Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (the "NFIP") to help make flood insurance more affordable in areas prone to flood damage. FEMA oversees the program and writes the terms of the Standard Flood Insurance...more
These powerful storms are unpredictable, and despite our best efforts to prepare, they often leave a trail of destruction in their wake. When the winds finally die down and the floodwaters recede, they often leave behind a...more
The National Flood Insurance Program’s authorization to issue new flood insurance contracts will expire on Sept. 30 unless Congress votes to extend it. Congress has been unable to enact a long-term extension of parts of the...more
I had the opportunity this week to attend a National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Mentoring Session on the Future [of] Flood Risk Data. This session, offered by NAFSMA in partnership with...more
As we enter the last quarter of a year that saw historic flooding across the country, including most recently in New York City, it is a good time to review the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and highlight a few...more
New York home sellers now must disclose information about flood risk, flood history and flood insurance to potential buyers under legislation recently signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, further amending the requirements of the...more
The communities of Southwest Florida suffered a catastrophic blow in September of 2022 when Hurricane Ian decimated so much in its path. Now Hurricane Idalia brings yet another set of challenges to Southwest Floridians, who...more
Back in 2019, we wrote a post about the surprising connection between the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). That post concluded with the following...more
The new year brought a series of ferocious storms that ravaged the California coast for weeks. By mid-January, this so-called “atmospheric river” caused at least eight million Californians to be under flood watch as wind and...more
In the face of winter—and all the wet weather that comes with it—FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program would like everyone to understand the risks of flooding. Flooding has occurred across many parts of the country (yes,...more
Effective December 21, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) amended its regulation at 24 C.F.R. § 203.16a to allow FHA borrowers to purchase private flood insurance for properties located in Special Flood Hazard...more
The US Treasury Department has issued a request for public comment on a federal cyberinsurance program that would aim to cover the costs associated with severe cyberattacks. The Federal Insurance Office (FIO) and the US...more
Most of the Florida homes in the path of Hurricane Ian lack flood insurance, posing a major challenge to rebuilding efforts, new data show. In the counties whose residents were told to evacuate, just 18.5 percent of homes...more
I understand that it may seem early to be addressing possible coverage issues, under homeowner’s policies, for the devastation in Florida caused by Hurricane Ian. At the moment, those affected are dealing with a major...more
Did you know that a residential structure is three times as likely to experience a flood than a fire over the 30-year life of a mortgage? In fact, flooding is the most common type of natural disaster in the United States and...more
The State of Wisconsin adopted a suite of amendments to its PACE statute (Wis. Stat. § 66.0627(8)) on March 14, 2022 through 2021 Wisconsin Act 175 (the “Act”).1 The Act was the only major clean energy bill that passed...more
For the first time in more than 20 years, FEMA has announced plans to make changes to its Standard Flood Insurance Policy (SFIP). Under the proposal, FEMA would introduce a new Homeowner Flood Form, to be published at 44...more
Congress has reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through February 18, 2022. Prior to this most recent temporary reauthorization, the NFIP had been set to expire on December 3, 2021. Since 2017, there...more
Hurricane Ida once again exposed our nation’s severe vulnerability to natural disasters. One-hundred-year storms are now pummeling us on what seems to be an annual basis. The breadth of Ida’s impact was unique, however,...more
After hitting the shores of Louisiana with winds of up to 172mph in late August, Hurricane Ida’s remnants barreled up to the northeastern United States, leaving waves of destruction in its wake. The deluge of rain—more than...more
Summary - Recent violent weather is prompting the government to attempt to control or limit the impact of increasingly frequent storms....more
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Farm Credit Administration, and the National...more
CFPB Takes Steps to Avoid a Possible Wave of Home Mortgage Loan Foreclosures - The CFPB has issued guidance to mortgage servicers, including banks that service mortgage loans for third-party noteholders, that the CFPB...more
On April 1, 2021, FEMA released its highly anticipated flood insurance rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action. FEMA first announced “Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action” in March 2019 as an effort to improve...more
On April 1, 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released an official announcement (Release Number HQ-21-079) and Memorandum for Write Your Own (WYO) Principal Coordinators and the National Flood Insurance...more