NAIC launches call center to help deal with N.J. Superstorm Sandy losses

Insurance regulators from four Midwestern states are working through the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to help the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance deal with telephone calls regarding losses from Superstorm Sandy, the NAIC announced Thursday.

A consumer assistance call center at the NAIC's central office in Kansas City, Mo., began operations Thursday. The center is initially being staffed by regulators from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, the NAIC said. Volunteers at the call center will work directly with the public, responding to general inquiries as well as collecting claims information, which will then be transmitted to New Jersey regulators.

“State insurance regulators from across the country are united to provide assistance to our colleagues in New Jersey and other states that may need assistance or support services during this disaster recovery,” said NAIC President Kevin M. McCarty, who also is Florida insurance commissioner, in a statement. “This call center will effectively allow us to centralize and maximize our ability to promptly assist consumers in this difficult time.”