On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the October 2007 wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that the Department of Insurance (CDI) has collected more than $12.7 million from insurance companies for California residents affected by the wildfires.

To date, the Department of Insurance has recovered $12.7 million for 2007 wildfire survivors statewide. That total includes:

?$9 million for San Diego consumers

?$1.9 million for Lake Tahoe/Angora wildfire survivors

?$1.3 million for San Bernardino residents

In the year since the wildfires, 549 consumers notified the CDI that they suspected that their insurers were treating them unfairly.

Of the 549 complaints received from consumers, 106 have involved underinsurance allegations. CDI has recovered more than $3.8 million for consumers who had complaints stemming from underinsurance issues. That includes nearly $2.6 million for San Diego wildfire survivors and nearly $1.2 million for Lake Tahoe/Angora wildfire survivors.

As a result of the 2007 wildfires, nearly 39,000 claims were filed. To date, nearly 80 percent, or 30,000 claims have been closed after consumers have received payment from their insurance company. The fires caused $2.3 billion in losses.

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Special Reports /

California Insurers Pay Up

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