A subsidiary of the Chubb Insurance Group...

A subsidiary of the Chubb Insurance Group could be forced to pay more than $16 million in claims to Illinois farmers if the state can prove that the company used deceptive and unfair practices in selling what farmers thought was drought insurance. The state Department of Insurance cited nine alleged violations of Illinois law in administrative charges filed after a four-month investigation of Federal Insurance Co., a Chubb subsidiary. Chubb officials had not seen the charges and could not comment on them, said Gail Devlin, a senior vice president of the company in New York. A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 1 in Springfield, Ill.