New York Investigating Insurers for Hurricane Sandy Claims
According to PropertyCasualty360, the New York Department of Financial Services is investigating the actions of three insurers following Superstorm Sandy.
The insurers are facing claims of an alleged failure to send, or timely send and adjuster to investigate claims. Others say claims were denied over the phone and never investigated in person. New York law requires insurers inspect damaged property within 15 business days of a filed claim. That timeline was shortened on Nov. 29 to six business days for certain properties. If they can’t meet that deadline, insurers are required to send a letter to policyholders explaining the delay.
Insurers were inundated by claims after Hurricane Sandy. AllState for example has logged more than 81,507 claims from the superstorm. The total costs for the damage are estimated somewhere around $25 billion.
The incidences are reminders of the large responsibilities agents hold to their clients in the wake of large scale disasters. As insurance professionals, insurance agents deal so often with mitigating and assessing others’ risk they forget they themselves are liable as well. Disaster response plans for dealing with large scale numbers of claims are essential to avoid federal intervention. Learning from the mistakes now can help prepare you in the future.
And, as businesses continue to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy, they will want to make sure they are fully covered for all risks. At PLRisk Advisors Inc., we are a leading wholesale brokerage covering the professional liability market. Our team of seasoned professionals has the expertise to help our agency partners secure the best quality coverage.
We have several featured products including Errors & Omissions, Directors and Officers insurance, Employment Practices Liability (EPLI), Privacy & Network Security, Commercial Crime and Fiduciary insurance. In addition we have the breadth of knowledge to provide solutions for a wide variety of industries from accountants to architects. Contact us today for more information. (855) 403-5982
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