State Farm refunded 91,000 Virginia drivers

State Farm refunded about 91,686 Virginia auto policyholders after the insurer found an error in one of its own rate filings and reported it to state regulators. The refunds totaled about $2.5 million, or roughly $27.55 per affected policyholder, according to accounts citing the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance and State Farm. The issue involved a filing tied to 2022 model vehicles. State Farm said it reported the mistake after identifying it internally and worked with regulators to correct it. ### How did the overcharge happen? Virginia’s Bureau of Insurance allows insurers to use a “file and use” system for rates, meaning companies can begin using a filing while regulators review it. In that system, insurers still have to use rating elements that have been properly filed for use in Virginia, according to the bureau’s public description of its filing system and reporting on the case. (liveinsurancenews.com) The State Farm filing at issue ran 432 pages and covered updates for 2022 model vehicles, according to Live Insurance News, which cited the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s reporting. Unapproved underwriting symbols were included in that filing, and the Bureau of Insurance determined that their use led to overcharges for 91,686 policyholders. ### What exactly are “underwriting symbols” in this case? (liveinsurancenews.com) The Virginia filing system uses rate and form submissions to document how insurers price and classify risks. Live Insurance News described the symbols in State Farm’s filing as coding used to translate vehicle risk characteristics into rating factors. The problem, according to that account, was not that State Farm updated rates for a new model year, but that it used symbols not previously accepted for use in Virginia. (liveinsurancenews.com) State Farm corrected the filing after reporting the issue, according to the same account. The company told the Richmond Times-Dispatch: “When we identified this unintentional error, we promptly reported it to the regulator and worked quickly to resolve it for the benefit of our customers.” ### Did Virginia regulators force the refunds? The Virginia Bureau of Insurance opened an investigation in 2023 based on a voluntary self-report from State Farm, according to a State Corporation Commission fact sheet surfaced in search results. (liveinsurancenews.com) That means the matter began with the insurer’s own disclosure rather than a public enforcement action triggered by a complaint, at least as described in the available records and reporting. Virginia’s public regulatory-actions page says investigations may be prompted by market analysis, consumer complaints, failure to follow rate or form filings, violations found in examinations, or an insurer’s internal compliance audit. State Farm did not appear in the visible recent entries on that page, which were led by other insurers and mostly health-plan matters. (scc.virginia.gov) ### How large were the refunds? State Farm’s restitution totaled about $2.5 million for 91,686 policyholders, according to multiple reports that cited the Virginia matter. That works out to an average refund of about $27.55 per affected driver. The policyholders affected were Virginia drivers insured under personal auto coverage tied to 2022 model vehicles, according to the reporting. (scc.virginia.gov) The available accounts do not indicate a broader multistate action tied to the same filing issue. ### Where would a Virginia policyholder look next? Virginia’s State Corporation Commission says consumers with insurance problems can contact its Bureau of Insurance and file a complaint through the agency’s consumer page. (liveinsurancenews.com) The bureau also maintains a public search engine for rate and form filings and a records page for obtaining public documents. As of June 4, 2026, the public reporting on the case points to the 2023 self-report, the corrected filing, and the completed refunds as the main documented steps. (liveinsurancenews.com) Further records, if sought, would likely come through the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s public-documents and insurance-filing systems. (scc.virginia.gov 1) (scc.virginia.gov 2)