The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Newsday in response to their "Insurers' Retreat is Legal but Nasty" [Editorial, Feb. 21] article was published, with edits, in Sunday’s [March 2] print edition.

The letter was written in Vice President-Operations Tom Thompson's name and expresses State Farm’s disappointment that policyholders were subjected to uncertainty and distress as a result of inaccuracies reported in this editorial.  The letter also details State Farm’s strong presence on Long Island and that State Farm is, in fact, open for business.

Below is a copy of the original letter as it was submitted to Newsday.

Newsday Editor,

We are extremely disappointed that our policyholders were subjected to uncertainty and distress as a result of inaccuracies reported in the Feb. 21 Newsday editorial.  The statement that State Farm Insurance “has decided not to renew any of its home insurance policies on Long Island” is false.

The fact is State Farm has made the difficult decision to not renew a small percentage of homeowner policies in coastal areas of Long Island where there is a high risk of catastrophe exposure. 

This decision will affect approximately 1.5 percent of New York customers over a three to six year period – by no means, all of Long Island. To the contrary, State Farm has increased property insurance coverage on Long Island over the past two years by nearly 50 percent.

Newsday is a highly regarded news source for many Long Islanders and readers across the country.  It is mutually beneficial for both your readers and State Farm’s customers to have accurate information. 

State Farm is open for business and continues to serve millions of customers throughout the state of New York, including Long Island.

Tom Thompson
Vice President of Operations
State Farm Insurance Companies
Ballston Spa, NY