Report Explains Prudential Plan

Weiss Ratings Inc. has prepared a free advisory report for Prudential Insurance customers who may be entitled to part of a $410 million settlement of class-action litigation filed over misleading sales practices.

Policyholders must act before June 1 in order to participate. About 100,000 Washington residents are affected.

They should already have received a mailing from Prudential, “Answers to Questions You May Have About the Policyholder Remediation Plan,” that outlines the settlement.

But Weiss said the various trade-offs involved are not fully disclosed. Its four-page report, “What Consumers Should Do About The Class Action Settlement Against Prudential,” summarizes that information.

To get a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed envelop to: Weiss Ratings Inc.; 4176 Burns Rd.; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; 33410.

For $2 to cover postage and handling, the report can be received more quickly by calling 1-800-289-9222.

Jim Stevenson, a spokesman for Washington Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, said only 10 percent of those eligible to participate in the settlement have returned the necessary forms to Prudential.

“I think people need all the help they can get,” he said, adding that the paperwork is not complicated.

“All they’ve got to do is mail in the form,” he said.

, DataTimes