HEARINGS ON 9.6 PERCENT AUTO RATE HIKE

North Carolina Insurance Commis-sioner Jim Long opened hearings in Raleigh, N.C., on a request to raise auto insurance rates by 9.6 percent.

The current annual premium for a driver of a 2004 Ford Taurus in Winston-Salem who drives 10 miles to and from work and does not have any insurance points on his record is $875.92, according to the N.C. Department of Insurance.

Long, who presides over the hearings, will decide what, if any, rate change is warranted. The N.C. Rate Bureau, an independent group that represents auto insurance companies in the state, can appeal his decision through the courts.

Companies can raise rates while awaiting the results of its appeal process. But if the bureau loses its appeals, companies must refund the money to policyholders.

Hearings usually take five to six weeks, Chrissy Pearson, an insurance department spokeswoman told the Winston-Salem Journal.