Insurers in Louisiana have nearly all agreed to the extension of the period in which the state’s homeowners can file actions following last year’s hurricanes.

Louisiana’s insurance commissioner Jim Donelon announced last month that the vast majority of insurers had met the deadline set by his office to agree to the extension of the lawsuit period.

"Given the unprecedented number of insurance claims filed following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, one year has not been enough time for many policyholders and insurance companies to work out a final settlement," said Donelon in a statement.

The impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita left large areas of the state badly damaged and the insurance commissioner had been approached by a number of interest groups asking for an extension of the deadline to enable the homeowners to submit their claims to heavily overloaded courts.