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Trials & Tribulations
of an Aspiring Texas Fruit Farmer

Consumer Protection, Texas Style

(Business • Government)

Good morning, Lone Star homeowners! Time to bend over again.

Dallas Morning News, Feb. 13, 2009:

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners in North Texas and across the state will see their insurance rates increase by double digits beginning Monday after state regulators decided not to object to the rate hikes by Farmers Insurance.

The higher rates affect policyholders for two of the company’s largest subsidiaries – Farmers Insurance Exchange and Fire Insurance Exchange – which will boost their premiums nearly 10 percent and 12.6 percent respectively, starting with policies renewed on Monday. Farmers is the third-largest home insurer in Texas.

“We are not planning to take any action on it, so the effective date stands,” Jerry Hagins of the Texas Department of Insurance said Friday. The agency reviewed the proposal after it was filed late last year and could have objected if officials had found the increase unjustified.

And just in case you were wondering who the Texas Department of Insurance works for…

Dallas Morning News, Feb. 15, 2009:

Texas Farmers Insurance Co. is suing the state to block the release of documents to The Dallas Morning News that could give insight into how it charges consumers for its homeowners policies.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 3 in Travis County, followed a decision by the state attorney general’s office ordering the Texas Department of Insurance to release the documents. The insurance department was also ordered to release similar documents filed by Allstate Fire and Casualty Co., which did not sue to block the action.

The News requested rate filings and supporting documentation for the three major homeowners insurance companies in Texas – State Farm Lloyds Co., Allstate and Farmers. The insurance department released only parts of Allstate’s and Farmers’ filings that had not been marked “confidential” by the companies; it released all of State Farm’s filings, none of which had been marked “confidential.”

At issue is how much insurance companies can use trade-secrets exemptions in Texas’ open-records laws to keep information from the public.

I guess you better just thank your lucky stars the Texas Department of Insurance is there on your behalf, ready to apply the KY just when you need it most.

→ B.Dunn, Feb 15, 2009, 07 53 PM