The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) requests information for the Helpinsure.com website under the authority of Section 38.001 and Chapter 32 of the Texas Insurance Code. The website is designed to be a resource for Texas consumers who are shopping for personal auto and residential property insurance. Helpinsure.com will be expanded to include more detailed sample rates for personal auto and residential property insurance.
Property and casualty insurers who are currently writing new personal auto and/or residential property business and meet one of the following criteria will be required to submit information:
- The insurer is in one of the top 25 national groups and has more than $1 million in 2006 direct written premium in Texas.
- The insurer is in one of the top 25 national groups, has more than $1 million in 2006 direct written premium in Texas, and issues and processes business through a non-affiliated company, for example, a county mutual.
TDI will notify insurers that are in the reporting group of their reporting responsibility via e-mail. All other P&C insurers have the option to report the requested information and TDI strongly encourages your participation. If insurers in the top 25 national group are not writing new business, they will be asked to confirm this in writing to the department.
Please see the attached instructions for calculating the personal auto and residential property sample rates and providing additional information. An Excel file with the record layout to use for the sample rate data file and the ZIP codes is provided as an attachment to the instructions. In May 2008, TDI will send all insurers participating in the data call instructions for submitting the sample rate data file and the link to an online form to submit additional information. Data is due on June 1, 2008.
If you have any questions regarding the form or its filing, please contact Melissa Hield via e-mail at melissa.hield@tdi.state.tx.us or telephone at 512-322-4349. Questions that may apply to other insurers responding to the data call will be compiled in a frequently asked questions (FAQ) format and posted on TDI's website Industry main page. Thank you for assisting TDI with the expansion of the Helpinsure.com website to provide a useful tool for consumers shopping for insurance.
Mike Geeslin
Commissioner of Insurance
Amended Refer To Bulletin B-0015-08