurance companies and the tactic is used to secure returns on these investments. The New York Department of Financial Services has been investigating a number of insurance companies and financial institutions that may have been conducting…
Read MoreInsurance companies in three states required to provide their response plans for climate change
The insurance commissioners for New York, California, and Washington state have announced that they will now be requiring insurers to disclose a climate change response plan that will outline the way in which they plan to respond to the changing risks that customers and businesses face as wildfires, severe storms, and rising sea levels become more common. Until now, those three states have asked only about a third of the larger insurance companies to provide information in the form of responses to a survey, but for all other insurers, it…
Read MoreAllstate initiates $6.3 million lawsuit to recover funds from New York area fraud
Allstate Insurance Company has filed an insurance fraud case worth $6.3 million in order to recover the money they lost from fraud by 83 defendants from the New York area. This is the seventh fraud complaint initiated by the insurer this year. The lawsuit was filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as well as some common law principles. It claims that the 83 defendants took part in parallel, though separate, strategies to use misleading and fraudulent bills when making insurance claims with Allstate for durable medical…
Read MoreNew York insurance regulators still contending with FEMA over insurance claims generated by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee
In the wake of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, New York insurance regulators have been inundated with consumer complaints regarding claims. State regulators have been aggressively pressuring insurers and FEMA to resolve complaints and pay out claims, but their actions have run afoul of federal regulators who claim that the state is over stepping its boundaries. In October, FEMA issued a statement regarding the New York Department of Financial Services, decrying the department’s efforts in obtaining information from insurance companies. State regulators, in response, have only continued to work…
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