New Jersey's top insurance regulator says he is satisfied with the industry's response to Sandy "at this point," noting that the department has received no more than four written complaints from consumers so far.
In an interview yesterday, Acting Commissioner Kenneth E. Kobylowski, of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, compared the number of complaints to Tropical Storm Lee last year, where the department received a total of 27 valid complaints. All were resolved after discussions with company officials and the insured. None of the complaints resulted in administrative action.
"I fully expect the insurance industry to work just as well this time around and there is no reason for the industry to act otherwise," he says.
But he did note that consumer call volume to the department in general has been lighter than he expected, and he said the pace should pick up once homeowners get back to their houses and begin the claims process.
Kobylowski says as of Monday the department received 312 calls from policyholders since Sandy struck.
"Compared to Hurricane Irene and Lee, I would term that as lighter than we would have expected," he says.
The week before Sandy struck New Jersey, Kobylowski says the department contacted both carriers and banks to make sure they had their catastrophe plans in place. He says all were aware of the pending storm and activated their catastrophe plans to deal with the storm and its aftermath.
"It's a credit to them," says Kobylowski, that they were operational after the storm.
New Jersey's coastal towns were devastated by Sandy. Yesterday, residents of Seaside Heights were allowed full access to their homes for the first time since the storm struck.
Kobylowski says the department has taken action in several ways to make it easier for consumers to reach out for help.
It issued a press release on tips for consumers during the recovery process. The department has extended consumer call-center hours to include Saturdays, and operated the center on Election Day and Veterans Day. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is helping out through its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters, providing a backup call system if needed.
Kobylowski says NAIC representatives are equipped with the same information as the New Jersey department to answer consumer questions.
"Regardless of who they speak to, consumers will get correct and consistent information," he says.
At the request of FEMA, the department has set-up offices at 10 recovery centers throughout the state to be on hand to answer consumer's questions and field complaints.
He says most of the questions the department has field concerns the existence of coverage on certain events, primarily wind vs. water.
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