Kanawha Insurance To Pay $88K In Massachusetts Settlement

BOSTON – Kanawha Insurance Company has agreed to pay $88,000, most of which will go directly to affected Massachusetts consumers, to resolve allegations that it failed to properly administer certain life insurance contracts, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

The AG’s Office filed an assurance of discontinuance in Suffolk Superior Court alleging that the South Carolina-based insurance company violated Massachusetts consumer protection law by failing to provide policyholders with timely notices required under life insurance contracts, including notices relating to termination of policies. The AG’s Office also alleged that Kanawha provided inaccurate information relating to life insurance contracts to policyholders.

“This company sent consumers inadequate and inaccurate information about their insurance policies,” said AG Healey. “Our settlement provides restitution to affected policyholders in Massachusetts and ensures that this company changes its practices going forward so that consumers are treated fairly.”

The AG’s Office began investigating Kanawha’s administration of life insurance policies after receiving a complaint from an elderly Massachusetts consumer who alleged that Kanawha sent her confusing notices with conflicting information. The AG’s Office alleged that not only was Kanawha providing conflicting and inaccurate information to certain life insurance policyholders, Kanawha had failed to provide certain required notices.

Under the settlement, Kanawha will pay $78,000 to provide restitution to policyholders who did not receive notices required under the policies or received inaccurate policy information. Kanawha is also required to adopt certain conduct reforms to ensure that it administers life insurance policies properly and complies with Massachusetts law, and will pay $10,000 to the Commonwealth.

Consumers with questions about this settlement should contact Attorney General Healey’s Insurance & Financial Services Division at 1-888-830-6277.

The matter was handled by Legal Analyst David Lim and Assistant Attorney General Tiffany Bartz, with assistance from Deputy Director Arwen Thoman and Legal Analyst Jasmine Jean-Louis, all of whom are members of AG Healey’s Insurance and Financial Services Division.