Carus ‘refuses’ to name its insurance provider, La Salle city officials say

La Salle city officials said Carus will not tell the city who its insurance provider is that is handling claims after the Jan. 11 chemical fire.

Deputy City Clerk Brent Bader asked Carus who its insurance provider is and said the company declined to tell him.

Bader said Carus doesn’t want residents going directly to the insurance company.

“Because we work with several insurance providers and we wanted to avoid unnecessary confusion while streamlining the process, we worked with them to hire the Davies Group to facilitate all claims,” Carus said in a statement Friday.

I assume Carus, as a good partner of the city of La Salle, would’ve presented who’s insuring them. So that’s an issue. It’s a huge issue to residents of the city of La Salle and an affront to a sitting alderman.

—  Alderman Bob Thompson

The Davies Group is a third-party agency that specializes in claims administration support, among other specialties in risk and insurance. Carus said the Davies Group is working with its insurance partners to handle claims.

“I assume Carus, as a good partner of the city of La Salle, would’ve presented who’s insuring them. So, that’s an issue. It’s a huge issue to residents of the city of La Salle and an affront to a sitting alderman,” Alderman Bob Thompson said.

He later added: “They refused the city of La Salle a request as to who their insurance carrier is.”

Thompson, who has professional experience working in the insurance industry, said he spent most of the day Friday on the phone with different people and agencies. Without knowing who the insurance provider is, Thompson said, there’s no way to know whether the insurance adjusters coming to residents’ homes are associated with a state licensed insurance company.

Thompson said he recommends that residents not to talk to anyone who comes to their door unless they show they’re representing a licensed company.

“Make sure you’re getting identification, make sure you’re getting credentials,” La Salle Mayor Jeff Grove said.

Carus said the identity of the adjuster can be verified using the insurance claim number upon arrival at the home.

“Every individual who files a claim receives an email with a personalized claim number and the adjuster’s name,” according to a statement from Carus. “Residents can request that the adjuster verify their name and the resident’s claim number prior to inspecting their home.”

Grove said he and other city officials thought it was “unusual” that Carus didn’t disclose the name of its insurance provider.

“We reached out to [Carus] on our residents’ behalf and on our own behalf to make sure we recoup some expenses from the fire and some testing we’ve been doing, and we want to know how to process those claims,” Grove said.

Carus said Friday that the company has several insurance providers and is not self-insured.

If residents have questions or concerns, Grove said to call City Hall at 815-223-3755 or the La Salle Police Department at 815-223-2131.