Illinois
Dozens of homeowners say insurance companies lowballed or denied roof damage claims from hail
CHICAGO (WLS) — Dozens more people are saying their insurance claims for roof damage from hail in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana were either lowballed or flat-out denied.
READ MORE: Lake County, Indiana couple battles State Farm for months over roof repairs for hail damage
The Illinois Department of Insurance is now urging consumers to come forward with their complaints so they can hold all insurance companies to their policies.
Jen and Phil Hibbard are among those who have contacted the I-Team saying their insurance company left them high and dry. The Crown Point, Ind., couple said their home suffered three hail events over the last year and their roof damage was estimated at about $23,000.
But the couple said their insurance company, State Farm, denied their claims and then dropped them. They had made three hail claims in the last three years, but only four total claims in the last 19 years.
“State Farm was choosing not to renew our homeowners’ policy because we’ve made too many claims–It was devastating,” said Jen Hibbard.
Yolanda Castrejon of Skokie said quarter-sized hail caused more than $10,000 in damage to her roof last spring, but Allstate sent her a check in the mail for just $105.
“I was very upset. Disappointed most of all,” she said.
According to research by the ABC7 Data Team, the state of Illinois has received more than 3,000 home insurance complaints since January 2022. State Farm has been leading home insurance complaints since 2022 with 1,224 or 36.8% of the total complaints. Allstate has the second most complaints since 2022 at 515, or 15.5% of the total.
Dana Popish Severinghaus, head of the Illinois Department of Insurance, said consumers experiencing problems with their insurance company should file a complaint.
“We’re basically the front line for consumers who need help getting an answer,” she said.
You can call, or submit a complaint online or in person. Once it’s processed, the insurance company has 21 days to respond to the complaint. It then takes the Illinois Department of Insurance four to six weeks to investigate a complaint.
“We look to see if an insurance law has been violated, or if the company is not abiding by the guidelines in the policy, then we request corrective action,” Severinghaus said.
Once a decision is made, the agency will send you a determination letter.
In a statement, State Farm said in part, “Following severe spring weather in Indiana and Illinois, State Farm continues to assist our customers. Year to date we have received over 83K catastrophe claims (excluding auto), and we have paid out over $800 million (also excluding auto) in these two states alone.”
They also added that “State Farm serves more customers in the state of Illinois than any of our competitors.”
Allstate said it addressed Castrejon’s claim according to her policy, and added, “We are the second largest home insurer in Illinois according to the state and are rated as one of the best home insurers in Illinois.”
But these homeowners still feel let down.
“Always paid our premiums on time. We did the cars, we did an umbrella policy, we did the house, everything. For them to look at us and go nope, it’s very disheartening,” said Phil Hibbard.
When filing a complaint with your state’s department of insurance, include as many details as possible, including pictures and videos if you have them.
How to file an insurance complaint in Illinois or Indiana
To file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance, call 866-445-5364 or click here.
To file a complaint with the Indiana Department of Insurance, call 800-622-4461 or click here.
Illinois
Illinois and Michigan State meet in Champaign, both looking to end 2-game skids
Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) at Illinois (6-3, 3-3), Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Illinois by 3.
Series record: Michigan State leads 27-19-2.
What’s at stake?
Illinois lost to No. 1 Oregon and Minnesota in its last two games, knocking the Illini out of the AP Top 25 poll after seven straight weeks. The Illini face three teams with a combined 13-14 record (Michigan State, Rutgers and Northwestern) to end the regular season and wins could improve their bowl destination. Michigan State lost to rival Michigan and Indiana the past two games to fall under .500. The Spartans have Purdue and Rutgers to close out the season and have a chance to land a bowl bid to cap Jonathan Smith’s first year as coach.
Key matchup
Illinois’ offense struggled in the back-to-back losses, scoring just 26 points. The Illini are averaging 25.9 points per game. Illinois will face a Michigan State defense that allows 323.6 yards per game, No. 30 in the nation, and has held five opponents under 300 yards.
Players to watch
Illinois: Luke Altmyer has thrown just three interceptions, the lowest total of any starting QB in the Big Ten. But turnovers were an issue for him against Minnesota. He lost two fumbles while being sacked, including one deep in Gophers’ territory with 29 seconds left that ended the Illini’s final scoring opportunity in the 25-17 loss. Coach Bret Bielema said after the game that Altmyer’s ball security would be a point of emphasis in practice.
Michigan State: Freshman receiver Nick Marsh ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 16.8 yards per catch and is seventh in the conference with 69.1 receiving yards per game. He leads the Spartans in receiving yards (553) and is second in receptions (33). His receiving yards are the most by a freshman in Michigan State history (Cody White, 490, 2017).
Facts & figures
LB Dylan Rosiek, Illinois’ leading tackler, suffered a broken leg against Minnesota and is out for the season. … Michigan State’s schedule is the 11th toughest in the nation, according to the NCAA. Opponents have a .649 winning percentage. … The Spartans have won 16 of the last 20 games against Illinois. … Michigan State has two running backs — Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and Nathan Carter — with more than 2,000 career rushing yards. They are one of just 10 RB duos in the country with more than 2,000 career yards on the ground. … The Spartans have a strong kicking game. Jonathan Kim is 17 of 19 on field goals. He’s seventh in the nation in field goals made. Ryan Eckley is the top punter in the Big Ten, averaging 49.2 yards per punt. … Illinois has an outstanding placekicker in David Alano, who is perfect on 24 PATs and 14 of 17 on field goals.
Illinois
3 Interesting Trends for Michigan State vs. Illinois
Michigan State will be looking to get back to .500 this weekend when it faces Illinois on the road. Not only would a win give the Spartans an even record with two games to go, but it would bring them one step closer to a bowl game, a bid that requires just two more victories.
Let’a look at three interesting trends heading into the contest:
Michigan State is 4-1 in its last five trips to Illinois
Dating back to 2005, when the Spartans made the trip to Champaign, Illinois, they were successful. Michigan State has gotten the best of Illinois, winning four of their last five matchups.
In those five games, Michigan State has completely dominated Illinois, outscoring the Fighting Illini by 100 points, 177-77.
Most recently, the Spartans beat the No. 16 Fighting Illini 23-15, in November 2022. That game marks the last ranked win for the Spartans.
This will be the first time Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith will face off against Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini.
The Spartans’ recent struggles on the road
The Spartans have had chances for statement victories on the road over the past few years but they are 3-11 on the road since the departure of Kenneth Walker.
This season, the Spartans did have an impressive win at Maryland, but the Terrapins aren’t known for their home atmosphere, which was mostly Spartans fans back in September.
Michigan State has been tested on the road this season with losses to Boston College, Oregon and Michigan. The Spartans had their chances to win those games, but ultimately, too many turnovers caught up to Michigan State.
Michigan State have been underdogs in all four away games this season and against Illinois, the Spartans are three-point underdogs.
The difference in response after bye week
Both teams are coming off of their second bye week of the season. Looking back, both teams responded differently after their first bye week.
The Spartans came out strong off their bye in mid-October, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes, 32-20.
The Michigan State defense played well, limiting the Hawkeyes to zero first-half points and relatively shutting down running back Kaleb Johnson, the best back in the conference.
This bright spot for the Spartans is in their lone win since September and the best they’ve looked all season. It is possible the bye week had something to do with the Spartans’ performance against Iowa.
On the other hand, Illinois stumbled out of the bye week, with a nail-biting 50-49 overtime win over Purdue, the consensus worst team in the Big Ten.
The Fighting Illini defense was shuttered, allowing over 500 yards of offense to a poor Boilermakers’ offense.
If both teams play to the level they did coming off their first bye week, then Michigan State will have the advantage.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Illinois
Tomislav Ivisic scores 20 points and Illinois overcomes 18 turnovers to beat Oakland
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Tomislav Ivisic scored 20 points, Ben Humrichous added 10 and Illinois overcame 18 turnovers to beat Oakland 66-54 on Wednesday night.
Illinois has started a season 3-0 for the fourth time under Brad Underwood, and the second time in three seasons after starting the 2022-23 season 4-0.
Illinois had its lead trimmed to 38-36 early in the second half before going on a 17-4 run for a 55-40 lead. Ivisic started the run, that included 11 straight points, with three made field goals. Oakland was just 2 of 10 from the field during the run.
Ivisic was 9 of 14 from the field, while the rest of his teammates combined to go 14 of 41.
Jayson Woodrich scored 11 points and DQ Cole added 10 for Oakland (1-2). The Grizzlies shot just 38% from the field, including 4 of 25 from 3-point range.
Oakland also turned it over 18 times.
Both teams play a top-five team in their next game. Oakland plays at top-ranked Kansas on Saturday. Illinois has a week off before playing at No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 20 in the C.M. Newton Classic.
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