Essential Information
- Due to Hurricane Ian, a TWIA policy moratorium may soon be in effect. Read on to find out more.
- Coastal property owners cancelled by Weston can have a TWIA policy issued and request a September 7 effective date, after the policy moratorium is lifted. Applicants cancelled by Weston have until November 6 to get coverage with TWIA under the exceptions in TDI’s emergency rule.
- Agents should enter correct policyholder email addresses during the quote and application process. Policyholders receive an email from TWIA that gets them online access to their policy documents and to online bill pay.
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Dear agent,
Florida is expecting Hurricane Ian to make landfall on Wednesday.
When there is a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, TWIA may have a policy moratorium in effect. A policy moratorium is lifted when the TWIA General Manager determines the storm no longer threatens property anywhere within the TWIA coverage area. TWIA can begin accepting applications at 12:01 a.m. the next day. Read more about policy moratoriums here www.twia.org/moratoriums.
What happens when a TWIA policy moratorium is in effect?
During a policy moratorium:
- TWIA cannot issue any new policies or increase coverage on existing policies or renewals.
- The new Agent Portal will allow agents to begin a quote but the Agent Portal will not allow agents to submit new business applications, make policy changes, or make coverage changes to renewals.
- The new Agent Portal will allow a renewal to process and be issued only if there are no increases in coverage.
What is the best way to submit payment to issue a policy before a policy moratorium is in effect?
- For agents: Electronically through eCheck or EFT. Not only are electronic submissions timely, but they create a timestamp TWIA can use to determine the coverage effective date.
- For policyholders who wish to pay their premium directly to TWIA: The timeliest options are eCheck (free) or credit card (vendor processing fees apply). Please note that policyholders must register their account in the Policyholder Portal before making a payment.
- TWIA must receive both the application and the payment before we can issue a policy or increase coverage on existing/renewal policies. For renewals, if TWIA receives the initial payment within 10 days of its due date, we are able to issue the policy without a lapse in coverage.
What happens when a policy moratorium is lifted?
When the TWIA General Manager determines the storm no longer threatens property anywhere within the TWIA coverage area, the policy moratorium will be lifted. At 12:01 a.m. the next day, TWIA can begin accepting new applications and processing payments received during the policy moratorium. Click here for TWIA payment processing by submission method.
What else should agents know?
- Coastal property owners cancelled by Weston can have a TWIA policy issued and request a September 7 effective date, after the policy moratorium is lifted. Applicants cancelled by Weston have until November 6 to get coverage with TWIA under the exceptions in TDI’s emergency rule. For more details read our latest announcement or visit our FAQ page.
- Agents should enter correct policyholder email addresses during the quote and application process. Policyholders receive an email from TWIA that gets them online access to their policy documents and to online bill pay.
Learn More
Visit the TWIA website to learn more about policy moratoriums. Our Policy Services team is also available to answer any questions you may have. Contact us at agentservices@twia.org or (800) 788-8247. Our normal business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association |
