FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2022
Claim Delays Top the List of Hurricane Ida Complaints
Nearly 80% of the 3,305 Hurricane Ida-related complaints received by the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) are about homeowners insurance, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced.
“Many Louisianans are still trying to pick up the pieces in their recovery from Hurricane Ida. I urge residents who are still having trouble with their insurance company to contact us now," said Commissioner Donelon. "Policyholders should also know they have a right to a copy of their entire claim file, they can accept and spend all payments on their claims and can file supplemental claims if they are not fully compensated for their loss unless they signed a release in settlement of their claim, and their claim for hurricane damage cannot be used to nonrenew their policy or increase their premium."
Hurricane grievances have included complaints about various types of residential and auto insurance, as well as complaints about insurance agents and adjusters. The most common grievance was claim delay.
As of January 1st, 2,625 of the 3,305 Hurricane Ida-related complaints filed were related to homeowners insurance. LDI investigated and closed 1,962 of the 3,305 complaints by that date. The insurers with the 15 highest complaint index ratings are listed in the chart below.
The chart includes a complaint index that allows consumers to compare companies without regard to size. A company with a complaint index of 1 has an average number of complaints. A company with a complaint index rating higher than 1 has more complaints than average.
|
Company/Group
|
Market Share
|
Number of Complaints
|
Complaint Index
|
|
Ocean Harbor Cas Insurance Company
|
0.053%
|
15
|
10.8257
|
|
American Reliable Insurance Company
|
0.004%
|
1
|
9.6887
|
|
Safepoint Insurance Company
|
0.047%
|
10
|
8.1845
|
|
Allied Trust Insurance Company
|
1.464%
|
258
|
6.7140
|
|
Southern Fidelity Insurance Company
|
2.097%
|
265
|
4.8140
|
|
Tower Hill Prime Insurance Company
|
0.027%
|
3
|
4.2718
|
|
Americas Insurance Company
|
1.310%
|
141
|
4.1015
|
|
GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company
|
1.634%
|
138
|
3.2165
|
|
IAT Reins Co Grp[1]
|
1.357%
|
113
|
3.1735
|
|
TWIMG Grp[2]
|
3.720%
|
284
|
2.9086
|
|
Stillwater Insurance Company
|
0.142%
|
1
|
2.6767
|
|
Bankers Specialty Insurance Company
|
0.862%
|
58
|
2.5634
|
|
FedNat Holding Co Grp[3]
|
3.947%
|
196
|
1.8919
|
|
HARTFORD FIRE & CAS GRP[4]
|
0.598%
|
25
|
1.5918
|
|
Scottsdale Insurance Company
|
0.231%
|
9
|
1.4827
|
|
Total for 15 Insurers with the Highest Complaint Index Rating
|
|
1,517
|
|
|
Total Hurricane Homeowners Complaints
|
|
2,625
|
|
|
Total Hurricane Complaints as of Jan. 1
|
|
3,305
|
|
[1] Occidental Fire & Cas Co of NC – 87 | SafePort Ins Co – 25 | Wilshire Ins Co - 1
[2] Lighthouse Excalibur Ins Co – 251 | Lighthouse Prop Ins Corp - 33
[3] Maison Ins Co – 118 | FedNat Ins Co - 78
[4] Hartford Ins Co of the Midwest – 13 | Hartford Cas Ins Co – 6 | Property & Cas Ins Co of Hartford – 5 | Hartford Ins Co of the Southeast - 1
Policyholders who are having trouble with their insurance claims should call the Louisiana Department of Insurance for help at 800-259-5300 or file a complaint online at ldi.la.gov/fileacomplaint. A team of complaint specialist in LDI’s Office of Consumer Services is working exclusively on issues related to Hurricane Ida.
About the Louisiana Department of Insurance: The Louisiana Department of Insurance works to improve competition in the state’s insurance market while assisting individuals and businesses with the information and resources they need to be informed consumers of insurance. As a regulator, the LDI enforces the laws that provide a fair and stable marketplace and makes certain that insurers comply with the laws in place to protect policyholders. You can contact the LDI by calling 1-800-259-5300 or visiting www.ldi.la.gov.