Governor Calls on Insurance Companies to Expedite Claims from Those Who Have Damage Due to Looters

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker Monday called on insurance companies to expedite claims and payments for Illinois business owners who have experienced property damage due to looting, vandalizing and other illegal activity.

Damage to businesses follows dramatic declines in revenue for businesses across the state as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Insurance is requesting specific measures:

• Insurers should apply claims best practices consistent with the categorization of this event as a catastrophic event. Included in this expectation is expedited claims handling, advance claim payments, and fair treatment of all policyholders, regardless of size.

 
• Insurers should implement a moratorium on the cancellation or non-renewal of impacted policyholders for a period of 60 days from the date of this Company Bulletin.
 
• Insurers should err on the side of the policyholder when paying claims as a result of riots, civil commotion, or vandalism from commercial policyholders who were unable to make full premium payments during the period following the Governor’s Executive Order 2020-10, dated March 20, 2020.

View the bulletin here: https://insurance.illinois.gov/CB/CompanyBulletins.html.