Three Congressmen have released joint letters pleading with Connecticut insurers to participate in a state program aimed at relieving the burdens of homeowners coping with crumbling foundations.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) as well as U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Tuesday they met in July with the region’s larger insurers – Liberty Mutual, State Farm and Allstate — to emphasize the matter’s urgency.
In their letters, they urged the 34 homeowners insurers operating in Connecticut to join the Crumbling Concrete Assistance Program. As of last month, many had declined to join.
The lawmakers also sent letters to the two companies who are participating – Travelers and The Hartford – thanking them for their participation and for sending “a strong message” to fellow insurers about the desperate nature of the situation for many property owners.
Another letter urges the Insurance Association of Connecticut to ask its members to join the program.
Affected homeowners are largely from central and eastern Connecticut.
In May, J.J. Mottes Co. and Becker Construction agreed to stop supplying aggregate for residential foundations for at least one season, following the state’s determination that Becker’s Quarry contains pyrrhotite. The mineral is believed to cause concrete to fail.
The letters to the 34 insurers read, in part: “Failure to enact a workable plan to provide relief will have a lasting impact not just on homeowners and communities, but on all those connected to the housing market, including insurers. We hope that your company will be a constructive and collaborative part of making this plan work in order to provide needed relief to your customers, their neighbors, and our communities.”
