NU Online News Service

Insurers are now able to file a single report to multiple stateinsurance departments through Insurance Services Office and theNational Insurance Crime Bureau, it was announced.

The facility is available thanks to an agreement reached betweenISO, NICB and the National Association of InsuranceCommissioners.

According to the organizations, reports filed with the NICB/ISOFraud Bureau Reporting Program will now also be filed with the NAICOnline Fraud Reporting System (OFRS).

Previously, reports were filed separately with NICB/ISO andstate insurance departments, said Alan Haskins, director ofgovernment affairs for the NICB. If the suspected fraud crossedstate lines, reports would have to be filed with each stateinsurance department individually.

Now, one report with the NICB/ISO will suffice, with that reportgoing to the appropriate state insurance departments.

A statement by the NICB, NAIC and ISO notes that 47jurisdictions are accepting the filings.

Haskins said the participating jurisdictions are Washington,D.C., Puerto Rico and 45 states.

Not accepting the filings, he said, are New York, New Jersey,Rhode Island, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

New York and New Jersey, he said, have a "robust reportingsystem" and require reports to go through their Web sites.

He said Kentucky may have statutory issues to overcome, and inRhode Island, fraud is generally reported through the AttorneyGeneral's Office.

Wisconsin, he continued, does not require companies to reportsuspected fraud to the department.

The NICB and ISO said they expect to provide the NAIC OFRS withapproximately 80,000 reports of suspected fraud per year.

Haskins said the plan benefits insurers since the NICB/ISOreporting program now acts as a "one stop shop" for companies.

For states, he said the process is simplified as all referralswill be going to one place.

In a statement, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger,NAIC Antifraud Task Force chair, said: "This agreement has been ahigh priority for the NAIC Antifraud Task Force over the last year.This agreement saves insurance companies and fraud investigatorstime and improves investigative resources for state fraudbureaus."

As a result, she said the NAIC is "already receiving twice asmany fraud referrals from property and casualty insurers now thatNICB/ISO members are providing reports to the NAIC OFRSsystem."