NFIP Desk Reference Guide for State Insurance Commissioners and Others October 2017
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Saipan Economic Development Forum Hyatt Regency Saipan June 4, 2013
Saipan Economic Development Forum Hyatt Regency Saipan June 4, 2013 Governor Eloy S. Inos Lt. Governor Jude U. Hofschneider dddddddddddHåfa adai, Tirow wáámi On behalf of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, we welcome you to this Northern Mariana Islands Economic Development Forum. We also extend a very special welcome to our visiting federal officials. Thank you for your participation and assistance. We have always believed that the Northern Mariana Islands hold so much promise and potential for enterprising individuals pursuing economic opportunities. In this regard, we place such high value on engaging with all our stakeholders to ensure greater economic growth and much needed development. To achieve a balanced and well-rounded effort, we hope that you will take advantage of this forum to better analyze current local conditions, exchange ideas and strategies, and identify federal assistance or resources available. We are confident that the efforts of stakeholders to heighten public awareness and encourage economic development will produce positive returns by sparking heightened interest. In conjunction with Congressman Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan, we are certainly pleased to host this first of its kind Economic Development Forum. We commend the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for generously sponsoring this event. Thank you, Si Yuʼos maʼåseʼ, and Olomwaay reemi. ELOY S. INOS JUDE U. HOFSCHNEIDER Agenda Tuesday, June 4, 2013 I. Welcome Jim Arenovski, Delta Management Corporation, Island Training Solutions, The Bridge Project II. Welcoming Remarks Eloy S. Inos, Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, Member of Congress, U.S.House of Representatives III. Current Economic Development Studies and Participants’ Perspectives Sixto Igisomar, CNMI Department of Commerce VI. -
Wasn't That a Mighty Day Galveston Hurricane Song Prompt Folk Song
Wasn’t That a Mighty Day Galveston Hurricane Song Prompt Folk song lyrics are often flawed with respect to facts. This results from generations passing along verses which, though fraught with emotion, are sometimes lacking facts. Also, needing rhyming words may inject error into historical accuracy. The purpose of this prompt is to assess the accuracy of the lyrics of a popular song about the 1900 Galveston hurricane, Wasn’t That a Mighty Day? There are at least six errors/exaggerations among the verses listed below. After reading the account below, write a one page double-spaced essay describing your findings. I remember one September, When storm winds swept the town; The high tide from the ocean, Lord, Put water all around. Chorus: Wasn't that a mighty day, A mighty day A mighty day, Great God, that morning When the storm winds swept the town! There was a sea-wall there in Galveston To keep the waters down, But the high tide from the ocean, Lord, Put water in the town. The trumpets warned the people, 'You'd better leave this place!' But they never meant to leave their homes Till death was in their face. The trains they all were loaded With people leaving town; The tracks gave way to the ocean, Lord, And the trains they went on down. Great Galveston Storm Article Paraphrased from Wikipedia Information At the end of the 19th century, the city of Galveston, Texas was a booming city with a population of approximately 38,000 residents. Its position on the natural harbor of Galveston Bay along the Gulf of Mexico made it the center of trade and the biggest city in the state of Texas. -
Hurricane Guide
HOUSTON/GALVESTON HURRICANE GUIDE CAUTION HURRICANE SEASON > TROPICAL STORM BILL 2015 ©2016 CenterPoint Energy 161174 55417_txt_opt_205.06.2016 08:00 AMM Introduction Index of Pages Hurricanes and tropical storms have brought damaging winds, About the Hurricane devastating storm surge, flooding rains and tornadoes to Southeast Page 3 Texas over the years. The 1900 Galveston Hurricane remains the Storm Surge deadliest natural disaster on record for the United States with an Page 4 - 5 estimated 8000 deaths. In 2008 Hurricane Ike brought a deadly storm Zip Zone Evacuation surge to coastal areas and damaging winds that led to extended Pages6-7 power loss to an estimated 3 million customers in southeast Texas. A Winds, Flooding, and powerful hurricane will certainly return but it is impossible to predict Tornadoes Pages8-9 when that will occur. The best practice is to prepare for a hurricane landfall ahead of each hurricane season every year. Preparing Your Home, Business and Boat Pages10-11 This guide is designed to help you prepare for the hurricane season. For Those Who Need There are checklists on what to do before, during and after the storm. Assistance Each hurricane hazard will be described. Maps showing evacuation Page 12 zones and routes are shown. A hurricane tracking chart is included in Preparing Pets and Livestock the middle of the booklet along with the names that will be used for Page 13 upcoming storms. There are useful phone numbers for contacting the Insurance Tips local emergency manager for your area and web links for finding Page 14 weather and emergency information. -
Insurance Laws COVID-19 Notice
RICARDO LARA CALIFORNIA INSURANCE COMMISSIONER NOTICE TO: All Admitted and Non-Admitted Insurance Companies, all Licensed Producers, Independent Adjusters, and Other Interested Parties FROM: Commissioner Ricardo Lara DATE: March 18, 2020 RE: Insurance Company Obligations to Comply with Insurance Laws during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak Insurers and other licensees of the California Department of Insurance (Department) are subject to numerous legal and commercial obligations and timeframes. In response to the disruption caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara strongly encourages all insurance companies and other Department licensees to take steps during the crisis necessary to maintain their ability to process and pay insurance claims and provide other required consumer services for insureds in a reasonable and timely manner. The Department of Insurance is also aware that an increasing number of local public health departments throughout the state have issued “shelter in place” directives requiring residents to stay home and directing workplaces to implement telecommuting procedures where feasible. The Department recognizes that the COVID-19 outbreak continues to strain insurance industry resources and reduce the staff available to conduct mandatory on-site inspections or audits, to adjust and pay claims, process underwriting documents, and perform other required insurance transactions. Please be informed that the Department of Insurance intends to consider the extraordinary circumstances relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting disruptions to normal business operations when evaluating whether insurers and other Department licensees have complied with their respective legal and commercial obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE PROTECT • PREVENT • PRESERVE . -
Mike Kreidler, Office of the Insurance Commissioner, State of Washington
MIKE KREIDLER STATE OF WASHINGTON STATE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER www.insurance.wa.gov OFFICE OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONER June 14, 2021 The Honorable Gary Gensler, Chair U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, Northeast Washington, DC 20549 RE: US Insurance Regulator Experience with Insurer Financial Disclosure on Climate Change Dear Mr. Gensler, In response to your agency’s request for public input on climate change disclosures, I would like to offer some observations arising from my experience as the insurance commissioner for Washington State. For 12 years, my fellow state insurance regulators and I have been requiring the largest insurers operating in the United States to report annually on the financial implications of climate change to their businesses as well respond to a question about their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In recent years, we have encouraged companies to submit a report aligned with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in lieu of answering the eight questions in the annual Climate Risk Disclosure Survey. A growing number of companies are choosing to do so. At the outset, I should say that I agree with the sentiment of SEC Commissioner Allison Herren Lee who, during an NYU Stern School conference in April, indicated that the likely outcome of the current effort to encourage greater disclosure regarding the impact of climate change on companies is that regulators will ultimately require “TCFD plus”. My perspective on required insurer financial disclosure on climate change largely stems from my direct experience working on this issue for more than a decade as Washington State Insurance Commissioner, a statewide elected position I have served in for over 20 years. -
State Insurance State Insurance Department Public Department
State Insurance Department Public Information Officers SHARE THIS DOWNLOAD TO PDF Alabama Alabama Department of Insurance Ragan Ingram Public Information Officer/Assistant Commissioner Tel: (334) 241-4146 Fax: (334) 241-4192 [email protected] Alaska Alaska Division of Insurance Kathy Schutte Deputy Director Tel: (907) 465-2518 Fax: (907) 465- 3422 [email protected]/insurance Arizona Arizona Department of Insurance Erin Klug Public Information Officer Tel: (602) 912-8456 Fax: (602) 912-8452 [email protected] Arkansas Arkansas Department of Insurance Charlye Woodard Public Information Officer Tel: (501) 371-2835 Fax: (501) 371-2618 [email protected] California State of California Department of Insurance Byron Tucker Deputy Commissioner of Communication Tel: (916) 492-3566 Fax: (213) 897-9051 [email protected] Colorado Colorado Division of Insurance Robert Manning Program Assistant/ Media Contact Tel: (303) 894-2157 Fax: (303) 894-7455 [email protected] Michael Mawhinney Program Assistant/ Media Contact Tel: (303) 894-7425 Fax: (303) 894-7455 [email protected] Connecticut Connecticut Insurance Department Kate Kiernan-Pagani Legislative Liaison & Public Relations Officer Tel: (860) 297-3864 Fax: (860) 566-7410 [email protected] Delaware Delaware Insurance Department Rhonda West Public Information Officer Tel: (302) 739-4251 Fax: (302) 739-5280 [email protected] District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking Janis Ghenene Public -
Modernize and Improve the System of Insurance Regulation in the United States Table of Contents
How To Modernize And Improve The System Of Insurance Regulation In The United States Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 Structure of the Report ......................................................................................................4 Recommendations for Modernization of Insurance Regulation in the United States ...........................................................................................................5 Areas of Near-Term Reform for the States........................................................................6 Areas for Direct Federal Involvement in Regulation .......................................................7 Potential Federal Solutions to States’ Failure to Modernize and Improve ....................8 II. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE REGULATION OF THE UNITED STATES INSURANCE INDUSTRY .................................................................11 Early Era of Insurance Regulation and the Limitation on Federal Authority ..............11 Box 1: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) ..................11 Early Calls for Federal Regulation of Insurance ...........................................................13 The Case of South-Eastern Underwriters, Federal Authority to Regulate Insurance, and the McCarran-Ferguson Act ...................................................14 The Crises of Insurer Insolvencies, Congressional Reaction, and State Regulatory Responses ......................................................................................15 -
Member State Contact Information | Insurance Compact
*Updated on August 24, 2021 Insurance Compact State Contact Information Listed below is the state insurance department contact information for our Compacting States, for use as required under the Uniform Standards. State Insurance Department Address City, State, Zip Main Phone Fax Email Alabama Alabama Department of Insurance 201 Monroe St., Suite 502, P.O. Box 303351 Montgomery, AL (334) 269-3550 (334) 241-4192 [email protected] 36130-3351 Alaska Alaska Division of Insurance 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1560 Anchorage, AK 99501- (907) 269-7900 (907) 269-7910 [email protected] 3567 Arizona Arizona Department of Insurance 100 North 15th Avenue, Suite 261 Phoenix, AZ 85007- (602) 364-2499 (602) 364-2505 [email protected] 2630 Arkansas Arkansas Insurance Department 1 Commerce Way Suite 102 Little Rock, AR 72202- (800) 852-5494 (501) 371-2618 [email protected] 2087 or (501) 371-2640 Colorado Colorado Division of Insurance 1560 Broadway, Suite 850 Denver, CO 80202 (303) 894-7499 (303) 894-7455 [email protected] Connecticut Connecticut Insurance Department 153 Market Street, P.O. Box 816 Hartford, CT 06142- (860) 297-3800 (860) 566-7410 [email protected] 0816 Delaware Delaware Department of Insurance 1351 West North Street, Suite 101 Dover, DE 19904 (302) 674-7300 (302) 739-5280 [email protected] District of District of Columbia Department of 1050 First Street, NE, 801 Washington, DC 20002 (202) 727-8000 [email protected] Columbia Insurance, Securities and Banking Georgia Georgia Department of Insurance Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive West Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30334 (404) 656-2056 (404) 656-4688 Suite 704 Hawaii Hawaii Insurance Division P.O. -
Historical Perspective
kZ _!% L , Ti Historical Perspective 2.1 Introduction CROSS REFERENCE Through the years, FEMA, other Federal agencies, State and For resources that augment local agencies, and other private groups have documented and the guidance and other evaluated the effects of coastal flood and wind events and the information in this Manual, performance of buildings located in coastal areas during those see the Residential Coastal Construction Web site events. These evaluations provide a historical perspective on the siting, design, and construction of buildings along the Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes coasts. These studies provide a baseline against which the effects of later coastal flood events can be measured. Within this context, certain hurricanes, coastal storms, and other coastal flood events stand out as being especially important, either Hurricane categories reported because of the nature and extent of the damage they caused or in this Manual should be because of particular flaws they exposed in hazard identification, interpreted cautiously. Storm siting, design, construction, or maintenance practices. Many of categorization based on wind speed may differ from that these events—particularly those occurring since 1979—have been based on barometric pressure documented by FEMA in Flood Damage Assessment Reports, or storm surge. Also, storm Building Performance Assessment Team (BPAT) reports, and effects vary geographically— Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) reports. These reports only the area near the point of summarize investigations that FEMA conducts shortly after landfall will experience effects associated with the reported major disasters. Drawing on the combined resources of a Federal, storm category. State, local, and private sector partnership, a team of investigators COASTAL CONSTRUCTION MANUAL 2-1 2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE is tasked with evaluating the performance of buildings and related infrastructure in response to the effects of natural and man-made hazards. -
Sent Guidance
MIKE KREIDLER STATE OF WASHINGTON Phone: 360-725-7000 STATE INSURANCE COMMISSIONER www.insurance.wa.gov OFFICE OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONER June 23, 2020 To Health Insurance Carriers in Washington State: The purpose of this letter is to clarify and reaffirm prohibitions in Washington State law against discrimination in health care coverage on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.1 Broad exclusions of coverage on the basis of gender identity continue to be prohibited under Washington state law. Additionally, denial of a medically necessary service on the basis of gender identity remains prohibited under Washington state law. On June 12, 2020, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule related to §1557 of the Affordable Care Act.2 This rule retracts many important protections established in the previous version of the rules for insurance consumers. However, the preamble to the final rule states that the final federal rule does not deny states the ability to provide protections that exceed those required by federal civil rights law.3 In Washington state, the legislature has enacted protections against discrimination that exceed those embodied in the final §1557 regulations through the enactment of RCW 48.43.0128, RCW 48.30.300 and RCW 49.60.178. Thus, regardless of the changes to federal regulations implementing §1557 of the ACA, state law provides comprehensive protections against discrimination consistent with federal rules and guidance -
Hurricane Preparedness Guide (PDF)
hurricanes... Unleashing Nature’s Fury FEMA Hurricane Floyd, 1999/NOAA A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Revised August 2001 What is a Hurricane? The term hurricane has its origin in the indigenous religions of old civilizations. The Mayan storm god A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone–an organized was named Hunraken. A god considered evil by rotating weather system that develops in the tropics. the Taino people of the Caribbean was called Huracan. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hurricanes may not be considered evil but they Hemisphere. Tropical cyclones are classified as follows: are one of nature’s most powerful storms. Their ■ Tropical Depression—An organized system of potential for loss of life and destruction of property persistent clouds and thunderstorms with a closed is tremendous. Those in hurricane-prone areas low-level circulation and maximum sustained winds need to be of 38 mph (33 knots) or less. prepared for hurricanes and ■ Tropical Storm—An organized system of strong tropical storms. thunderstorms with a well defined circulation and Even inland areas, maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph well away from (34-63 knots). the coastline, ■ Hurricane—An intense tropical weather system can experience with a well defined circulation and sustained winds destructive winds, of 74 mph (64 knots) or higher. In the western North tornadoes and Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons, and similar floods from storms in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones. tropical storms and hurricanes. Hurricane Iniki/NOAA 1998 Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season Summary/NOAA 2 Tropical depressions and tropical storms, while generally less dangerous than hurricanes, still can be deadly. -
Commissioner David Mattax Texas Department of Insurance 333 Guadalupe Austin, TX 78701
United Policyholders 381 Bush Street, 8th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 415.393.9990 www.uphelp.org Commissioner David Mattax Texas Department of Insurance 333 Guadalupe Austin, TX 78701 Re: Request for disapproval of mandatory arbitration provisions in home insurance policies Board of Directors Amy Bach Dear Commissioner Mattax: Executive Director E. Gerard Mannion I write in my capacity as an official consumer representative to the NAIC and as the co- Board Chair Mannion and Lowe founder of a national non-profit called United Policyholders (“UP”) that has worked with David Baria your staff during our 25 years in operation to provide recovery guidance to wildfire and Mississippi State Representative flood victims in your state. I respectfully ask you and your staff to disapprove any and all Christine Davis current or future form filings that includes mandatory arbitration provisions through which DZH Phillips the policyholder waives their civil right to use Texas public courts to resolve claim disputes. Larry P. Ginsburg, CFP Ginsburg Financial Advisors, Inc. We understand that a policy form has been submitted to your office for approval that offers William H. Hedden a lower premium if the policyholder agrees to buy a policy that requires them to submit Consolidated Adjusting, Inc. disputes to binding arbitration. We sincerely hope you will reject this form and issue a clear Jim Jones directive to the insurers in your state that you will not tolerate this kind of anti-consumer Industry Ventures overreaching. If you heard Professor Kochenberger’s presentation at the last NAIC meeting Brian S. Kabateck Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP in Louisiana, you know how strong the evidence is that regulators should not allow mandatory arbitration provisions in home insurance policies.