Oklahoma Home Insurance Claims Decrease in 2014

Oklahoma hail insurance claims down 76 percent in 2014, State Farm reports Oklahoma fell from No. 2 to No. 14 in number of hail claims from 2013 to 2014. by Don Mecoy, NewOK.com Modified: April 9, 2015 at 9:34 pm • Published: April 10, 2015 Oklahoma experienced a big decline in the number of hail-related insurance claims in 2014, according to figures released Thursday by the state’s largest provider of home and auto insurance. State Farm home and auto insurance policyholders in Oklahoma filed less than one-fourth the number of hail-related claims last year than they did in 2013, when Oklahoma ranked No. 2 overall in hail claims. Combined home and auto hail claims in Oklahoma fell last year to 8,089, which ranked 14th among states, State Farm reported. In 2013, Oklahoma State Farm customers filed 33,790 hail claims. “This past year was much better in the way of hail losses, obviously,” State Farm spokesman Jim Camoriano said. State Farm is Oklahoma’s largest provider of homeowners’ and auto insurance, with a market share of nearly 28 percent and 21 percent, respectively, according to the state Insurance Department’s 2014 annual report. Texas filed the most hail claims last year, with 51,193, followed by Illinois (43,821 claims); Colorado (42,365); Missouri (23,019); and Nebraska (21,326). Hail damage to homes and cars insured by State Farm totaled $2.4 billion in 2014. While hail storms most frequently strike the Great Plains and Midwest, every state is susceptible, State Farm said. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Severe Storm database, the states that typically have the highest hail risk include Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Peak months for high hail activity are historically March, April, May and June, the NOAA said.