Since filing my first-hand blog reports on the how insurers were beaten like a piata at a recent Congressional hearing on Hurricane Katrina claims, I've heard some grumbling that perhaps my account was too theatrical, and that I didn't give a fair assessment of how the industry's sole witness–Insurance Information Institute President Bob Hartwig–represented the business. One party complained that I made him sound like a lamb being led to slaughter. All I can tell you is, you had to be there.
(If you want to refresh your memory, or check out my coverage for the first time, I filed two blog entries on the hearing. You can access “Insurers On The Hot Seat” here and “Mr. Friedman Goes To Washington” here.)
I do want to say for the record that Bob Hartwig did the best job he could presenting the industry's case that the vast majority of Katrina claims were settled quickly, and that only a small percentage are still in dispute. Indeed, the industry doesn't get enough credit for settling as many claims as quickly as they did under such extraordinary circumstances.
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