HOW YOU CAN HELP - Please print out all sample letters and sign them with your name and address. If you live out of the coastal area, put your coastal property address on as well. Mail these to addresses found on our contact page.

You may add any insurance history to these letters if you wish.

We continue to demand Homeowners Insurance Reform in Coastal MA. No Major Storms again for 2008. Yet, coastal rates remain the highest in the State.

The Fair Plan made $46 million in profits in 2008. They continue to increase replacement values, increasing premium rates and now have $170 million in profits from 2004-2008. Private insurers have made huge profits also. Why has the Commissioner continued to approve rate increases for all insurers?

Our 2009 approach to achieve Reform will be to:

PRESSURE THE COMMISSIONER to regulate rates to the end that they shall not be excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory, as stated in Chapter 174A MGL

The Duties and responsibility of the Commissioner to protect citizens exist under MA General Laws. We want implementation of these regulations by the Commissioner so that: Premiums shall not be excessive and premiums reduced when proven excessive.

We want a meaningful appeal process for citizens on replacement values.

We want the Attorney General to hold hearings for unjustified rate increases for all Insurers if the Commissioner does not call a hearing.

The Commissioner requires all data from insurers when reviewing a rate increase and we want expenses, re-insurance contracts, profits to be part of this data and make these public.

The Commissioner shall require Insurers to give written proof the models used for predicting hurricane loss, have used MA data and features.

Clarify that wind deductibles shall be triggered by Hurricanes only and capped the deductibles at 1%.

Hold public hearings for all rate hike requests.

PRESSURE THE GOVERNOR, who appointed the Commissioner, to insist these duties and regulations are implemented to protect the coastal citizens or else remove said Commissioner.

ASK FOR CONTIUED HELP FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL to oversee the protection of coastal citizens from excessive rate increases and shift of risk to citizens by Insurers.

The 2008 MA Hurricane Season began June 1st and ended November 30, 2008 and no major storms hit New England according to Commissioner of Insurance, Nonnie Burnes.

The Commissioner issued her 2007 Ma State of the Homeowners Insurance Report in October- 2008. This 2007 Report shows information such as losses and much more information from all insurers. (the report can be found online at the MA Division of Insurance for public viewing)

According to the Commissioner's report, not only were there no major storms in 2007, but low insurance losses around the state allowed insurers to make great profits. Ma has shown Low loss ratios for almost 15 years, as stated by the DOI reports.

The Cape and Islands had almost the lowest number of wind claims in the state in 2007 which has been typical of the records shown in the past 15 years. Yet, according to the premiums charged by the Fair Plan and the Private Insurers, we pay the highest rates in the state.

Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform, a grassroots organization which was created in October 2006 has over 6000 members and is working for reform to the homeowner insurance crisis in Coastal MA.

Our legislators have continued to hear from us and the legislature completed a "Homeowners Insurance Study" in 2007. Based on results of this study, A Homeowners Insurance Bill was created with the promise of enacting legislation which could better protect coastal citizens.

The Bill went to the Financial Services Committee at the State House for review. This committee oversees Insurance and Banking issues. Our big problem was that the Co-Chair of this committee, Representative Ronald Mariano of Quincy, has accepted large campaign donations over the past years from the Insurance Industry. With this industry influence, changes were made to the language of the Homeowners Bill which would have allowed the insurance industry to gain further benefits and many coastal citizens would have been hurt.

Senator O'Leary of the Cape and Islands made amendments to the revised bill but was outvoted. The Mariano modified bill was passed by the Senate and now went to the House for vote.

The members of the Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform activated a campaign to ask the House to "Kill" the Bill. Our philosophy is "No Bill is better than A Bad Bill"

We feel the right strategy our Legislators, Governor, Attorney General and Citizens must take is to put pressure on the Commissioner to enact the Duties of her Office and if this cannot be accomplished the Commissioner should be replaced.

Sincerely yours,

Paula Aschettino
Chair/Founder
Citizens for Homeowners Insurance Reform
21 Smith Street
Eastham, MA 02642
508-240-5231