Tornado damage in Ringold, Ga. (photo Edgar Treiguts)
Insurance companies need state approval to raise rates. They also have to justify the increase using loss information gathered over time.
Steve Manders with the Georgia Office of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner reviews rate increase requests. He says 2008 tornadoes, not this year's, are affecting current requests.
“We’re already seeing some pressure on rate increases just from our past experiences, not including this. And, this is going to compound it even worse probably. That’s what our fear is.”
Manders says, some companies are asking to boost rates as much as 20 percent. Insurance companies use different formulas to set rates so he says people should shop around.
