Allstate Agents Victims?!!
Allstate Insurance Company has reportedly canceled or non-renewed more than 500,000 Florida property insurance policies over the last five years. The decision to cut those policies was made by Allstate management. Where were the insurance industry spin and propaganda people--often referred to as "spokespersons" of various insurance industry trade associations--to say that the victims of that decision were Allstate agents? The decision to raise the remaining Allstate policy rates an average of over 40%, after promising much lower rates to Florida government officials, was made by Allstate management.
Where were those insurance industry spokespeople to explain why Allstate management could lie to the Florida government? The decision not to provide witnesses under oath to the Department of Insurance Regulation regarding honest compliance and to not provide the relevant documents required to answer questions was made by Allstate management and its lawyers. Where were the spokespersons regarding that illegal conduct? Instead, the propagandists were actually successful in diverting attention away from Allstate's improper and illegal behavior by suggesting that Allstate agents were the victims of the order suspending Allstate's ability to write policies in Florida.
The insurance industry leaders and spokespeople never mentioned how wrongful Allstate's conduct was or that Allstate could have avoided the suspension entirely by simply being an honest and good corporate citizen. They certainly did not want to mention that those "victims" voluntarily agree to work for a company that has slashed their income by ordering policies canceled. It is no wonder that the current Chair of the Florida Insurance Council is George Grawe. Grawe is an in-house Allstate lawyer.
Sure the "victims" Mr. Merlin refers to in the next to the last paragraph of his "memo," are employees (i.e., agents) of Allstate Insurance Company and, yes, they "...voluntarily agree to work for a company that has slashed their income by ordering policies cancelled."
Obviously, Mr. Merlin has not been in the job market lately looking for a job - JOBS ARE HARD TO FIND AT THE MOMENT. So, yes, those "employees/agents" had better continue to "voluntarily" keep their jobs with Allstate and just pray that they're not laid off !! Unlike well to do silk footed lawyers, the common people (as usual) suffer the consequences of corporate america's GREED and the consequences are numerous. The insurance companies are disappointed that they can't write policies and the attorneys are aghast that they can't sue the new policies and all the while the poor common person (i.e., the policyholder) remains UNINSURED and/or EMBROILED IN A LEGAL MATTER THAT COULD LAST FOR YEARS AND IF IT EVER SETTLES, HAS TO PAY HIS/HER LAVISH ATTORNEY'S FEE.
SHIRLEY HEFLIN