Suncorp finalises half of all Cyclone Debbie claims

Suncorp has announced that it has finalised more than half of all claims it has received related to Cyclone Debbie, which made landfall just three months ago.

The major insurer has so far received 18,921 claims, with 1,332 made on commercial property and a further 84 on commercial motor.

Home claims make up the bulk of the total with 15,747 claims so far received – more than 9,000 of which have already been finalised by either completing repairs or via cash settlement.

Anthony Day, CEO insurance at Suncorp, said that home claims in particular were being settled quicker than following previous cyclones such as Yasi in 2011 and Marcia in 2015.

Day noted that the insurer has been able to finalise approximately 100 claims a day, which represents a figure twice as fast as in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi.

“This demonstrates Suncorp’s scale and capacity to respond quickly to severe natural disasters, which helps our customers recover as soon as possible,” Day said.   “We’ve had thousands of claims managers, assessors and trade suppliers on the ground supporting customers and helping impacted communities rebuild.”   Day visited Proserpine and Airlie beach this week to inspect the progress of repairs and meet with customers that had been impacted by the storm.   “There is still much work to be done as many people are still dealing with the aftermath of the cyclone,” Day continued.   “It’s been a very tough time for these communities, but it’s wonderful to see the resilience and strength of north Queenslanders as the recovery process continues.”

Suncorp claims progress from Tropical Cyclone Debbie (as of 30 June 2017)

Home claims received	15747
Motor claims received	1758
Commercial property claims received	1332
Commercial motor claims received	84
Total claims	18921
Full or partial cash settlements paid for Home claims	7777
Number and percentage of claims finalised	9845 (52%)
Repair jobs lodged	9002
Repairs completed	1512
Number of local trades/suppliers used	367

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