Annual Report of Complaints

A web-based entry form has been established to enable you to easily achieve compliance with the requirement in RSA 417:4 that insurance companies file an annual report of complaints with the Insurance Department. Please note: All items on the entry form marked with "*" are required fields.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need to do this? What must be reported? What is a complaint? The Department Bulletin says we must report Insurance Department and company complaints. What is the difference? How do we send the information to the Department? Can I submit one report for all the companies in our Group? If two companies merge during the review period, should they combine the two company's information and file under the name of the surviving company? What should we do if we’re prompted for complaint data for a line of business we don’t write? When is the last day we can file our data? What happens if we don't submit our data by January 31st? When I have entered all my data, do I need to click the "save" button before I click "submit"? How do I know my data was received? I received a message saying my data was not delivered. What is the problem? I still have problems and questions. Who should I contact?

Why do we need to do this? RSA 417:4 XVII (c) requires insurance companies file an annual report of all complaints with the Insurance Department.

What must be reported? Insurance Department Bulletin, Docket No. INS 04-003-AB dated January 14, 2004 outlines the specific information that must be provided.

What is a complaint? The Department defines a complaint as the formal expression of a grievance, regardless of how it was presented.

The Department Bulletin says we must report Insurance Department and company complaints. What is the difference? Insurance Department complaints are those that were filed by consumers with the Department that your company responded to. Company complaints are those that you resolved directly with the customer, whether or not they were valid, without the involvement of the Department. For example, if two of your customers filed complaints with the Department regarding automobile cancellations, you would place the number 2 in the box for cancellations in the column labeled INSURANCE DEPT. Or, if two of your customers wrote letters of complaint to a member of your management about the cancellation of their automobile policies, you would place the number 2 in the box for cancellations in the column labeled COMPANY.

How do we send our information to the Department? Log into the online application using your company’s 5-digit NAIC code and password provided in our December 14, 2007 e-mail. You will then be provided with a form based on the lines of business your company is licensed to write. For example: if your company is licensed to write the Property & Casualty lines, you will be asked to provide information for the Automobile, Homeowners, and Commercial lines of business.

Can I submit one report for all the companies in our Group? No, you must submit an individual report for each company licensed to write business in the state.

If two companies merge during the review period, should they combine the two company's information and file under the name of the surviving company? The companies should report under the corporate structure that was in effect as of December 31.

What should we do if we’re prompted for complaint data for a line of business we don’t write? Enter the actual counts for the line(s) you write and enter zeros (0) in the area for the line(s) you do not write.

When is the last day we can file our data? Reports are due to the Department by the last day of January for the preceding calendar year.

What happens if we don’t submit our data by January 31st? RSA 417:10 gives the Commissioner the authority to assess an administrative penalty of not more than $2,500 for each violation. We will also report your company’s failure to comply with its statutory obligation to the NAIC’s Regulatory Information Retrieval System.

When I have entered all my data, do I need to click the "save" button before I click "submit"? No. We have included the save option in case you are called away from your desk or need to confirm some of your data and wish to close the application without losing the work you have already done. When you are ready to complete the report, log back in, complete your data entry and click on "submit".

How do I know my data was received? You will receive an online confirmation after you click the button to submit your data. We will also send a confirmation e-mail to the address you provided with the contact information. We recommend you retain the e-mail confirmation as documentation of compliance.

I received a message saying my data was not delivered. What is the problem? The Insurance Department utilizes a reverse "name lookup" as part of the effort to curtail spam, viruses, etc. This means that before accepting incoming mail, the Insurance Department mail server first attempts to validate it is receiving mail from a legitimate mail server. If your email server is not listed with an appropriate public mail server, the incoming message will be rejected. You will need to consult your Information Technology department to correct this situation.

I still have problems and questions. Who should I contact? You may contact Jim Young or Chuck Vanasdalan at the Insurance Department by telephone at (603) 271-2261, or e-mail requests@ins.nh.gov.

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