California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Expedite Claims to Aid Wildfire Victims

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones over the weekend issued a notice to insurers asking them to agree to expedited claims handling procedures for wildfire damage claims to help fire victims more quickly.

Several insurers immediately agreed to the Jones’ request to follow expedited claimed handling procedures.

Following is a list of Insurers that has so far agreed to adopt the expedited claims handling procedures:

• Allstate Insurance Company
• Wawanesa General Insurance
• Golden Bear Insurance
• CSE Insurance
• State Farm Insurance

“Victims of these devastating wildfires need all the help we can provide,” Jones said in a statement. “I am asking California insurers to adopt these expedited claims handling procedures to get help to policyholders more quickly. I applaud the California insurers who, in response to our request, immediately agreed to adopt expedited their claims handling procedures and expect more insurers will also agree to these expedited procedures, so fire victims may begin to put their lives back together.”

Under the expedited claims handling procedures, policyholders may receive advance payment for up to four months of additional living expenses, 25 percent of policy limits for personal property, and an expedited process for debris removal-a first step in rebuilding.

The procedures speed payment for damaged or destroyed vehicles and provide at least 30 days billing leniency for lost renewal notices or those who do not have the ability to have mail forwarded.

Jones also declared an emergency exists in California, which allows insurance companies to use out of state adjusters to respond more quickly to the losses arising out of these wildfires.

Jones is visiting the Santa Rosa burn areas to survey the damage.

Related:

• California Wildfire Losses Could Reach $6 Billion
• Cal Fire: California Wildfires Have Destroyed 3,500 Structures, Killed 17
• California’s $58B Wine Industry Hit by Wildfires
• California Wildfires Are a ‘Larger Scale Disaster’
• Wildfires Ravage California’s Iconic Wine Country Region
• Northern California Wildfires Burn Wine Country Homes, Force Evacuations

Topics California Catastrophe Carriers Natural Disasters Claims Wildfire