Washington Fines Fred Meyer Stores $100K for Unlawfully Selling Insurance

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued a cease-and-desist order and fined Fred Meyer Stores Inc. $100,000 for selling insurance without state authorization.

Fred Meyer stores reportedly sold the GUARD Protection Plan, issued by Mack Camera & Video Service, to a consumer in Washington. That consumer filed a complaint with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner about the service contract, alleging claim delay and misrepresentation.

The OIC determined that the GUARD plan, which Fred Meyer sold from 2016 to 2022, constitutes a service contract and insurance. The company received $40 from Mack Camera & Video Service per contract sold at Fred Meyer stores, according to the OIC.

Service contract providers must register with Kreidler’s office to do business in Washington state. Fred Meyer is not licensed to sell insurance.

Fred Meyer’s parent company, The Kroger Co., declined to provide the total number of GUARD products sold to Washington consumers, the amount Fred Meyer received from GUARD sales, or what service contractor would be providing service contracts after its contract with Mack ended, according to the OIC.

The order was filed on May 1. The retail chain has 90 days to request a hearing. If a hearing is not requested, the fine will be due within 30 days.

In addition to the Fred Meyer fine, Kreidler’s office issued $22,000 in fines in April for violations of state insurance laws and regulations.

The other fines and reported offenses included:

• American Guarantee & Liability Insurance Company, New York, N.Y.; fined $2,500. The company applied incorrect rating factors in nine instances in 2022.
• Olga Radutskiy, Pronto Insurance Agency, Bellevue, Wash.; fined $1,000 and placed on probation. Radutskiy failed to produce financial records and documents upon request from the OIC.
• Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Portland, Ore.; fined $2,500 Kaiser failed to timely file four large group negotiated rate filings.
• Esurance Insurance Company, Northbrook, Ill.; fined $15,000 Esurance assigned incorrect protection classes to 1,139 home insurance policies, with a financial impact of $86.217. The company waived $5,531 in undercharges and made reimbursements for $80,686 in overcharges.
• Forethought Life Insurance Co., Batesville, Ind.; fined $1,000 Forethought filed Medicare Supplement Insurance rate filings more than a month after the May 31 deadline in 2022.

Since 2001, Kreidler has assessed more than $41 million in fines, which are directed to the state’s general fund to pay for state services.

Topics Washington