A Yakima insurance agent and an unauthorized insurance company are barred from doing business in Washington after Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer issued cease-and-desist orders in April.
Those were two enforcement actions during the first quarter in which Kuderer issued fines totaling $167,000 for insurance law violations.
Kuderer’s office investigated Carol E. Perez, the licensee for Perez Insurance Inc. in Yakima, for accepting premiums from a consumer but not forwarding those payments to an insurer for a policy. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner said it revoked her license and the agency’s license after a pair of complaints and her failure to respond to a notification of a financial examination.
The OIC opened an investigation after a consumer alleged Perez wouldn’t provide them with proof of insurance or policy information after the consumer filed a claim on their business liability policy in 2023. The consumer called the insurer, which said the insured hadn’t had an active policy since 2021, despite making premium payments to Perez each month.
The company also told investigators that it had no agreement with Perez’s agency, which had no authority to issue insurance on its behalf.
A second complaint against Perez’s agency stated that a consumer paid their full six-month premium for a life insurance policy, but received a notice of cancellation shortly after the policy was supposed to go into effect. The agency told the consumer there were no issues, but they received a collection notice and learned their payment was returned for insufficient funds.
The OIC opened a financial examination into the company in November of 2025, but notices of the examination were returned undeliverable. Any consumers in the Yakima area who were impacted by Perez’s agency should file a complaint with the OIC.
Kuderer’s office also issued a cease-and-desist order to Kangaroo Security LLC, along with an $80,000 fine, for selling unauthorized insurance plans as part of an app and home security camera system.
Kuderer’s office fined Roo Inc. (doing business as Kangaroo Security LLC) $80,000 and ordered the company to stop selling unlicensed insurance products in Washington.
Kangaroo Security offered two plans that featured theft reimbursement, with losses eligible for coverage if they were in sight of an installed smart camera device. The company told the OIC’s investigators that it does not sell insurance and said its plans are premium features that unlock in its app that accompanies its camera products, with the coverage being a second benefit.
The company’s website featured a “Kangaroo Insurance Coverage Claim Form,” and its plan offerings meet the state’s definition of insurance.
Kangaroo Security reportedly collected $58,061 from consumers with Washington area codes between 2019 and 2025. The company had 573 users and 674 accounts in Washington, which reported 17 total claims. The company sold camera devices to at least 220 Washington consumers with a total of 293 protection plans.
In addition to the fine, the company is ordered to pay outstanding premium taxes, interest, and a 20% penalty on the total amount of past-due taxes.
The company has 90 days from the day the order was filed to request a hearing to appeal the order before it becomes final.
Other first-quarter fines include and offenses reported by the OIC include:
Guideone Elite Insurance Co., West Des Moines, Iowa; fined $55,000
Guideone used incorrect protection classes, applied incorrect grading credits, used incorrect construction years, used an incorrect number of stories, and attached superseded forms to policies. Between 2023 and 2026, the company charged incorrect amounts on 585 policies in Washington.
Integon National Insurance Co., Winston-Salem, N.C.; fined $50,000
The OIC opened a continuum action on Integon in 2024 due to a high volume of complaints from consumers related to claims handling. The OIC requested a log of all the company’s Washington claims closed between Jan. 1 and July 31, 2024. The agency examined 108 randomly selected claims and found claims handling violations on 14 of them.
Foremost Insurance Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.; fined $20,000
The company incorrectly used depreciated labor costs in claims settlements and failed to adopt and implement reasonable standards for processing and paying claims.
Cincinnati Insurance Co., Fairfield, Ohio; fined $25,000
The company issued 1,088 policies using incorrect coverage amount factors.
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, Renton, Wash.; fined $4,000
Kaiser failed to timely file large group negotiated rates.
Metromile Insurance Co., Wilmington, Del.; fined $5,000
Metromile failed to include required adverse notification language in its personal auto adverse action cancellation and nonrenewal notices.
Dental Health Services, Inc., Seattle, Wash.; fined $3,500
Dental Health Services filed large group negotiated rates more than 30 working days after negotiations were complete.
VSP Vision Care, Inc., Rancho Cordova, Calif.; fined $3,000
VSP Vision failed to timely file its large group negotiated rates.
Jackie McFarlin, Othello, Wash.; fined $1,000
Michael Lawson, Dallas, Texas; fined $250
Kristi Moran, Tacoma, Wash.; fined $250 (order 26-0041).
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