Date: December 14, 2006
For more information contact: Eileen Mallow, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, (608) 266-7843 or eileen.mallow@wisconsin.gov

Santa's elves hindered with insurance woes this Christmas

Madison, WI—Santa Claus and his elves are in the full swing of holiday preparations. But this year, Santa has his hands full with a multitude of depressed elves.

This year the elves did not consult the state's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) before preparing for the holidays. Now each of the elves has a holiday-related insurance problem that could have been avoided by carefully reading their insurance policy, talking to an agent and planning ahead.

It all began when Bushy Evergreen forgot to shovel the walk leading up to his toy shop. Miss Illtoe went to pay Evergreen a visit, but slipped and fell on the icy walk. Evergreen found out he was liable for shoveling the walk, and his liability coverage - part of his homeowner's insurance - was too low. Miss Illtoe has filed suit.

Pepper Minstix went out for a holiday party and left the holiday candles burning on the nightstand. His house was damaged by the resulting fire, and he discovered he was covered for only the actual cash value of his possessions. Actual cash value is the cost to replace something minus the amount of depreciation resulting from age and wear.

The fire loss included irreplaceable items such as Pepper's antique toboggan and photos of him with Santa and Mrs. Claus, which are difficult and more expensive to insure. Santa showed him a National Fire Prevention Association study saying residential fires started by candles are twice as common in December as in any other month. Pepper will remember to blow the candles out in his new home.

Sugarplum Mary left her presents for her husband and kids by the entry-way table overnight and they were stolen. The gifts would have been covered by her homeowner's insurance policy, but because the same thing happened last year and the year before; her policy was not renewed due to her poor claims history.

Alabaster Snowball and Wunorse Openslae were ice-skating in the park when they broke through the ice. Now they're both facing big hospital bills because they forgot to renew their health insurance policies. Alabaster and Wunorse have been knocking on Santa's door constantly, asking for help.

In response to the elves' insurance woes, Santa has put the list of OCI publications under all the elves doors, along with explicit directions on how to find information on the OCI Web site. "Just go to oci.wi.gov and click on the Publications link," Santa Claus tells his friends. "It's easy, and when you're not worrying about insurance problems you can focus on what Christmastime is really all about."

Created by the Legislature in 1871, Wisconsin's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) is vested with broad statutory authority to ensure that the insurance market place is responsibly and adequately meeting the insurance needs of Wisconsin's citizens. OCI's mission is to lead the way in informing and protecting the public and responding to its insurance needs.