The New York State Insurance Department upheld 948 consumer complaints against private passenger automobile insurance companies last year, according to the Department’s 2009 Annual Ranking of Automobile Insurance Complaints.

“New York is a very competitive marketplace, so consumers have a wide range of choices when buying automobile insurance,” said Insurance Superintendent James Wrynn.

“Consumers should always compare the policies, prices and performance of multiple insurers before deciding on the insurance company that best meets their needs. The auto ranking is designed to give consumers a yardstick that measures the number of complaints against an individual company as a percentage of that company’s total auto insurance business.”

The ranking shows that 7,237 complaints were filed in 2008 against auto insurance companies or groups of companies. Besides the 948 complaints upheld in favor of consumers, 4,316 complaints were withdrawn or not upheld, and 1,973 were ruled as “question of fact” cases. Question of fact disputes are not counted against insurers because the Department cannot legally determine the facts of these cases.

The numbers indicate that the State upheld one consumer complaint for every $9.7 million in premiums paid.