Minnesota Criticizes Three Credit Life Insurers

May 31, 2002 at 08:00 PM
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NU Online News Service, May 31, 8:11 p.m. – The Minnesota Department of Commerce is accusing three credit life insurance companies of charging rates that are too high.

Minnesota regulators have ordered the three companies to appear at separate hearings to determine whether approval of the policies should be withdrawn.

The insurers are JMIC Life Insurance Company of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; Union Security Life Insurance Company, Atlanta; and Universal Underwriters Life Insurance Company, Overland Park, Kan.

The percentage of premiums the three companies pay out in benefits is significantly lower than the loss ratios for most other life and disability insurance products, officials say.

Minnesota department actuaries estimate agent compensation eats up about half of the premiums collected by JMIC and Universal Underwriters, officials say.

Minnesota regulators say they have also requested information from 24 other companies that sell credit insurance policies with very low loss ratios.

Representatives for JMIC, Universal and Union Security could not be reached for comment.

The Minnesota department has scheduled the credit life hearings because it wants to send a message to credit insurance companies "that the product that is being sold needs to be marketed fairly with full disclosure and priced appropriately," department spokesman Bruce Gordon says. "As long as insurance companies comply with Minnesota insurance law, this won't be a problem for them."

The hearings also reflect the legislative interests of Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Jim Bernstein.

Bernstein brought a credit insurance reform bill to the Minnesota Legislature late last session and again this session, and he will continue to work on issue, Gordon says.

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