Insurance companies overcharged Washington consumers

The Washington Insurance Commissioner’s Office announced today that it fined a bunch of insurance companies for a range of violations including overcharging Washington consumers and illegally selling annuities. Among those penalized:

• Omni Insurance Co. and Omni Indemnity Co., both of Springfield, Ill., and Trumbull Insurance Co., Hartford, Conn. The companies failed to properly refund more than $24,377 dollars to 169 Washington consumers.
• Balboa Insurance Co., and Meritplan Insurance Co., both of Irvine, Calif., for writing policies solicited by agents not appointed to conduct transactions, charging consumers rates that did not follow rules and conducting business using names that could have confused consumers.
• Engenderhealth, Inc., New York, N.Y., for selling annuities in Washington without authority, including sales in violation of a cease-and-desist order.
• Jeffrey R. Dixson, an independent agent in Washougal, for misrepresenting applications for insurance and selling unapproved annuity products.
•  Dayspring Management, LLC., eight affiliated companies and Ronald J. Wilson, concerning the marketing and sale of health insurance to small employers in Washington.

The Insurance Commissioner also fined two organizations for issuing charitable gift annuities without proper authorization and revoked licenses for a number of other individuals.