NAIC claims drop in customer complaints

Insurance complaints by consumers are down for the fourth consecutive year, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The Kansas City, Mo.-based group released its annual list of top complaints yesterday. A total of 222,184 consumer complaints were reported to the NAIC’s complaint database system last year, a 3.6% fall from 2006. Only “closed” complaints that have been investigated and resolved are reported. Delays were the number one type of complaint among customers, garnering 16.0% of the votes. Denial of claim came in second with 14.7% of the votes, while unsatisfactory settlement or offer came in at third at 9.8%. Cancellation and premium/rating problems rounded out the top five, making up 4.6% and 4.4% of the complaints, respectively. When it came to the type of coverage, life and annuity policies were in fourth place, with 17,727 of the total complaints. Topping the list at number one was the accident and health field, with 71,407 consumer grievances.