The Texas Department of Insurance (“TDI”) issued the following bulletins pertaining to Hurricane Harvey on August 26, 2017, many of which apply to property and casualty insurers. They can be accessed by clicking the highlighted links below.

• Premium Payments Grace Period – encourages insurers to suspend (but not forgive) premium payments.
• Recommending Building and Repair Contractors – reminds insurers that homeowners are entitled to have their property repaired by a contractor of their choice.
• Claims Adjusters and Adjusting – reminds insurers that they are authorized to use non-resident and emergency adjusters; that roofing contractors are prohibited from adjusting claims; and that public adjusters must be licensed in Texas.
• Rating and Underwriting – opines that it is inappropriate for insurers to re-rate, cancel, non-renew, or refuse to provide coverage due solely to a policyholder's status as a victim or evacuee of Hurricane Harvey.
• Denial of Wind Losses – encourages insurers who deny coverage for wind losses to inform policyholders of potential coverage under the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) if the loss occurred in the TWIA coverage area.
• Vacancy Provisions - encourages insurers to provide relief to those residents and policyholders who have been temporarily displaced, including the suspension of any vacancy provision in the policy, to allow continuing insurance coverage.
• Credit Scoring and Credit Information – reminds insurers to follow the guidelines of §559.103 of the Texas Insurance Code. 

TDI Catastrophe Bulletins Issued August 26, 2017