December 5, 1988

SUBJECT: INSURANCE

Circular Letter No. 24 (1988)

TO: ALL INSURERS LICENSED TO WRITE AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE IN NEW YORK STATE

RE: ANNUAL RANKING OF AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPLAINTS

Once a year the Department releases a report which presents the automobile complaint ratios for New York State licensed automobile insurance companies or groups of companies. The complaint ratio is the number of auto insurance complaints charged against an insurer and closed by the Consumer Services Bureau, divided by that insurer's average automobile premium volume in New York State. Complaints and premiums for both private passenger and commercial automobiles are included.

In order to provide consumers with a more meaningful reflection of an insurers" automobile complaint handling experience, the Department, beginning in 1989, intends to include only private passenger automobile complaints and premiums in its report. In order to do so, however, it shall be necessary for insurers, in responding to Consumer Services Bureau inquiries, to differentiate between private passenger and commercial automobile complaints. While commercial automobile complaint and premium data will not be included in the report, the Department will continue to capture and analyze such data.

Accordingly, effective January 1, 1989, insurers will be requested, when responding to Consumer Services Bureau automobile complaint inquiries, to indicate in the first paragraph of any response of a substantive nature whether the complaint is related to a private passenger or commercial insurance policy. In the absence of such indication, the Consumer Services Bureau will make such determination based upon available information.

Please acknowledge receipt of this Circular Letter to Mr. Barry Bistreich, Senior Insurance Examiner, Consumer Services Bureau, 160 West Broadway, New York, New York 10013. Inquiries relating to this Circular Letter or its subject matter should be directed to Mr. Bistreich at (212) 602-0510.

Very truly yours,

[SIGNATURE]

JAMES P. CORCORAN

SUPERINTENDENT OF INSURANCE