A lawsuit in Oklahoma just forced the largest insurer in America to unseal 800,000 pages of internal records. The company spent months trying to keep those pages private. Attorneys for the homeowners suing the insurer say the emails show something troubling. They say executives tracked, in dollars, how much they saved every time they denied a claim. The case involves a roof, not a car. But if you want an honest car insurance claims record before you ever file one, the same warning signs apply to your auto policy today.
What the Unsealed Insurance Documents Actually Show
The case is Neil and Lacy West v. (the insurer), filed in Comanche County, Oklahoma. Oklahoma News 4 reviewed the unsealed emails. The station reports the insurer denied claims 39% of the time. It also reports the company saved more than $15,000 per denied claim. The Wests’ attorney, Reggie Whitten, says the insurer cut indemnity payments by $1.4 billion in one year. Indemnity payments are simply the money an insurer pays policyholders. Whitten calls each of those dollars a person’s claim.
One exhibit is a 2021 letter from Tracy Haus, a Kentucky insurance agent for the company in question. She sent it directly to the company’s then-CEO and CFO. The letter reportedly warned that longtime partners were comparing this insurer to some of its lowest-rated competitors. It also described unhappy calls piling up. A judge lifted the confidentiality order on these documents this August. The judge ruled the insurer hadn’t justified blanket secrecy over every page. The insurer denies any coordinated scheme. The company points to more than $1 billion paid to Oklahoma customers over the past two years. None of this is a final court ruling yet. It’s a set of allegations moving through discovery.
Still, the allegations raise a fair question. If a company tracked and rewarded denial savings on one kind of claim, does that mindset show up elsewhere? Nobody outside that courtroom can answer with certainty. But collision repair professionals have measured something adjacent for years, in a different context entirely.
How to Build a Car Insurance Claims Record Before You Need One
Every year, Crash Network publishes an Insurer Report Card. More than 1,100 collision repair professionals grade the insurers they deal with daily. They come from all 50 states and average 27 years in the industry. This year’s survey produced over 22,000 individual grades across 119 companies. Each grader answers one question. Does this insurer’s claims handling, attitude, and payment practice protect your repair and your experience?
The insurer in question earned a D-plus this year. That’s down from a C-minus the two years before. Out of 91 ranked insurers, they finished 85th. It scored worst among the ten largest auto insurers in the country. The average score across every graded company was 680, a C-plus. this insurer scored 298, more than 380 points below that average. Those ten largest insurers collect roughly three-quarters of every premium dollar drivers pay nationwide. Plenty of drivers are covered by a company shops rate near the bottom.
Why Direct Repair Program Grades Can Mislead You
Shops inside this insurer’s own direct repair program gave the company a B-minus. Shops with no referral relationship gave the same company a D-minus. That’s a full letter grade and a half lower. Direct repair shops depend on steady referral volume. That creates real pressure to grade a partner kindly. Shops outside that arrangement have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. Their grade tends to be the more honest signal.
About two out of three surveyed shops said this insurer’s claims process runs less efficiently than its competitors’. That usually means customers pay more out of pocket beyond their deductible. Shops also reported a pattern among lower-graded insurers. Those companies push harder for used or aftermarket parts instead of manufacturer-recommended ones. They skip required repair steps more often too.
The episode above covers the Oklahoma case and the Insurer Report Card data in more depth. It also includes the regional Colorado breakdown below.
A Free Second Opinion: The NAIC Complaint Index
The Report Card reflects what repair professionals see. A separate free tool reflects what regulators see. Every state’s Department of Insurance tracks a complaint index for insurers licensed there. Colorado residents can find theirs through doi.colorado.gov. Search for “complaint index” or “complaint ratio” along with your insurer’s name.
A score of 1.0 marks the baseline average. Anything above 1.0 means a company draws more complaints than expected for its size. Anything below 1.0 means fewer. One caveat matters here. This number is calculated state by state. It’s also often tied to a specific corporate entity underneath a familiar brand name, not automatically your exact policy type. Look up your own state and your own line of coverage. Don’t trust a figure quoted elsewhere.
This index isn’t limited to auto policies. If your homeowner’s coverage ever denies a hail claim, the same complaint index applies there too. That’s exactly the scenario at the center of the Oklahoma case. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners maintains the framework state regulators use for this data. Its consumer resources are a solid starting point if your own state’s site is confusing.
What a Low Grade Actually Means for Your Repair
OEM Parts vs. Aftermarket Shortcuts
Most auto policies default to “like kind and quality” coverage. That legally permits aftermarket, recycled, or salvage parts. It applies unless you added and paid for an OEM parts endorsement, usually a modest premium increase. Whatever parts language you agreed to is the contract that binds you. Most drivers never read that section closely enough to know which version they signed.
This isn’t only a cosmetic issue. Modern vehicles carry advanced driver assistance systems. That includes forward-facing cameras mounted behind the windshield for lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking. Those systems need precise calibration. Calibration accuracy partly depends on parts that match the manufacturer’s original specifications. An insurer that pushes for the cheaper part is making a choice. So is an insurer that skips a required procedure to save money. Either one can shape how your car performs in your next accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety publishes independent research on repair quality and parts choice. It’s a useful resource when your shop and insurer disagree about what a repair requires. A single calibration can run several hundred dollars. Skipping it to save money on a claim shifts risk onto you, not your insurer.
Why Colorado Drivers Should Pay Extra Attention
Crash Network breaks its data down by region too. In the Rocky Mountain region, six insurers scored high enough for the honor roll. They were Chubb, Amica, Mutual, Pure Insurance, Acuity, and AIG Private Client. Chubb earned an A+, essentially a perfect score. Amica scored an A. Pure and Acuity both scored A-minus. The questionable insurer didn’t score high enough in this region to make that list at all.
These aren’t obscure names. They’re real insurers selling real policies in Colorado. Shops rate them well above several heavily advertised household brands. For broader context, consider North Carolina Farm Bureau. It has topped the national report card for seven straight years with a flat A+. It sells policies in only one state. That proves a grade like that has nothing to do with a company’s ad budget.
Did your roof and your vehicle both take damage in the same Colorado hailstorm? You may already be running two separate claims with the same insurer at once. The incentive structure behind a denied roof claim in Oklahoma is the same structure behind a corner-cut auto claim in Colorado. It’s just showing up in two different lines of coverage.
What to Do If You’re Already Mid-Claim
Checking a company’s record before you buy is the easiest version of this work. Here’s what helps once you’re already in a claim that isn’t going your way.
Put Everything in Writing
If an adjuster tells you something over the phone, send a follow-up email confirming what they said. That way a record exists. Ask for the specific reason behind any denial or reduced payout in writing. Don’t settle for a verbal explanation you can’t reference later.
Understand Your Appraisal Clause
Most auto policies include an appraisal clause. When you and your insurer disagree on repair costs, either side can invoke it. That clause brings in independent appraisers to settle the number. It replaces whatever the adjuster offered first. Ask your agent directly whether your policy includes one. Use it if you need to.
Get a Second Opinion Outside the Network
A shop with no referral relationship to protect has no reason to defend a repair method it disagrees with. Suppose your shop says an insurer wants a method that doesn’t match the manufacturer’s procedures. Treat that as worth a second opinion. Document it too.
File a Complaint If You’re Stonewalled
Every state’s Department of Insurance runs a complaint process. It’s the same one behind the complaint index above. You can file a complaint on an active claim right now, not only as research before buying a policy. That complaint becomes part of the same kind of public record now surfacing in Oklahoma.
Quick Reference: Questions to Ask Before You Renew
- What is my insurer’s Crash Network Insurer Report Card grade this year?
- What is my insurer’s complaint index in my state, for my exact type of policy?
- Does my policy default to “like kind and quality” parts, or do I carry an OEM parts endorsement?
- Does my policy include an appraisal clause, and do I know how to invoke it?
- Would my own body shop recommend this insurer to their own family?
The Bottom Line
The auto insurance industry spent $11.5 billion on advertising in 2024 alone. None of that spend helps you in a parking lot after an accident. Do this before your next renewal, not after your next accident. Pull the Crash Network Insurer Report Card. Check your state’s complaint index. Ask your body shop which insurer they’d want covering their own family. Those three habits build a car insurance claims record that actually protects you. They cost nothing but a few minutes.