Over $4 billion in LA fire claims distributed, more to come

Lynn La | CALmattersInsurance companies have paid out $4.2 billion in claims so far to survivors of the Los Angeles County fires, the state Insurance Department said Thursday.That figure includes home, business, living expenses and other disaster-related claims related to the Eaton and Palisades fires, the department said, citing data from insurance companies and the FAIR Plan, which is a pool of insurers that offers fire insurance to customers who can’t get it elsewhere because some companies have paused writing or canceled insurance policies in certain high-risk areas.& Affected property owners have filed 31,210 claims — 14,417 of which have been partially paid, the department said.& Part of the point of letting the public know& how much has been paid out so far& is so they know that under the law, claimants are eligible for some advance funds without having to file itemized claims, spokesperson Michael Soller said. For some people, it could be “life-changing to know that they know they can get money up front,” he added.Insurance companies have been present at workshops held by the Insurance Department for fire victims in Santa Monica and Altadena over the past couple of weeks, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara told CalMatters recently....