LANSING – Michigan Insurance Commissioner Frank M. Fitzgerald announced that effective November 1, 1999, the Michigan Insurance Bureau will offer a toll free telephone number. Consumers, licensees and any other interested person or entity may now contact the Bureau at 1-877-999-6442.

"Providing excellent customer service is one of the Bureau's top priorities," Fitzgerald said. "I am pleased to offer this toll free telephone service to ensure that the Bureau is even more accessible to consumers throughout the state".

The addition of a toll free number is the latest in a series of Bureau changes designed to accommodate and offer assistance to consumers. The Bureau recently opened a communications center that serves as the initial contact for consumers. Communications center staff are trained to respond directly to most inquiries, eliminating the need to refer consumers to other areas of the Bureau. The center also provides information directly to anyone who visits the Bureau, which is located in the Ottawa state office building at the intersection of Pine and Walnut streets in downtown Lansing.

In a further effort to extend its accessibility, the Bureau also maintains an internet Web site. The Web site provides information about Bureau press releases, bulletins, and news items. The site also provides information about licensed entities and professionals and consumer related services, including publications that are available from the Bureau. The Bureau's Web site address is: www.cis.state.mi.us/ins

The Michigan Insurance Bureau is the primary regulator for over 1,526 domestic, foreign and alien companies. The Bureau, placed within the Department of Consumer and Industry Services, is 100% fee-funded, requiring no public tax dollars for its supervisory, regulatory, licensing, and enforcement activities.