www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2007/07/19/81910. -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 7/19/2007
Last Visited: 7/19/2007
"We first became aware of AIG's fraudulent reporting of workers' compensation premium data to the WCRA and MWCIA in the spring of 2005," according to WCRA President & CEO Carl W. Cummins III.Cummins obtained a copy of a memorandum written in 1992 by AIG's former general counsel, as a result of the New York Attorney General's investigation of AIG.That memorandum acknowledged that AIG's workers' compensation business was "permeated with illegality" and revealed that as a part of this illegal conduct, AIG was lowering reinsurance premiums due WCRA.
In a settlement with the State of New York in 2006, AIG agreed to pay $1.64 billion for fraudulent business practices including underpaying workers' compensation premiums.However, the estimated $1.2 million reward that Minnesota would have received under that settlement did not provide compensation to WCRA or MWCIA for the damages they sustained as a result of AIG's false reporting practices.
"We contacted the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Attorney General and, together with MWCIA and other affected Minnesota entities, entered into negotiations with AIG to settle this matter," said Cummins.