State recovers more than $4 million for insurance consumers

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ Division of Financial Regulation investigated nearly 4,000 insurance complaint cases and recovered more than $4 million for Oregonians in 2018. Money recovered for insurance consumers typically comes from disputed settlements and underpaid claims.

Claim denials and delays topped the list of reasons consumers filed complaints. Denials and delays accounted for more than 69 percent of all insurance complaints. The two types of insurance that received the most complaints were health insurance (43 percent) and auto insurance (35 percent). Approximately 78 percent of recovered insurance money came from life and health insurance claims.

“Helping consumers understand their policies and making sure they receive the money or services they are owed is one of the most gratifying and important parts of our jobs,” said Andrew Stolfi, Oregon insurance commissioner. “We want consumers to contact us anytime they have questions or concerns about their insurance or financial products.”

If you have any problems with an insurance or financial product, the division’s advocacy team can help with a wide range of questions and concerns, such as claim delays, unreasonable settlement offers, and unfair loan terms.

Oregonians with questions or concerns about their insurance or financial products are encouraged to contact our advocates one of three ways:

Call 888-877-4894 (toll-free) Visit http://dfr.oregon.gov/help/complaints-licenses/Pages/file-complaint.aspx Email .InsuranceHelp@oregon.gov“>DFR.InsuranceHelp@oregon.gov