One year after Hurricane Katrina, nearly 95 percent of homeowners' insurance claims have been settled in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Insurance companies have paid billions in storm damage claims and the vast majority of homeowners in both states say they are satisfied with their insurance company, the I.I.I. reported.

The I.I.I. estimates that more than 993,000 homeowners' insurance claims have been settled in the two states, totaling nearly $15.5 billion.

Homeowners' insurers ultimately will pay more than one million homeowners claims totaling $16.4 billion from Hurricane Katrina, I.I.I. said.

In Louisiana, insurers have settled 658,700 homeowners' claims or 94.8 percent of expected homeowners' claims from Hurricane Katrina, totaling $10.3 billion, reported the I.I.I. In Mississippi, 334,800 or 94.3 percent of expected homeowners' claims, totaling $5.2 billion, have been settled.

Some 99 percent of 305,000 claims from damaged vehicles totaling $2 billion have been settled in both states–with the policyholder and the insurance company agreeing on the extent of the covered damage and the likely cost of repair.

A new poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs also found 89 percent of homeowners in Louisiana and 93 percent in Mississippi are satisfied with their insurance company.

The survey reported that four out of five people (82 percent in Louisiana and 80 percent in Mississippi) who filed a hurricane-related claim are satisfied with the way it was managed by their insurer. While satisfaction numbers are slightly higher inland, most residents in the hardest-hit coastal areas describe themselves satisfied with the way their claim was handled.

“The billions of dollars in claims settlements are playing a key role in the recovery of the Gulf Coast,” said Robert Hartwig, executive vice president and chief economist of the I.I.I.

The I.I.I. estimates that fewer than 2 percent of homeowners' claims in both Mississippi and Louisiana are in dispute, either through mediation or litigation. More than 80 percent of mediation claims have been resolved successfully in Mississippi and 77 percent in Louisiana.

“Despite the attention focused on lawsuits seeking payment for flood damage under homeowners' policies where no coverage exists, the number of claims in litigation accounts for a very small percentage of the total number of claims filed,” said Mr. Hartwig.

Special Reports /

Most Katrina Home Claims Settled

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