Missouri Department of Insurance releases report concerning 2011 natural disasters

The Missouri Department of Insurance has released its annual report for the year of 2011. The report notes that the state experienced many “firsts” in the U.S. insurance industry last year, many of which were brought about by calamitous natural disasters. These firsts included record breaking numbers of claims, the highest claims payouts in U.S history, and the largest amounts of claims funds recovered by Missouri insurance regulators. The Department of Insurance notes that, despite massive challenges, it was able to complete its mission of protecting Missouri residents throughout 2011.…

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Missouri insurance department implements new program to locate deceased relatives’ life insurance policy

The insurance department in Missouri has just developed a new program that will assist beneficiaries in being able to track down any life insurance policy that is held by the deceased person. The insurance department has said that it isn’t at all uncommon for people to know that a family member has life insurance coverage, but not actually know which insurer sold the policy. Using this new program in Missouri, people who are searching for a life insurance policy for a dead relative will be able to give the information…

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Missouri residents in the highest risk group will have lower health insurance rates

Missouri officials have announced that they will be decreasing the rates for the high risk healthcare pool by 23 percent for both current and new participants in the program. In 2010, Missouri created a new health insurance pool for the highest risk group, but though it was anticipated that there would be about 3,000 people who joined the program, less than 600 have done so, as many claim that the premiums are simply too expensive. The reduction in the rates are being made possible by both federal funds and policyholder…

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Missouri Department of Insurance says Joplin disaster will be the most costly insurance payout in state history

Joplin Tornado

In late May, a small town in Missouri known as Joplin was ravaged by a powerful tornado. The damage caused to the town left many without homes or work and proved to be the most costly disaster in the state’s history. Federal agencies, insurance companies and emergency services rallied together to help those in need and steer the city toward recovery, but the road is long and the costs of recovery continue to mount. Officials with the Missouri Department of Insurance now say that the disaster is responsible for the…

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Missouri officials report recovery of $5 million from shady insurers, money to be returned to policyholders

The Insurance Department of Missouri has released their latest quarterly report regarding several issues with the state’s insurance industry. The state has been wracked with an onslaught of consumer complaints for the past three months, after devastating tornadoes tuck their toll in the towns of Joplin and St. Louis. These complaints spurred the Insurance Department to investigate several claims that were filed as well as the operations of some of the insurance companies operating in the state. While the report highlights a number of issues within the insurance industry, it…

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