March 6, 2015. The number of claims Sverdlovsk Region residents laid against insurance companies rose by 43% last year, Chairman of Sverdlovsk Region Court Alexander Dementiev said at a press conference today.

Dementiev explained most of the civil suits involving insurers had to do with third-party liability car insurance payments. In 2014, courts made insurance companies pay their plaintiffs 730m RUR altogether.

Besides, the number of civil suits relating to unpaid housing bills went up by 30%in 2014. Sverdlovsk Region residents were obliged to pay a total of 1.3bn RUR worth of debts.

In addition, the number of claims relating to consumer rights protection increased by 22% compared with a year earlier, and that relating to payments due to Russia’s Retirement Fund went up by 15%. The Fund received 1.3bn RUR worth of payments as a result.

The number of civil suits processed within Sverdlovsk Region rose by 11% altogether compared with the year 2013 and came to 387,000 RUR.