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Firestorm 2003 Archive

Team To Investigate Wildfire Insurance Complaints

Fire Victims Say Insurance Companies Underestimated Policies

POSTED: 4:59 pm PDT April 27, 2004

A team of attorneys and consumer advocates is being assembled to investigate complaints by victims of last fall's Southern California wildfires.

Hundreds of victims say their insurance companies underestimated repair costs or haven't provided timely payments.

State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi says the "strike force" will review complaints to determine whether companies are violating the Fair Claims Practices Act.

Garamendi says he believes the team will find agents who purposely underestimated the cost of reconstruction or computer programs that mistakenly underestimated the cost of replacement.

Garamendi says the team will be in place by week's end. He is urging residents to file formal complaints with his department so the new team can investigate.

According to an exclusive 10News/Survey USA poll, most San Diego homeowners are at least somewhat confident that their insurance policies are good enough.

Twenty percent of the people who responded said they are very confident their insurance will be enough in the event of a disaster, 40 percent are somewhat confident, 25 percent are not very confident in their insurance policies and 9 percent are not at all confident in their insurance plans.


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