What’s changed so far?

As of September 1:

• Claims Deadlines – The Commissioner of Insurance has the authority to extend policyholder claim deadlines at his discretion and extend claim deadlines applicable to TWIA arising from a particular storm up to 120 days.

• Adjuster Changes – A contractor may not act as a public adjuster for any property for which they are already providing or may provide contracting services. In addition, adjusters must not use a different name than the one on their adjuster license.

• Board Disclosures – New rules will help the public better understand the affiliations of our Board of Directors and prevent the appointment of Board members representing the public with conflicts of interest.

Already in Effect:

• Surplus Lines Changes – As of June 14, eligible surplus lines insurers may provide windstorm and hail insurance in TWIA’s coverage areas, but a policy declination from a surplus lines writer does not count toward TWIA’s declination requirement for coverage eligibility.

• Rate Adequacy Analysis & Public Comment – As of June 6, TWIA must make a rate adequacy analysis publicly available on www.twia.org 14 days before the TWIA Board of Directors votes on the submission of a proposed rate filing to TDI. TWIA also must accept public comment on the rate adequacy analysis at a public meeting of the TWIA Board of Directors.

Should you wish to review the bills at the heart of these changes, the following links take you to a PDF of the “Sunset Bill” (Senate Bill 615) and House Bill 1900.  

What comes next?
We are committed to keeping you informed of legislative changes as we go. By early November, a twia.org page dedicated to these changes will be live so you, and your clients, can check in on our progress whenever you’d like. In the meantime, we are here to answer your questions, just give us a call at (800) 788-8247 or email Agent Services at agentservices@twia.org.