20th Century to Pay Rebates, Drop Lawsuit

Twentieth Century Insurance Co., which has led the insurance industry’s six-year war on Proposition 103, threw in the towel Friday, agreeing to drop its legal challenge to the 1988 rate-cutting initiative and pay its policyholders rebates of as much as $78 million.

Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, in his third week in office, claimed the settlement as a key victory and the first installment on his campaign pledge to deliver all remaining Proposition 103 refunds within the first six months of his term.

Also on Friday, Quackenbush reversed one of the final decisions of his predecessor, John Garamendi, and granted State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., California’s largest property insurer, a 5.7% rate hike on its homeowners insurance policies. The action will mean average annual increases of about $20 apiece to the 1.5 million California policyholders, a State Farm spokesman said.

In the 20th Century settlement, the Woodland Hills-based insurer agreed to pay an initial $46 million in rebates, about $80 apiece to people who held its auto policies between November, 1988, and November, 1989, according to separate announcements Friday from Quackenbush and 20th Century.

But the earthquake-battered company will hold $32 million in reserve pending resolution of Northridge earthquake claims. If total claims exceed $950 million, the reserve will be tapped. Whatever remains from the $32 million after next Dec. 31 will be rebated to policyholders, according to the agreement.

“It’s a win-win-win situation,� Quackenbush said in a telephone interview Friday. “We have a solvent, low-cost carrier still doing business in California, policyholders get their rebates, and earthquake claims will be paid.�

A consumer group attacked the deal as too generous to 20th Century.

“Policyholders are getting as little as 38% of what they should,� said Gina Calabrese of the Proposition 103 Enforcement Project. She noted that Garamendi had originally ordered 20th Century to pay $78 million, plus interest penalties that would now total $44 million.

Although 20th Century agreed to drop out of the Proposition 103 case, it is not necessarily the end of the legal fight. State Farm and other carriers remain as intervenors in the case and have not yet decided whether to pursue it.

The California Supreme Court last August unanimously rejected 20th Century’s challenge to Garamendi’s Proposition 103 regulations. Several weeks ago, 20th Century petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the California decision. State Farm and the others joined in the request.

Twentieth Century’s most recent estimate of Northridge losses is $900 million. Quackenbush said he doubts the figure will climb past $950 million and that the full $32 million in additional rebates will ultimately be paid.

On State Farm, Quackenbush said he accepted the 5.7% rate increase that an Insurance Department administrative law judge had recommended for the company in early December after more than a year of hearings. Garamendi overruled the judge, saying that the rate hike would result in “excess profits.�