Deadly Florence Forces Insurers To Close Doors, Improvise

By Cyril Tuohy

As the deluge from Hurricane Florence cuts off Carolina communities, insurers are gearing up to help agents and consumers working in affected areas.

Here’s a list of numbers made available by companies and this list will be updated as more responses and updates come in.

Colonial Life

Unum subsidiary Colonial Life, based in Columbia, S.C., said agents can all 1-800-438-6423 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT. Brokers can call 1-866-531-2022 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

All home and territory office employees and agents were safe and accounted for, and the company’s offices in Charlotte, N.C., and High Point, N.C., were reopened Tuesday after remaining closed Monday, said Chris Winston, director of corporate communications.

“Our business is operating as usual and we’re working now on communication to impacted plan administrators and policyholders,” Winston said in an email.

Brighthouse Financial

Brighthouse, based in Charlotte, distributes life and annuities through independent agents. The company lists its regular product support numbers: 1-800-638-5000 for life insurance policies, 1-800-638-7732 for individual annuities, 1-800-560-5001 for group annuities and 1-800-929-1492 for disability policies.

While some roads in the Charlotte area were flooded, Brighthouse managers allowed headquarters' employees to work from home, a Brighthouse spokesman said. The company has maintained normal business hours throughout the ordeal and the company reported no delays in application processing.

MassMutual

The company’s Carolina offices in Charlotte and the head office in Springfield, Mass., have been in “continuous communication” with employees and advisors in the areas affected by the storm, said spokesman Michael McNamara.

Agents and policyholders with questions can call 1-800-272-2216.

“Additionally, to help ensure our impacted policyowners and clients continue to have service and product options available to them, MassMutual has enacted our disaster plans related to policyowners, including extending disaster relief and servicing guidelines,” he said.

The MassMutual Foundation is making contributions to Team Rubicon and the American Red Cross, and MassMutual employees and advisors will have the opportunity to support relief efforts through the company’s matching gift program.

Team Rubicon is an international, non-government veteran service organization that uses disaster response to reintegrate veterans into civilian life.

MetLife

The company has set up a dedicated website landing page at https://www.metlife.com/hurricane-florence/ to help customers with claims, the company said. Agents and consumers can also email [email protected] or call 1-866-743-1546. For MetLife Auto & Home Flood Policy claims, the number is 800-759-8656. The agent website is https://metlife.torrentflood.com.

Allianz Life

Allianz, based in Minneapolis, has no company-owned offices in the Carolinas, but works with financial professionals and supports remote employees in the region, the company said. The company lists its contact center number 1-800-950-5872 on the website.

“We’ve sent a message to all financial professionals we work with in the affected areas inviting them to dial any of our toll-free numbers, where they will be directed to a specialist that can assist them and their clients,” spokesman Jeff Faust wrote in an email.

The company is matching employee donations to the American Red Cross, dollar for dollar, and is also encouraging workers who wish to donate their time by taking advantage of the company’s sabbatical program.

“Allianz Life is offering a special short-term disaster relief sabbatical for employees wishing to directly help those impacted by Hurricane Florence,” Faust said. ”This sabbatical provides up to five paid days off to volunteer for disaster relief.”

Genworth

Based in Richmond, Va., Genworth’s headquarters are located far enough away from the brunt of the storm but on Monday tornado warnings had forced employees to hunker down in stairwells, said spokesperson Julie Westermann.

Despite a soggy few days and fears of flooding, the company maintained normal hours, Westermann said in an email.

Financial professionals can call 1-800-404-2956.

For service and policy questions regarding fixed annuities: 1-800-221-9501; immediate annuities 1-888-322-4629; variable annuities: 1-800-352-9910; life insurance: 1-888-325-5433; long-term care: 1-800- 456-7766; Medicare Supplement: 1-877-825-9337.

Prudential

Prudential policyholders can contact the company for assistance with policy extensions, cancellation notices or other questions or concerns at 1-800-556-8527, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT, the company said.

The company is also making up to $1 million in grants and employee contributions through The Prudential Foundation to support victims affected by Hurricane Florence.

“Natural disasters like Hurricane Florence can have devastating effects on the financial security of families and individuals,” said Lata Reddy, senior vice president of diversity, inclusion and impact and chairman of The Prudential Foundation, in a news release.

New York Life

New York Life said it can extend payment due dates, replace policies that have been lost or destroyed, and help find other ways to help.

A message on the company’s website recommends calling a local agent, or calling 1-800-225-5695 for immediate help and policy information. The Charlotte general office is reachable at 1-704-371-8500.

Hurricane Florence, a massive system the size of Michigan, made landfall late last week.

The storm was quickly downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm status, but the slow-moving system delivered epic and deadly flooding to coastal communities as well as those far inland as rivers burst their banks.

At least 20 people have been confirmed dead and one property analytics firm estimated total insured losses from wind and storm surge damage at about $3 billion.

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Writer Cyril Tuohy has covered the financial services industry for more than 15 years. Cyril may be reached at [email protected].

Cyril Tuohy is a writer based in Pennsylvania. He has covered the financial services industry for more than 15 years. He can be reached at [email protected].