Detroit Mulling City-Sponsored Auto Insurance

The City Council has approved a contract for a firm to study whether it’s feasible for Detroit, Mich., to create its own city-sponsored auto insurance company.

Mayor Mike Duggan’s office says the $75,000 contract for Pinnacle Actuarial Resources was passed 8-0.

Car insurance rates for Detroit residents are considered among the highest in the nation. Duggan says “the high cost of auto insurance has been one of the key reasons residents have been leaving the city for years.”

He has suggested calling the company — if created — “D Insurance.” It would provide more affordable rates for city residents.

Duggan said during his State of the City address in February that his family’s auto insurance rose by more than $3,000 a year after he moved to Detroit from the suburbs.