Homeowners Insurance Claims Increase in Texas in 2015

Texas weather catastrophes caused a huge jump in homeowners insurance claims last year, the Insurance Council of Texas reported. Though claims increased by 120,000 over 2014, the number of policyholder complaints increased by only 14.

Despite the slight increase in complaints against auto and homeowner insurance companies in 2015, the number of complaints in both lines is less than 1 percent of all claims filed.

More than 6 million homeowner insurance policies and 13.5 million auto policies were in effect in Texas in 2015. According to the Property Claim Services (PCS), in 2015, more than 465,000 homeowner claims were filed with insurance companies and only 318 justified complaints were received by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The number of justified complaints is nearly the same as in 2014, when an estimated 345,000 homeowner claims resulted in only 304 homeowner complaints. This was the first time in six years that the number of Texas homeowner complaints has risen.

Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the ICT, said Texas last year “led the nation in both catastrophic weather claims and insured losses.”

Policyholders may file a complaint if there is a disagreement over how a claim is handled or resolved. TDI said the top three reasons for both auto and homeowner complaints were delays in handling claims, customer service or an unsatisfactory settlement or offer.