Insurance Complaints

If You Have a Specific Problem with an Insurance Company, Broker, Agent or Adjuster

The New York State Insurance Department licenses insurance companies, brokers, agents, and adjusters to operate in this State. If you believe that one of these licensees has failed to act in accordance with your contract or New York Insurance Law and Regulation, we urge you to file a complaint.

You can file a complaint using our Online Consumer Complaint form.You will receive immediate confirmation and be assigned a file number. Please be aware that a copy of your complaint may be sent to the entity or person that your complaint is against. If you need to submit copies of documents to support your complaint, fax or mail them to us along with the printed confirmation with your file number. Our fax number and address are listed below.

You are strongly encouraged to file your complaint on-line. It is easy and saves the time and expense of mailing a paper form or letter. Complaints that are filed on-line receive an immediate acknowledgement from the Department.

If you must send us a written complaint, please be sure to include your name, current address, telephone number, the licensee’s name (carrier, broker, agent, or adjuster), policy or claim number, and an explanation of your concerns. Your complaint can be mailed to the address below. If it is difficult for you to make a written complaint, you should ask family and friends for their assistance. You might also contact your Assemblyperson or Senator to find out about other community resources available to help you file your complaint.

If You Need to Send Something to Us in Connection with a Complaint Already Filed

Do not mail your original documents to our Department. They cannot be returned to you.

You may fax additional information regarding a complaint already filed to 212-480-6282 or mail to either one of the offices listed below. Please include the printed confirmation which identifies the complaint, or if you do not have a printed confirmation, please include the case number. A case number begins with “CSB”.

Albany:
Consumer Services Bureau
NYS Insurance Department
One Commerce Plaza
Albany, NY 12257

New York City:
Consumer Services Bureau
NYS Insurance Department
25 Beaver Street
New York, NY 10004-2319

The Department does not do legal research nor prepare legal briefs for the general public.

If you wish to file a complaint, please use our Online Consumer Complaint form.

How to Make A General Inquiry

If You Have a General Question about Insurance

The Department has compiled what we have found to be consumers’ most Frequently Asked Questions. Just click on this link and you will find questions and answers regarding such topics as Auto Insurance, Cobra, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, No-Fault, Workers’ Compensation, Healthy New York, and many other insurance related topics.

If you are unable to find the answer to your general question in our FAQ’s, the Department is ready to handle inquiries over the telephone. The Consumer Services Bureau employs a team of specially trained Agency Services Representatives (ASRs) to answer phone calls about New York insurance issues. Our ASRs can be reached Monday through Friday, 9AM to 5PM at 1-800-342-3736, 212-480-6400, or 518-474-6600. If they cannot provide you with the necessary information, they will advise you to file an inquiry or complaint with our Bureau.

You may make a written inquiry that is general in nature via our online e-Form. An Insurance Department representative will respond to your inquiry via Email. Please remember if you do send us an Email to include your name, current mailing address and telephone number along with your questions and concerns. This information is important because it gives us an alternative means to get back to you, if necessary. Please do not attempt to file a complaint with us via Email! We are unable to take action on complaints without your proper authorization. Acceptable means for such authorization is incorporated into our on-line complaint form. Email received and read as attempted complaint filings will be returned. Click here for our Online Consumer Complaint form. You may also send us a letter with your question to one of the following addresses:

Albany:
Consumer Services Bureau
NYS Insurance Department
One Commerce Plaza
Albany, NY 12257

New York City:
Consumer Services Bureau
NYS Insurance Department
25 Beaver Street
New York, NY 10004-2319

It is our hope that we can provide the answers in a timely and accurate way. We will try to help with questions about the Department, our licensees, Insurance Law and Regulation, and the custom and usage of the insurance industry. However, we can provide written responses only to written inquiries.

A Special Note on Arbitrated No-Fault Cases

You can click here for instructions on how to file for arbitration.

For information as to the status of your arbitrated case, if the case was submitted to the Insurance Department prior to December 1, 1999, contact the:

Property Bureau
NYS Insurance Department
25 Beaver Street
New York, NY 10004-2319
212 480-5662

If the case was submitted to the American Arbitration Association (AAA) on or after December 1, 1999, contact the:

New York No-Fault Conciliation Center
American Arbitration Association
65 Broadway
New York, New York 10006
917-438-1500

If you have won a judgment in a No-Fault Arbitration, you should not normally have any difficulty in collecting from the respondent. If you have not received payment within 30 days of the date of mailing of the No-Fault arbitration award, we suggest that you follow-up with the respondent in writing to advise of the specific elements of the award which remain unpaid and outstanding. If you do not receive a timely response from the respondent, you should seek assistance from the Property Bureau of the Insurance Department to obtain payment. All such requests for assistance should include (1) the unpaid No-Fault arbitration award in question, (2) your follow-up correspondence to the Respondent noting the elements of the award that appear to be unpaid and outstanding, and (3) a cover letter addressed to the Property Bureau of the Insurance Department requesting assistance to obtain payment of the unpaid elements of the arbitration award.