New Jersey saw an increase in the number of new insurance companies doing business in the state, and in carriers writing new lines, in 2010, according to state officials.

The state insurance department said that last year it admitted 27 new insurers and extended new business lines to 28 carriers. That number is up nearly eight percent from 2009 when the department approved 51 new admissions and business extensions, and up 25 percent from 2008 when the department approved 44, according to officials.

Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) Commissioner Tom Considine said that included in the 2010 admissions were 10 new commercial insurance carriers, six new workers’ compensation carriers and three new homeowners and auto insurance companies. Extensions were granted in the commercial lines, homeowners and workers’ compensation markets.

In addition, DOBI regulators reported that in 2010 they recovered more than $11.3 million from insurance companies for consumers and returned nearly $9.4 million to medical providers, including doctors and hospitals. Consumers and providers received the payments for claims processing delays, improper handling, and denials of claims, and premium refunds due to improper ratings or failures to return unearned premiums. Insurers made the payments resulting from probes into consumer complaints against licensees, enforcement investigations and errors found during market conduct examinations.

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announced that the Department of Insurance was successful in a variety of actions resulting in over two millions dollars being returned to Delawareans.  They include the prosecuting of complaints on behalf of consumers, providing dispute resolution through arbitration, agency exams and refunds to policyholders who had completed an approved defensive driving course from a major insurer.

The Commissioner said, “During the past two years, I have tried to re-engineer the Department of Insurance into a consumer driven agency.  The success we have had in getting returned to business and individual consumers a total of over two million dollars in 2010 is a first step among a number of enduring initiatives and actions we are taking to better serve the citizens of our state.  In addition to new ideas and initiatives, any success in serving our consumers involves maintaining our success in responding and sustaining our level of vigilance.”