Released: September 20, 2007

Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon and state regulators from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina will host a public hearing next week on insurance issues affecting the Gulf Coast.

The event is sponsored by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and will be held on Monday, September 24 in Mobile, Alabama.

Donelon says he and his fellow NAIC Southeastern Zone commissioners want to hear from the public and insurance company representatives about their concerns with the insurance market in the Gulf Coast. "We know the challenges we're currently facing," says Donelon. "We want to work together to find solutions to the availability and affordability problems all of our states are experiencing."

NAIC President and Alabama Insurance Commissioner Walter Bell says one of the goals of the hearing is to seek input on the steps insurance regulators will take to help ensure stability in the coastal insurance market. "We face common problems that call for a collective solution," Bell added.

Scheduled to offer comments are Alabama Congressman Jo Bonner and representatives from Travelers, State Farm, Renaissance Re, the Municipal Bond Insurance Association and ProtectingAmerica.org.

The public hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, September 24 at The Battle House Renaissance Hotel, 26 N. Royal Street in Mobile, Alabama.

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