2007 New York Auto Insurer Complaint Ranking Unveiled

The New York State Insurance Department released its 2007 Annual Ranking of Automobile Insurance Complaints, which measures the number of complaints filed against insurance companies as a percentage of their total private passenger auto insurance. The 2007 ranking is compiled using data from 2005 and 2006. Data from two years are analyzed. This compensates for the fact that some complaints closed in any given year are begun in the previous year. Typical consumer complaints involve monetary disputes, such as the value of a total loss, or insurance companies that do not renew policies. The 2007 ranking shows that 7,914 complaints were filed against auto insurance companies or groups of companies in the state. Of that number, 1,629 complaints were upheld in favor of consumers; 4,243 complaints were not upheld; and 2,042 complaints were ruled as “question of fact” cases. Questions of fact disputes are not counted against insurers because the Department cannot legally determine the facts of these cases. New Yorkers spent more than $10 billion on private automobile insurance in 2006. The report shows that one upheld complaint was recorded for every $6.2 million in premiums paid to insurance companies. The 2007 ranking is posted on the Department’s Web site at: http://www.ins.state.ny.us/arkidx.htm