Insurance payouts from derecho total more than $1.6 billion

The Iowa Insurance Division says its paid $1.6 billion in insurance payouts for damages caused by a rare wind storm that blew through the state in August.

The agency said Monday that insurance companies paid nearly 160,000 claims as of Nov. 2.

Hundreds of thousands without power days after Midwest storm

The companies are holding more than $1 billion more in reserves for future claims for damages from the derecho, which carried winds up to 140 mph (225 kph).

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said in a news release that his office has received just over 90 complaints out of more than 200,000 insurance claims filed about derecho-related damages.