Kansas insurance commissioner reports $202.7 million recovered since 2019, pitches insurance savings accounts and anti-fraud tools

Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt told the Senate Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee on the department’s annual briefing that the Kansas Department of Insurance has recovered $202,700,000 for Kansans since 2019 and recorded $56,700,000 in recoveries in 2025 alone.

Schmidt said those recoveries came through the department’s consumer assistance work and the life-insurance policy locator, and she introduced Lauren Hermas, who leads the consumer assistance staff responsible for the 2025 results. “That’s money back into the hands of Kansas families,” Schmidt said, adding the team’s casework continues to add to 2025 totals as pending matters settle.

The commissioner reviewed a package of operational and legislative priorities the department is advancing. She described multiple revenue reductions implemented since 2019—changes to producer licensing and a two-year moratorium on securities fees—and said the department will seek statutory authority to smooth fee changes for securities registrants so fee levels are more predictable. Schmidt told the committee those fee and tax changes have reduced regulatory burden and…