State Farm, Allstate Raising Auto Rates in Texas

Allstate and State Farm, two of the largest auto insurers in Texas, are raising their rates, saying the boost is needed to offset a rising number of claims.

In filings with the Texas Department of Insurance, State Farm filed for increases of 2.4 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively, for its two auto insurance subsidiaries, State Farm Mutual and State Farm County Mutual.

The State Farm increases would kick in Oct. 27. Kevin Davis, a spokesman for State Farm, said the increases are the first in nearly five years for State Farm Mutual.

Allstate filed for increases of 3.6 percent for Allstate Indemnity and 5.5 percent for Allstate County Mutual. Allstate Indemnity insures 694,000 drivers in Texas, while Allstate County Mutual covers 435,000 drivers. Those rates rose in July.

Allstate needed to hike rates to account for a greater frequency of collisions and the rising costs of bodily injury claims, said spokesman Bill Mellander.

State insurance officials said the market has been stable for some time.

“We’re seeing an uptick now, but we don’t consider this to be more than upward pressure from low prices in the past,” said Texas Department of Insurance spokesman Jerry Hagins.

Consumer groups criticized the hikes, saying the companies are earning adequate profits with their current premiums.

“It is unfortunate that State Farm and Allstate are choosing to raise rates on drivers at a time when Texans are struggling to keep up with rising costs of gasoline, food and housing,” said Alex Winslow of Texas Watch, a consumer group active in insurance issues.

Information from: The Dallas Morning News: www.dallasnews.com;
The Houston Chronicle: www.chron.com