Insurance industry guts proposed ban on use of credit scores

02/18/2021

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A bill to ban insurers (Senate Bill 5010) from using consumers’ credit scores to determine auto and homeowner insurance premiums was gutted by an insurance industry amendment in the Senate Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee on Feb. 15. 

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler for two decades has called out the unfairness of insurers’ use of credit scoring and has requested a ban twice, first in 2001 and later in 2010 during the economic recession. Now, as consumers struggle with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic…

Federal Way woman pleads guilty after filing fraudulent auto insurance claim

02/12/2021

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Vijay K. Prasad pleaded guilty in King County Superior Court on Jan. 27 to attempted insurance fraud in connection with an auto insurance claim. Prasad will serve 20 days in a community alternative program and will be on unsupervised probation for 20 months.  

Officials charged Prasad in 2019 after an investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU).  

According to the investigation, Prasad filed an auto insurance claim with Progressive Insurance on Sept. 20, 2018. She stated that she was in a collision on…

Pro fighter wanted to face insurance fraud charges in Benton County

02/10/2021

UPDATE: After we published this news release, Bryan Caraway contacted the Benton County Prosecutor's Office to reschedule his arraignment hearing to March 11 in Benton County Superior Court. He is now removed from Kreidler's insurance fraud most wanted. 

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Bryan Caraway, of Richland, Wash., joined Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s insurance fraud most wanted after he failed to appear in Benton County Superior Court to face several felony charges. A bench warrant for his arrest was issued on Feb. 4 and bail is set for $100. 

If you have…

Kreidler calls for special enrollment for all state-regulated health insurers

02/08/2021

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued an emergency order directing state-regulated health insurers to open a special enrollment from Feb. 15 through May 15 for people who are uninsured. 

The special enrollment aligns with President Biden’s executive order to re-open the federal health insurance marketplace during the same timeframe. 

“Over 600,000 people in Washington state don’t have health insurance,” said Kreidler. “The more people who are insured, the better. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on our state and expanding access to…