Claims News Service, July 24, 2:19 p.m. EDT -- Trying to stave off any further delays in obtaining insurance claim payments for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site, New York Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. sent letters to five major insurance and reinsurance companies last week asking that all claim payments be made without delay.

According to the Comptroller's web site, Zurich Financial Services, Allianz Global Risks U.S. Insurance, Swiss Re Insurance America, Royal & SunAlliance, and St. Paul Travelers all received letters that made accusations of delayed payments and encouraged each company to meet its obligation to its policyholders.

Each letter was similarly phrased, with Thompson expressing his "deep frustration" at efforts he deemed as "pretextual" and "in bad faith." He urged all companies to drop their resistance to settling the claims in order to allow development in lower Manhattan to continue. The letters also allude to the fact that claim-payment delays are due to technicalities simply because the World Trade Center site's reconstruction responsibilities were transferred to a bi-state agency.