Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 10/22/2009

Question
Hi my name is Jeanelle, last friday my car was stole from in front of my apartment and was burned. The police found my car at 2 am that morning and never called me to let me know what was going on. I woke up the next morning to find my car gone I repoted my car stolen and they told me what happen to my car. I had to go to the inpound to id my car and it was nothing but a frame.I called the insurance company and they asked me questions about if my rent was paid up to date if i had any outstanding bills, when was the last time I seen my car and if all my keys was accounted for. All this happen 6 days ago and I have not heard from my insurance company what should I look forward to with them.

Answer
Hi Jeanelle,

Whenever there is a fire or theft claim, the insurance company can take up to 60 days to investigate and then decide if they are going to pay or deny the claim. In this type of a claim the insurance company always suspects that the vehicle owner had something to do with it. That is why they asked you the financial questions. The insurance company will likely send you some forms to fill out. They will check your credit report and your bank accounts to see if you had a financial motive to set your car on fire to collect the insurance money. It's not personal, it's just what insurance companies do.

You can call them to ask what the next steps are, however, if you act too anxious they will become suspicious of that as well.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh