State Farm “Outraged” by ABC News Report That It Cheated Katrina Homeowners

We all know who and what the “insurance” companies are. Now you do too. They’re guilty as sin and lying about it!

I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL CUSTOMER OF STATE FARM INSURANCE FOR OVER 20 YEARS. I ALSO HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH CLAIM AJUSTORS WHOSE DELIBERATE INDIFFERENCE I SHALL NEVER FORGET, HOWEVER, LIKE IN ALL BUSINESS NOWDAYS, COMPANIES CANNOT BE JUDGED BY THE SCOUNDRELS WHO WORK WITHIN IT. I AM VERY CONCERNED AS TO THE OUTCOME OF THE CLAIMS FROM KATRINA, AND HOW THE COMPANY WILL DEAL WITH THE ROTTEN APPLES WITHIN. THE COMPANY HAS A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD FOR ITS OWN SURVIVAL. IF IT DEALS HONESTLY WITH ITS CUSTOMERS, THEY WILL REMAIN STEADFAST TO THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY.

Insurance companies should be systematically shut down. Not some of them—ALL of them. Period. The end. They all do more harm than any kind of good. Sociopathic financial rapists–in all fields. Get rid of them and greet a different solution. Stop panicking that there is no other solution and create the environment to have one.
Sell-outs!

I have filed very few claims in the 20 years I have been with State Farm and have been treated as fairly as I could expect. They pay me first and then go after the other insurance Co. in both accidents caused by the other driver and in the case of my roof leaking on my home, the insurance company of the contractor.
I am sure you people who are saying to dismantle the insurance issue either do not currently have insurance or have nothing worth being insured.

It’s all about the $$$. Do the Math. If 10,000 victums makes a claim @ say $10,000 a piece, that’s 100Million. I’m probably low balling figures here just to paint a picture. One more zero is a billion.You think there going to say happily to each claimant, “Sure!”
Not that I like the “news” services these days anyways.

It is a shame that TV reports always take facts and change them. I work for the insurance industry in Florida and even though I admit that rates are out of control, companies DO NOT want to insure homes in this state because thay cannot make a profit, and these companies are NOT “non-profit organizations”, so they need to make a profit to conduct business, and homeowner insurance is a no-win situation due to rising construction costs, 6 hurricanes in the last 2 years, and fraudulent, inflated claims. Flood losses are not covered under your homeowner’s policy, and a separate Flood policy should have been purchased by the clients. If it is true what those two ladies claim, someone should be fired, but it is my experience that companies such as State Farm are honest in their handling of claims and that they try to do the best for the policyholders. That is why they have not left Florida nor cancelled policies, even though they suffer exhorbitant losses…

It is time to bring big business scams to it’s knee’s, it began with Enron, as it was said “Let’s Roll”

Boo Hoo State Farm Boo Hoo. I lived the hurricanes and know just what insurance companies lied, cheated and refused to live up to what they agreed upon with their customers. They can take the money, but can’t pay it out. I watched people ruined because their hard earned money that was paid to State Farm and others, for such an event, to have their claims falsified, and just ignored.
I don’t feel sorry for you.

I agree with Will. Just because you purchased insurance and thought you were covered, I don’t know if an insurance company (that is reputable) around that can legally change the level of insurance AFTER a claim is filed. Read your policy-just because you make a payment to “State MetLife Aetna Insurance Co.” doesn’t mean you are covered. You think that I am not paying higher rates in Wisconsin because some of you choose to live in the perpetual disaster areas of the Nation?!? I sent food and supplies to you last year, and I send money to you (via increased premiums) every 30 days. At least ready your Limits of Coverage statements and your policies. If you’re not willing to do that, don’t complain-MOVE!!

First of all, I work for the insurance industry and I know for a fact that these things happen, and happen too much. Just in the last 5 months i’ve personally witnessed dozens and dozens of the exact same thing occur. Believe me, insurance companies are quick to take your premium, but will hesistate to pay out, especially in a large scale disaster.
Just because ABC had a small misrepresentation of numbers doesn’t mean that it still isn’t going on. It’s going on all the time. Numbers don’t matter, it’s what’s happening that does.

The only time I dealt with State Farm was when one of their insured motorists rear ended my (at that time) pregnant wife’s car, knocking my mother in law out and pinning her in the back seat. Before my wife could call me their agent was on the phone saying that they wanted to speed the process of paying me. All I needed to do was sign a medical waiver.
Needless to say no waiver was signed and it took months to get the money.
The problem started when businesses core mission became profit margins and stock forecasts instead of customer value and product. Greed is NOT capitalism no matter what they teach for economics these days…

Im an agent and yes this does go on.But sadly not just State Farm is doing it. They are just the largest carrier so they do it more often.

Response to N. Russillo – My claim was handled in a timely manner and fair and no, I don’t work for the insurance company. Guess the difference is that I know what my policy says and what it covers.

We all remember State Farm and others pulling out of the insurance business after multiple storms and claims in Florida, but also recall they pulled out of homeowner’s policies in Texas for mold coverage and remediation. It’s all numbers, and some actuary somewhere right now is crunching numbers for the next potentially excluded group, probably in MS or New Orleans. State Farm is outraged…boo…hoo..hooey! What about people whose lives are forever marred by corporate greed and shareholder value? Just have to wait for the Federal Dept Of Justice and Mississippi Attorney General to finalize the investigation process, let’s be thankful it’s not FEMA investigating.

I used to work for two insruance companies in Florida in the event of the hurrican seasons comming up we always sent out flyers and or told everyone that called in to get flood insurance. Most of the damage done in MS and LA last year was the flood or the Levees broken flood covers a Rain fall not a man made dam or levees breaking. Its the insurance agents duty to tell everyone one even if they live in kansas to get flood insurance a flood is when it rains and water cover 80% of your land and covers either a nieghbors yard or fills you street up with water this can happen anywhere it rains for any period of time like the nieghbor pools overflows and covers more than the one home because of massive rain.. The problem is these people can get mad at the company it should get mad at the agent for not adviseing them to get the proper coverage on thier homes. I made sure everyone that i knew in florida had a flood insurance policy and made sure that they had adiquit coverages on thier home onweres insurance to cover them in the event of a flood or massive winds i even have replacement cost on everything this is why when your renewal papers show up in the mail go to your agents office and discuss all you options and dont be cheep if you want cheep insurenace dont bother getting the insurance on your home

Insurance companies are not the ones at fault when it comes to claims disputes, its the policy holders who never take the time to read what they bought. It is easy to get on the bash the insurance carrier bandwagon, but let’s be real here. The fact that a majority of claimants did not have flood insurance is the major problem. How could anyone possibly go without flood insurance when living on the coast? Give me a break. Filing a claim that is based on “I thought I was covered” is equivalent to stupidity. If ignorence is bliss, then the folks that think they are entitled to be covered for losses they did not insure, then those folks must be living in nirvana!

Basic homeowners policy does not cover flood damage. Flood coverage can be added to the basic coverage for an extra premium.
The theory is that it is unfair for all policy holders support by paying for the few that live in areas of high flood or tidal wave etc.
It’s only reasonable for those exposed to these types of losses to pay the extra premum for the coverage.

I’ve had a few claims with State Farm and never had a problem. I think that people need to get educated on insurance. The post above states something about State Farm’s stockholders…..State Farm is a Mutual company which means that each policyholder “owns” the company. I feel for the people that were devastated by the hurricanes but let’s face it. If you don’t buy flood insurance you don’t get covered in a flood. Most of the damage in the New Orleans area was due to the break in the levy, which is a flood and would require flood insurance. If you get into a car crash and don’t have insurance do you expect someone to fix your car for you?
I also like how ABC News takes everything context to make it an interesting story for ratings purposes. I also note that you said that these girls worked for State Farm but in other places you say they worked with State Farm. Were they employees of State Farm?

State Farm, Nationwide, Allstate, they are all the same. Deny, delay, don’t pay. I dealt with Allstate a year before Katrina when we had a house fire. If you have to do business with their Nashville office, be very aware. I wanted to put a voodoo curse on all involved.

Problem: Insurance companies for profit corporations.
Solution: Insurance companies legislated to be non-profit.
Duh.

sorry, but people know how disgustingly greedy big business is, and I like many others are sick and tired of capitalistic greed.
Enough is enough, and I hope state farm has a major hurt applied to them.

Yes, State Farm is crooked but ABC News and the mainstream media has about as much credibility with me as Castro.

I had State Farm as my auto insurer. I totalled my car and they were, fast, friendly, and helpful in settling my claim and getting a rental car. I left them due to cost but I have to say I had a positive relationship with them. And I am in no way associated with State Farm as an employee or family member. Oh, and the accident was my fault.

Change the laws and make insurance companies non-profit. It never should have been a profit situation to begin with.
If you PAY for insurance for years and then make a valid claim, to have it be denied is criminal in my book. Having the company pay you for the destruction of a home is the deal that BOTH parties made at the beginning of that financial relationship.
The insurance companies are hoping that the odds of a disaster befalling someone falls on THEIR side so that they can keep all of those premiums for themselves. For them not to pay out in the event of a disaster is fraudulent.
Yes, people should know what they’re buying. Yes, they should know that flood insurance is extra. But manipulating the investigative reports so that a company doesn’t have to pay out, even if the percentage is tiny is again, CRIMINAL. At the very least, it’s a breach of contract.
State Farm was notorious for not paying outin California with car insurance. I’m not surprised that it’s happening in the aftermath of Katrina.
When your financial future is on the line, you really need to know the company that you’re dealing with. If you don’t, learn. This should be a lesson for us all.
Btw, cries of ‘unfair’ by insurance reps is ridiculous unless you know what the details of this situation are. How do you KNOW that they didn’t commit any fraud?

It is very simple. Insurance companies for the most part take advantage of individuals. The only one that has every treated be special and made a difference in my life is TRIPPLE A (AAA). I would recommend them to anyone and do. Most of our clients have started switching to them as well. And no I do not sell insurance. I am a business owner with several properties and cars.

You think State Farm is bad. Well they are saints compared to Geico.

I’m confused about the ABC News report. Where is everyone getting the idea that their facts are wrong? It says, 1,100 cases. I don’t understand Thomas Stoll’s post. I could be wrong, but I don’t believe Flood Insurance covers storm surge or water damage from the levee breach. I believe it has to be strictly rain water. I have several different kinds of insurance. Honestly, I don’t know all the ins and outs of my different lines of coverage. And I find it hard to believe that most of you who find it so easy to blame the people hit by these disasters completely understand all of the contingencies covered or not covered by your own policies. I’m thankful that I haven’t had to actually rely on any of the myriad insurances coverages that I own. Even if the claim is handled fairly, I’m sure my premiums would increase. They penalize you for actually using the product you pay for.
What’s so absurd about renovating the insurance industry? Do you realize how many mega industries have come and gone as society changes?

I’ve been an insurance agent on the Southeast coast for 18 years. Been through several hurricanes. I’ve never read an insurance policy that stated “we cover whatever the policyholder THINKS we should cover”. I’ve seen Allstate and State Farm adjusters arrive the day after hurricanes in RV’s, set up in parking lots, working 18 hours days to settle claims. I’ve had customers and whiners that will NEVER be satisfied, no matter what the company paid them, and they are usually the customers with the biggest mouths. And as for getting rid of insurance companies altogether….that would leave you with the government to handle it all. And they did such a good job with the Katrina disaster.

This is all hilarious. The bottom line is they will drag you and your family out till the cows come home and wait you out financially. We had flood and wind and had to demolish our house from Hurricane Ivan. We had the resources to move into another home expecting insurance to pay us “full-value” of our policy. No such luck. Two years later and we finally get to go to mediation next week. Not optimistic. In the last two years had State Farm taken their advertising money dedicated to the NFL/World Series/ and the PGA, everyone could have been paid their policy value and we wouldn’t be headed to court. Simply put, they will wait you out, draw interests on their assets, and throw you under the train. Come to think of it, I would wager the CEO’s salary would cover most existing claims in Florida. Now wouldn’t that be a good samaritan act?

People who complain about insurance generally do so because either they didn’t purchase adequate coverage for themselves, like a flood policy for instance, or they don’t understand how insurance companies work.
For example, I bet a lot of folks think that insurance companies just take in all this money in premium and then use it to pay claims, and they get to keep what’s left. That’s wrong. Pretty much every insurance company pays out MORE in claims than it takes in in premium. The only way they make money is by keeping PART of the money they can make by investing the premiums before they have to pay it out in a claim. Insurance companies are like a funnel, not a piggy bank.
Secondly, the insurers affected by Katrina paid out about 20 years worth of profits on that event, so the idea that they’re making all kinds of money while policy holders suffer is rediculous.
I do feel awful for the elderly lady that lost her house and didn’t have flood coverage, just as I do for anyone in that situation. I can’t imagine the hardship they must be enduring. But you can’t force insurance companies or anyone else to pay you for coverage you didn’t buy. All you do is put the companies out of business by doing that.
I do think the person who suggested we get rid of all insurance companies period has a tenuous grasp on reality at best. If my house burns down, I sure can’t afford to replace it myself. Maybe he can, I don’t know.

For those of you who keep talking about corporate this and stockholder that… State Farm is a MUTUAL company, which means the company is owned by its POLICYHOLDERS. There are no stockholders to answer to, no stock ticker to keep track of.

Boo Hoo. Cry me a river.
Here is an excerpt from what one court in Utah had to say about the Farm in 2001, its still true today:
2. The Nature of State Farm’s Misconduct
¶27 This factor specifically analyzes the nature of the defendant’s conduct in terms of its maliciousness, reprehensibility, and wrongfulness. It mirrors the “reprehensibility” factor described by the United States Supreme Court in BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore, 517 U.S. 559 (1996). There, the Supreme Court stated that the defendant’s misconduct is “[p]erhaps the most important indicium of the reasonableness of a punitive damages award.” Id. at 575, 576. Repeated “trickery and deceit” targeted at people who are “financially vulnerable” is especially reprehensible and worthy of greater sanctions. Id. Moreover, “deliberate false statements, acts of affirmative misconduct, or concealment of evidence of improper motive” also warrant larger awards. Id. at 579.
¶28 With these standards clearly in mind, the trial court made nearly twenty-eight pages of extensive findings concerning State Farm’s reprehensible conduct. We summarize here three examples from those findings of State Farm’s most egregious and malicious behavior.
¶29 First, State Farm repeatedly and deliberately deceived and cheated its customers via the PP&R scheme. See Court’s Findings, Conclusions and Order Regarding Punitive Damages and Evidentiary Rulings, Campbell, at 17-27. For over two decades, State Farm set monthly payment caps and individually rewarded those insurance adjusters who paid less than the market value for claims. Id. at 18-19. Agents changed the contents of files, lied to customers, and committed other dishonest and fraudulent acts in order to meet financial goals. Id. at 17-27. For example, a State Farm official in the underlying lawsuit in Logan instructed the claim adjuster to change the report in State Farm’s file by writing that Ospital was “speeding to visit his pregnant girlfriend.” Id. at 35. There was no evidence at all to support that assertion. Ospital was not speeding, nor did he have a pregnant girlfriend. Id. The only purpose for the change was to distort the assessment of the value of Ospital’s claims against State Farm’s insured. As the trial court found, State Farm’s fraudulent practices were consistently directed to persons–poor racial or ethnic minorities, women, and elderly individuals–who State Farm believed would be less likely to object or take legal action. Id. at 26-27.

State Farm is outraged. I am sure Hitler was a little bit unhappy when the allies closed in on Berlin too.
Screw the Insurance Companies. USAA is about the only one worth half a salt.
Why should we be rebuilding New Orleans anyway. It really was a hole in the first place.

I think you should post in each comment the political party affiliation of the people posting comments. After I read all of these I bet you would have a bunch of yellow belly liberals next to each comment. Sure State Farm stinks, but without insurance the economy would fall. Think about everything in this world that requires insurance. (Everything)! If you did’nt have it, nobody would take a risk!

Looking over the comments, it seems that:
State Farm appears to be a reputable company that takes care of its policy holders…
unless you have the misfortune of being a policy holder in a flood-prone area, whether you have flood insurance or not. So, probably a surfeit of dishonest middle- and regional-management trying not to get fired for paying claims in a claim-prone area.
Also: while the observation that “of course, an Ins. Co. will balk when 100,000 people file $10K+ claims all at once, that’s a BILLION”, is technically true, remember that State Farm has MILLIONS of policy holders paying thousands or tens of thousands per year in premiums, each. TENS of billions in profits. No excuse for breach of contract.

My daughter was hit head on by a State Farm insured.The PA.state police investigated at the scene and their report clearly indicated that the State Farm insured was on the wrong side of the road.The police did not issue the State Farm insured a ticket.When we contacted State Farm,they told us they were not going to do anything as their insured reported that his driver was on the correct side of the road.We sent them a copy of the police report and they still refused to inspect our vehicle and make any type of offer.
As the vehicle our daughter was driving was a 3rd car we elected not to retain an attorney to pursue the matter.
I was an employee of State Farm at the time,auto adjustor,and I know the correct procedure was to do a vehicle inspection,scene photos and diagram and interview all parties before making a decision.State Farm refused to do any of this on our claim.
I retired in 2004 and I can truthfully say that they are definitely not your “good neighbor”.
Most people do not read the exclusions in their policies and this is why they are unhappy.
If you have a claim with any insurance company it is better to retain the services of a competent attorney.You don’t have the time or resources to deal with a giant like State Farm.

A can’t say anything about State Farm, but I did a 9 month contract gig at Prudential back in 1999. The claims software was programmed to automatically deny certain types of valid claims on their first submittal. They would be automatically passed on a second submittal.
The reason for the automatic first denial? The number crunchers had determined that a percentage of denied first submittals would not be submitted a second time. Some people would take the rejection (of a perfectly valid claim) and just give up.

Concerning these “expert” engineering firms utilized by State Farm. It would be interesting to know how many times they have been employed by State Farm in the past and for what purpose???

I have here for nearly 2 hours reading each post. I presently work for an insurance company (life & health) but do have a HO’s policy with a another company and still another company for our cars.
Some of these alleged “stories” just don’t ring true. However, I’m not saying that SF never pulls anything shady. Au contraire, way back 35 years ago, SF already had a bad reputation for cancelling auto policies after the first claim, no matter how little or how much they paid out. For that reason, I’ve never done business with them.
While it has been mentioned quite a few times that policy holders don’t read their policies, but it’s a fact that many clients don’t even understand how insurance works. They believe that by paying a certain amount in premiums every month, or quarterly, or yearly, that their house will be rebuilt from top to bottom and in addition, they will be paid for the cost of each item in the house. This is so not true. We have replacement coverage and we pay high premiums for it. Still, we will never get back what we paid into the house or dollar for dollar the cost we paid for the furnishings, appliances, personal clothing, and, etc. That’s because you normally get reimbursed for what the item was worth when it was destroyed. There is much to learn about insurance and if people took the time to read their own and ask questions of their agents, they wouldn’t receive a nasty surprise.
Another thing, it seems here that the writers of these posts seem to think that insurance companies, whether mutual or not, can set their own rules. Not a single person mentioned state laws regarding insurance. Yes, each state has insurance laws that must be followed and no, each stated does not have the same laws. There is also a state Insurance Commission that one can file a complaint with, and yes, your complaint will be turned over to the insurance company with a request to explain the the Commission’s satisfaction why a denial or a reduced payment was made. In addition, certain documents ARE required from the clients and if they are not submitted as requested to do so, then the clock stops, so to speak. The files is suspended until the documents are submitted, period. Even if the state has a time limit for claims to be finalized, the clock STILL stops.
#1 – “Lisa” who wrote the last post here on 9/14, yells about auto theft. But if I understand her correctly, the car was totaled. In this case, the car DOES belong to the insurance company. Now, Lisa indicated that no payment for the car was received by them and meanwhile, SF came and took the car away. I find this hard to believe that an insurance payment wasn’t made to SOMEONE. Lisa did not state whether her son actually owned the vehicle outright or whether it had been financed and her son was making payments. I suspect it’s the latter and the insurance claim for the auto was paid out to whoever has the actual title to the vehicle, in this case, the bank, finance company, whoever. If this is the correct scenario, Lisa and/or her son will received no payment. After all, the company/corporation who financed the vehicle is the party who owns the car and who would be out the remaining balance of the loan. Think of a car payment as the son’s right to drive this vehicle for that particular time covered by the premium payment. But in this case, he does NOT, nor has he ever, been the legal owner of the vehicle. Again, the legal owner is whoever owns the loan. If this turns out to the the case in this particular gripe of Lisa’s, the officials who took her complaint will find out soon enough just by checking license plate records in the license bureau. So in the end, Lisa will still not get what she wants because she’s wanting something she has no right to claim. She ought to be grateful that the car is in auction after repair, because legally, the owner of the loan can go after her son for the balance remaining of the loan, if any, after the insurance company has paid it’s claim to the loan owner.
#2 -”Lurker No More”, 8/31, complained she didn’t receive a “profit”. Hello?! Lurker, we clients/customers aren’t supposed to make a profit – this is insurance. We won’t get dollar for dollar either, but if you were paying for replacement cost, then your new house should be or was built to similar standards and footage as your original house. You may not realize it, but information about your house and property is on file with your state in whatever government agency handles your property taxes each year. I may be wrong, of course, but I suspect the money you did get covered the inside contents of your house, your clothes, and perhaps any “out” buildings, sheds, pool damage, fence, etc. you may have on the damaged part of your property. Now if you autos were damaged, most HOs insurance companies will insist you take your claim through your auto insurance, and rightly so. Unfortunately, whether you will receive any financial satisfaction from your auto insurance company might depend on what coverage you have on your car and what the vehicle is worth. It’s possible that the auto insurance insist you claim the damages under your homeowner’s policy, and it’s conceivable that both companies will duke it out or end up in court for a judge to decide who is responsible for the damages. But don’t expect more money than your vehicle is worth and that includes what you might owe on the car loan. For example, you still owe $17,000 on your vehicle, but you vehicle is only worth $14,000. Too bad, but you will only get $14,000—depending if it was in tip top condition— and you will still be responsible for the remaining $3,000. Having your car destroyed does not preclude you from continuing to be responsible for any remaining amount on the loan. Without more facts in either your case or Lisa’s it hard to say definitely what the problem might be. But I suspect both of you are very, very confused. Lurker, you stated an amount you paid for coverage and that you had this coverage for 30 years. However, I know you didn’t pay that same amount in premiums for each of the last 30 years. Like other most other coverage (except for auto perhaps), rates go up on a yearly basis because of the value of the house and property from year to year, normal rate increases, escrow, taxes, and other assorted fees. So it’s likely you were paid more for your damages than you paid in premiums.
#3 – Then there’s “Little Mommy” who states that MILLIONS of people pay THOUSANDS of dollars or TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollar for their HO policy. Who are these people?? No average homeowner pays anywhere near TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars, nor do I believe there are MILLIONS of homes worth a value that would cost an annual premium of TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars. Your math in very, very wrong.
Unfortunately, there are no doubt tnes of thousans, perhaps even millions, of people who lie on their applications for insurance. Not only do they lie in their answers to questions on the applications, but frequently attempt outright fraud, which is a felony, by the way. People backdate applications, don’t disclose certain vital information that was asked on the application, invent people or property to insure – you name it, someone has tried it. The one thing people aren’t aware of is that insurance companies DO have ways of checking out the information provided by the applicant. The phone calls that say “your call MAY be recorded…”? Oh yeah, it IS recorded, always. Foolish and stupid people are under the impression that if they pay their premiums, they will get a sum of money without any questions. It’s not when the applications is submitted that the information is checked out, but when a claim is made. The amount of attempted swindlers would make your head swim if you realized how many there were. All of these things contribute to the ever-increasing premiums of the good people who try to follow the rules and play by the book.
No insurance company is going to issue a check without checking out the facts, but people actually think that happens. I can’t possibly go into the ways insurance companies check the information at the time the claim is submitted because there are just too many.
I realize this was long, and I apologize. I don’t even know if this message board will accept this, but we will see.
Ignorance of one’s policy, coverage, insurance laws, and anything else applicable is not a valid defense. I don’t feel sorry for these people. If they don’t have the sense to understand what they are purchasing, and then whine about it later, they can only blame themselves. Don’t blame your agent – the agent can only recommended what you might need, but in the end, it’s your decision. Learn from your mistakes and next time, spend some time carefully reading your policy and don’t purchase insurance until you full understand what is covered and what is not.

State Farm is the largest carrier of auto and home insurance in the United States b/c people want to be with them. You don’t become the largest by screwing people. Read your policy if you want to know what is covered. Buy Flood Insurance if you live near water. The government reviews every policy of every insurance company before it can be sold to policyholders. Insurance companies have stricter guidelines than you may think, which creates a long list of things included and excluded on everyone’s policy. Understand that they pay out billions upon billions of dollars every year to help those with misfortunes. If you want to attack someone, attack companies that don’t give back but rather take more than your money (i.e. tobacco, fast food)

IF YOU ARE INSURED WITH STATE FARM YOU OWN PART OF THE COMPANY. YOU ARE A SHAREHOLDER AND YOUR PREMIUM IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE $$$ PAID ON CLAIMS. DO YOU THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD BUSINESS DECISION TO PAY FOR LOSSES THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED IN BLACK AND WHITE IN THE POLICY? IF SO, I DON’T WANT YOU AS A BUSINESS PARTNER.
An insurance policy is a legally binding contract! The policy specifically EXCLUDES flood water. Why would State Farm continue to do business in a state that overruled a binding contract? I am happy to see that no more policies will be issued as I am insured with State Farm insurance. This means that I am not paying for losses that are not covered by the policy.
It is really sad how uneducated people are about their insurance policies. You can only blame yourself for paying for a policy that you haven’t even read! It is very unfortunate what happened in Mississippi, but we cannot blame State Farm for not paying for losses that are specifically excluded. With out these exclusions, insurance wouldn’t be possible.

I hate state farm.

I am covered by State Farm insurance under my homeowners policy in a condo association as well as personally insured by them; have been for 30 years.
Not until April 3, 2007, have I had to file a large claim when lightning struck my condo and completely destroyed it. Since then it has been a constant array of a “premier contractor” Emergency Restoration Services, trying to repair my condo in the worst possible condition. They put a ladder thru my dining room ceiling and decided to “patch” it up. They tried to replace my 82″ fireplace with a 69″ inch fireplace. They destroyed my antique furniture without a call or notice not even a month after the fire. The items were appraised and worth more to me as sentimental issue. Only one item was in the dumpster, the others mysteriously disappeared. I filed a police report but it doesn’t return the treasured items to restore. The contractor has locked me out of my own residence twice. The condos were not secured so several families were totally ripped off with stolen jewelry, cameras, etc. of which police reports were made.
I cannot say I have any faith in State Farm or the “premier” contractor who would treat another human being like this and do such a sloppy shoddy job in repairing my place. The workers are Europeans who do not speak English and were policemen in Poland, have no real construction skills. It is a huge huge outrage and eye opening experience!

You people are so ignorant and representative of what the typical American is becoming. You don’t want to pay taxes but you want uncle sam and everyone else to take care of everything for you. I’ll bet you are the same people that blame the school and teachers with full responsibility when your child gets poor grades or misbehaves without admitting that you are likely the problem.
Stop being a putz….Why don’t you use the time required to sit there whining on the internet to READ YOUR POLICY, talk to someone knowledgeable and educate yourself regarding what you don’t understand. Stop jumping to pin responsibility on others for your ignorance.