Legislators representing Altadena-area fire victims called Monday for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to crack down on alleged misconduct by insurers and to halt any rate increase for State Farm General.
In a news conference held at an Altadena library, the legislators, led by Assemblyman John Harabedian (D-Pasadena), said too many fire victims were still grappling with their insurers more than six months after the Jan. 7 fires.
“They are facing unavoidable hardships caused by insurance delays, denials and underpayments. These are problems that can be mitigated and solved if the right reforms are implemented immediately,” Harabedian said. “Commissioner Lara, families need your swift leadership to ensure insurance companies fulfill their legal responsibilities.”
The legislators, including state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Alhambra) and Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, singled out in particular State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, which is seeking a homeowners rate hike of 11% on top of an emergency rate hike of 17% that Lara approved in May.
“We demand that investigations into companies like State Farm be completed swiftly within the next 60 days, and rate hikes frozen until survivors are made whole,” Pérez said.
After mounting complaints over how the insurer has handled smoke damage and other claims, Lara announced in June that his department would be conducting a market conduct exam of State Farm.
However, he has refused to link the claims handling issues to the rate hike request, maintaining the rate issue is a separate legal proceeding. Critics have accused Lara of being too chummy with the insurance industry, which he has denied.
“Our goals align with fire survivors. We want individuals to recover on their own terms. I launched a thorough investigation into State Farm’s wildfire claims, but holding up rate filings without a legal basis affects the integrity of our entire market, including wildfire survivors who need access to insurance options,” Lara said in a statement Monday.
State Farm spokesperson Bob Devereux disputed the insurer was mistreating its customers and said in a written statement an “overwhelming majority are satisfied with our service.”
“Our goal at State Farm is to work with customers to resolve any of their concerns,” he said.
The insurer has said it expects claims payments to top $7 billion from the Jan. 7 fires, but losses under $700 million due to reinsurance agreements with its parent company. The insurer said it has received more than 13,000 claims and paid over $4.5 billion.
The news conference amplified complaints about State Farm made by the Eaton Fire Survivors Network, a community group that claims more than 7,000 members. The group distributed a report Monday that said while some insurers were honoring their obligations, others were lowering benefits by “secretly” rewriting loss estimates prepared by field adjusters.
It also claimed insurers are making illegal cuts in payments for temporary housing and criticized how the state’s insurer of last resort, the California FAIR Plan, is handling smoke damage claims.
It called for the Department of Insurance to be more transparent about the complaints it receives by issuing an online monthly report by insurer, type of complaint and imposed fines, among other data.
“What should be a safety net has instead become a wrecking ball, wrecking our finances, health and the future that we have worked so hard to build for our families,” said Joy Chen, the group’s chief executive, citing a survey that found 70% of Eaton and Palisades fire survivors say their insurer is derailing their recovery.
