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Holocaust-era insurance programs
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Holocaust-era insurance programs |  | |
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Generali's Payment Programs for World War II and Holocaust Era Insurance Policies
Assicurazioni Generali has expressed profound sympathy for the immeasurable suffering
endured by its former policyholders, their families who were victims of Nazi persecution.
Generali has long been engaged in a voluntary worldwide effort to respond to inquiries
and make payments on World War II-era policies to Holocaust victims and their
family members. This substantial effort is ongoing to this day.
In 1997, Generali established its Policy Information Center at its Trieste headquarters, to provide information on policies issued by former
Generali branches in Central and Eastern Europe where insureds or beneficiaries
may have perished in the Holocaust. Generali branches in these regions were nationalized
by the Communist governments that came into power immediately after WWII, and
consequently Generali lost ownership of the assets held in these countries as
reserves for payment of the policies (the insureds' policies themselves also were
nationalized). Generali decided for humanitarian reasons to make payments on these
policies to insureds and heirs, using the information of the Policy Information
Center.
Also in 1997, Generali committed to fund an independent trust (The Generali Fund in Memory of the Generali Insured in East and Central Europe
Who Perished in the Holocaust), in Jerusalem, which made voluntary payments in respect of WWII-era policies to
Holocaust victims and their heirs. The trust was chaired by two former members
of the Israeli judiciary and operated under standards established and applied
by the Knesset (Parliament) of Israel. The trust ceased its activities in December
2008
In 1998, Generali was a founding member of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims ( ICHEIC – www.icheic.org/ ), which was established to identify and pay claims to policyholders and their
heirs. ICHEIC was chaired by former US Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger
and it included as members or observers the US Government, the State of Israel,
the World Jewish Congress, the World Jewish Restitution Organization, the US National
Association of Insurance Commissioners, European restitution organizations, and
representatives of major European insurance companies including Generali.
Generali’s Policy Information Center played a vital role in the search and resolution of tens of thousands of enquiries
and claims.
In 2007, Generali voluntarily entered into a class action settlement approved by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after the lower
court had already dismissed all of the cases and claims against it. According
to its terms, Generali agreed to process new inquiries and claims, with Court
supervision, under ICHEIC's standards. By December 2010, Generali had processed
all the claims and inquiries submitted under the settlement, which is now closed.
In 2008, at the request of the US Congress, Generali and other insurers committed
to continue in the future to accept and process claims and inquiries, using these
same standards. This commitment is open-ended - there is no deadline to approach Generali.
Information Regarding Inquiries or Claim Applications
Anyone wishing to submit an inquiry or claim application to Generali may download
and complete the form for which a link is provided below. Completed forms, enclosing
copies of any relevant documents you may have, should be sent to the following
address by mail, e-mail or fax:
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A.
Policy Information Center
Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi 2
34136 Trieste – Italy
 +39 040 671536
Generali will process your inquiry or application and will subsequently write
to you with the result of our examination. Please bear in mind that the following
inquires cannot be accepted:
- If the ancestor for whom the application is filed was not a victim of the Holocaust;
- If you believe that the (potential) policy was purchased in Germany, Belgium
or The Netherlands, which have established separate national funds addressing
Holocaust-related compensation claims for insurance policies issued there. In
this case comprehensive information can be found online at the following websites:
for Germany www.gdv.de , for Belgium www.combuysse.fgov.be, for The Netherlands www.stichting-sjoa.nl
- If seeking humanitarian assistance. Payments are made only with respect to unpaid
insurance policies issued by Assicurazioni Generali and/or its former affiliated
companies. Those seeking humanitarian assistance for Holocaust survivors should
contact the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference),
www.claimscon.org/
Any questions or other inquiries about any of the foregoing should be directed to the Policy Information Center at the address provided above.
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| Formulaire en Français | |
[ 144 kb ]
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| Formulario in italiano | |
[ 145 kb ]
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last update on 22-06-2011 17:16
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Focus
Sustainability Report 2011
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