LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) – Michigan drivers are collectively $3 billion richer.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says auto insurance companies distributed just over $3 billion worth of refunds to Michigan drivers as of this week. May 9 was the deadline for insurers to send out $400 per vehicle refunds.
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services says the final amount of refunds sent to drivers totaled $3.041 billion. Anyone who hasn’t received their refund should call 1-833-275-3437.
“We were able to put a significant amount of money back in Michiganders’ pockets – something we should all celebrate,” said Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox.
The refunds came after the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association identified a $5 billion surplus collected from annual assessments that all drivers statewide are required to pay.
The catastrophic claims fund reimburses Michigan auto insurance companies for all claims that exceed $600,000.
The association says the surplus came from cost reductions included in a bipartisan auto insurance reform package enacted in 2019. It agreed to distribute $3 billion worth of refunds for drivers and retain $2 billion to ensure adequate funding for badly injured motorists.
All vehicles with a qualifying auto insurance policy in Michigan as of Oct. 31, 2021, were eligible for the refunds distributed this spring.
“Sending out millions of refunds was a massive undertaking for Michigan’s auto insurers, and we recognize their efforts during this important process,” Fox said.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.