(a) The department shall establish a program for the mediation of the disputes between insured complainants and insurers arising pursuant to any of the following:
(1) A claim that arises under a homeowners’ insurance policy and that involves loss due to a fire for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency pursuant to Section 8558 of the Government Code. The department may refer to mediation any dispute covered by this paragraph in which the parties to the contract wish to discuss possible payments beyond policy limits.
(2) A claim that arises under a policy covering earthquake damage and that involves loss due to an earthquake for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency pursuant to Section 8558 of the Government Code. With respect to disputes arising under this paragraph, the program shall apply only to personal lines of insurance related to residential coverage.
(3) A claim that arises under automobile collision coverage or automobile physical damage coverage, in a policy as defined in Section 660.
(b) The goal of the program shall be to favorably resolve a statistically significant number of disputes sent to mediation under the program. This section shall not apply to any dispute that turns on a question of major insurance coverage or a purely legal interpretation, or any dispute involving the actions of an agent or broker in which the insurer is not alleged to have been responsible for the conduct, or any complaint the commissioner finds to be frivolous, or any dispute in which a party is alleged to have committed fraud.
(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 447, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2006.)