March 22, 2012—The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) recently announced that representatives from the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) will speak during its next open board meeting, which is scheduled for April 24 at the Renaissance Hotel in Oklahoma City, Okla.
The SCRS said Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Insurance Commissioner John Doak issued a statement in April 2011 regarding their intention to revamp and streamline how insurance fraud is investigated and prosecuted in Oklahoma. The statement said in part:
“[Oklahoma] Insurance Department intends to focus on higher-level fraud and other insurance crimes committed by agents and company executives that costs Oklahoma’s ratepayers millions of dollars annually. If you are an agent or a company executive who is violating the trust of Oklahoma’s insurance consumers and the laws of this state, you can expect to be investigated and prosecuted by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and the Attorney General’s Office.”
The OID’s presentation will discuss how its efforts have succeeded over the past year relative to criminal fraud claims against consumers by property and casualty carriers, the SCRS said. Michael Copeland, director of the OID’s Anti-Fraud unit, and Jason Johnston, senior claims processor and reviewer of the OID’s Consumer Assistance team, will conduct the presentation.
Copeland was brought into the OID as a fraud attorney, according to the SCRS. He is responsible for developing and directing investigative procedures to protect Oklahoma consumers from insurance fraud.
Johnston, who joined the OID in 1997, has held several positions within its claims department, including administrative assistant, claims analyst and senior claims analyst, according to the SCRS. As senior claims processor and reviewer, Johnston is responsible for handling difficult complaints and reviewing other property and casualty analysts’ files for quality control purposes.
The OID Consumer Assistance and Claims Division processes and investigates all complaints lodged by the public against insurance companies. The division is also responsible for answering routine requests for information concerning insurance companies and their policies, according to the SCRS. During the SCRS’ board meeting, Johnston will present an overview of the most common consumer complaints received from Oklahoma consumers and the frequency of such complaints. In addition, he will offer suggestions regarding how Oklahoma-based collision repairers can assist the motoring public by dispersing information and solutions offered by the Consumer Assistance Department.
The SCRS is comprised of 6,000 collision repair businesses and 58,500 specialized professionals through its direct members and 39 affiliate associations. For more information, visit scrs.com.
