Hail Storms: The Top 5 States and Cities for Insurance Claims

Introduction

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released a three-year analysis of insurance claims associated with hail storms in the United States. According to the NICB review of claims data from ISO ClaimSearch®, there were a total of 2.9 million hail loss claims in the United States from 2016 through 2018.

Top States and Cities for Hail Loss Claims

The top five states for hail loss claims were Texas (811,381), Colorado (395,025), Nebraska (163,336), Missouri (153,403), and Kansas (146,206). The top five cities for hail loss claims during that period were San Antonio, Texas (75,187), Colorado Springs, Colorado (67,920), Omaha, Nebraska (52,803), Denver, Colorado (48,357), and Plano, Texas (42,659).

Policy Types and Useful Tips

Of the five policy types providing hail loss coverage, Personal Property-Homeowners was the most affected with 1,657,663 claims or 57 percent of the three-year total. It was followed by Personal Auto with 898,500 claims and Personal Property – Farm with 149,215 claims. Brooke Kelley, NICB vice president of communications, advises policyholders to use caution when selecting a contractor or other workers to help repair their property or replace their windshield following a storm. Some helpful tips include getting more than one estimate, not being pushed into signing a contract right away, getting everything in writing, requiring references and checking them out, and asking to see the contractor’s driver’s license and writing down the number and the license plate on his or her vehicle.