Illinois PIRG applauds state’s move to address pandemic-related auto insurance overcharges

If you think you might have been shortchanged by your auto insurance company during the pandemic, you could be onto something.

New estimates show that insurance companies still owe Illinois residents $896 million in pandemic relief. On March 16, the Illinois Department of Insurance called on auto insurers to provide more detailed data on how much they overcharged Illinois drivers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “data call” comes in response to a letter sent in January by 16 state senators, Illinois PIRG and eight other advocacy organizations

“If the data show, as we expect, that insurers made windfall profits during the pandemic, we’ll call on them to issue additional customer refunds,” said Illinois PIRG Education Fund Director Abe Scarr.

While many consumers were driving much less during most of the pandemic, the insurance companies gave back only limited refunds — shortchanging customers by an average of $125 per insured vehicle nationwide.

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