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Louisiana Department of Insurance
02/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/03/2026 13:28
February 3, 2026 - Commissioner Temple Announces $1M in Premium Repayments and Maximum Fine for Metairie Producer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2026
Commissioner Temple Announces $1M in Premium Repayments and Maximum Fine for Metairie Producer
Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple announced today that Metairie surety bond producer Alexander Ellsworth and his agency, Ellsworth Corporation, will refund over $1.2 million in premium payments and pay a fine of $250,000 for fraudulently charging his customers fees in excess of the lawful premium quoted by their insurance companies. The $250,000 fine is the maximum allowed by Louisiana law.
These actions follow a cease-and-desist order and notice of revocation and fineissued in June of 2023, which was in the appellate process until an agreement was reached on Jan. 28, 2026.
"Construction companies require commercial surety bonds before beginning construction projects and rely on licensed agents to lawfully and fairly handle their policy transactions with insurance companies," said Commissioner Temple. "For an agent to profit from breaking Louisiana's insurance laws violates that trust and will not be tolerated. I appreciate the good work of the Louisiana Department of Insurance Office of Insurance Fraud in investigating this matter."
More information is available on the Regulatory Stipulation Agreement.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of insurance fraud should contact the LDI Office of Insurance Fraud at 225-342-4956 or report it online at https://www.ldi.la.gov/reportfraud.
About the Louisiana Department of Insurance: The Louisiana Department of Insurance works to improve competition in the state's insurance market while assisting individuals and businesses with the information and resources they need to be informed consumers of insurance. As a regulator, the LDI enforces the laws that provide a fair and stable marketplace and makes certain that insurers comply with the laws in place to protect policyholders. You can contact the LDI by downloading our LDIConnect mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, calling us at 800-259-5300 or visiting www.ldi.la.gov.
Louisiana Department of Insurance published this content on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 03, 2026 at 19:28 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]