WASHINGTON--Allstate Insurance says it will try to arrange a meeting with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., as soon as possible to explain to her that the federal government, not Allstate, underwrites flood insurance, a spokesman said today.

The comments by Krista Conte, who represents Allstate in New York State, were prompted by a letter Ms. Clinton wrote over the weekend to Allstate chairman and CEO Edward Liddy.

A news release put out by the senator over the weekend referred to "flood insurance," and asked Allstate to reconsider its policy adopted earlier this year to stop providing "flood insurance" to customers in coastal areas, including Long Island, New York City and Westchester County.

But, a spokesperson for Sen. Clinton, Jennifer Hanley, said that the release was actually about homeowners' insurance in coastal areas, according to the Long Island newspaper Newsday.

"The Senator sent a letter to Allstate's CEO because holders of these policies deserve answers. Allstate owes it to its customers to explain their decision," Sen. Clinton's aide noted, according to the report yesterday.

Sen. Clinton issued her news release after touring areas of New York's southern tier, which were badly hit last week by heavy flooding.

Allstate, the state's largest provider of homeowners insurance, said earlier this year that in a move to limit exposure to storm damage claims it is no longer offering new homeowners insurance policies in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County and will not renew many existing policies.

In a letter to Allstate chairman Edward M. Liddy, Clinton called the company's decision "very troubling, especially in light of the recent floods that have ravaged New York State."

In her comments to The National Underwriter today, Ms. Conte said, "We look forward to meeting with Ms. Clinton and her staff to further discuss the topic."

Ms. Conte said that Allstate offers flood insurance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security. "Our agents sell flood insurance; they continue to sell flood insurance. It's important for consumers to understand that the flood insurance product is a product through FEMA," she added.

Ms. Conte said Allstate "will not be offering renewals on homeowners' insurance "to a small percentage of our customers who live in coastal areas in downstate New York.

"We need to do this in order to preserve the promise to provide protection to the vast majority of our customers," Ms. Conte said. "We have to manage our risk responsibly."

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