TOM HUDSON: As you only heard, a few businesses say their claims to the BPcompensation account were denied without explanation. Others got checks, butnot a reason is to agreement amount. Our Darren Gersh not long ago spokewith Ken Feinberg, the director of BP’s $20 billion fund. Darrenbegan by asking if there’s a complaint with the way the account pays out claims.
KENNETH FEINBERG, ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. OIL SPILL CLAIMS: Well, there’sa problem. First of all, one complaint is the perfect extend of the numberof claims. We have received in the past 9 months, 800,00 claims in justnine months for all over 50 states. So there might be a few businesses thataren’t getting the sort of tailored, individualized treatment that theyexpect. That’s a mistake. We try to minimize the number of those. We havetaken great stairs in the past two months to compromise that problem.
DARREN GERSH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: I know you don’tcomment on definite claims, but can you give us sort of an e.g. of whysomebody who might contention a $500,000 claim would obtain $4,000 and not muchexplanation about that? Why might that happen?
FEINBERG: It will happen. If the $500,000 petitioner provides a taxreturn that shows that they reported $4,000 value of distinction in income. Imean, the large complaint I’ve got in the Gulf, between the design of theclaimant in a few cases asking for $500,000 and only getting $4,000 is howdo you infer that a $500,000 loss scored equally to the spill? And if you do that,we will pay you and have paid you $500,000.
GERSH: Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood mentioned the Gulf coastclaims facility, that you run, paid quote, hardly 3 percent of interimbusiness claims and 9 percent of particular meantime claims for economicdamages from the brief and he says that you have quote, unreasonabledemands for papers and you’re using those final for papers as anexcuse to spin down claims.
FEINBERG: He can say whatever he wants. I mean, what basement does hehave for adage this? Now, it’s loyal that many, many more people haveasked for rapid payments, no serve proof, no serve explanation required,$5,000 for individuals, $25,000 for businesses. We have opted over — over100,000 people have opted for that choice since they’ve possibly alreadybeen sufficient compensated by the account and right away they’re forthcoming back againor they simply cannot infer their damage.
GERSH: Officials opposite the Gulf are adage that the — you’re tooslow and you’re using sort of people who are in apocalyptic straits, usingpressure on them to obtain them to record rapid claims or not press their claimsin court.
FEINBERG: Since last November 23, you have received about 300,000claims, 300,000. We have processed to date over two-thirds of those claims.We are pulling allowance out the door. And when anybody, a open authorized oran inaugurated authorized or any person else says to me that you are encouragingpeople to take a rapid remuneration since you do not wish them to take otherpayments and you’re raising the club of documentation, what indication isthere of that? That is not true. It is simply posturing.
GERSH: Roughly half of the rapid claims as I understand, you haveturned down. What’s the principal reason for branch them down?
FEINBERG: No proof.
GERSH: So they only say, I only have a loss and there’s definitely nodocumentation?
FEINBERG: We have about 100,000 claims with no explanation whatsoever, justa claim form. And when you say affix your explanation of damage, they’ll eitherprovide nothing or a fishing permit or a sketch of them fishing.That’s their proof. Now, that’s 100,000. Then we’ve got a couple of hundredthousand people that send in examine stubs, outing tickets, taxation returns,documenting their damage, but, A., they do not always denote that thatdamage is caused by the oil spill.
GERSH: No great help goes unpunished, but on the other side, peopleare adage you’ve paid out 170,000 rapid claims. Does that urge on fraudthat you’re profitable out so many claims so quickly?
FEINBERG: Well, I mean, I regard that rascal is an ever-presentproblem. We have had about 8,000 suspicious-looking claims and you probablysent to the crook rascal section at Justice Department about 1,000. Sowe’re ever observant about fraud.
GERSH: Ken Feinberg, director of the Gulf Coast claims facility.Thank you for your time.
FEINBERG: Thank you.
