The Commissioner of Insurance, under Commissioner´s Order No. 98-0014, has adopted increases in the maximum limits of liability for windstorm coverage written through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) formerly the Texas Catastrophe Property Insurance Association (TCPIA).
House Bill 1853 enacted by the 75 th Texas Legislature amended Article 21.49, Section 8D to provide that the maximum limits of liability under a policy of windstorm and hail insurance issued by the TWIA may not be not less than: (1) $350,000 for a dwelling, including an individually owned townhouse unit, and contents, (2) $2,192,000 for a building and contents owned or at least 75 percent occupied by a governmental entity, (3) $125,000 for individually owned contents located in an apartment unit, residential condominium unit, or townhouse unit that is occupied by the owner of that property, and (4) $1,500,000 for a structure other than a dwelling or a public building and its contents.
House Bill 1853 also provides that not later than September 30 of each year, the board of directors of the TWIA shall propose adjustments to the liability limits for inflation subject to approval by the Commissioner. Proposed adjustments shall be made in increments of $1,000 and rounded to the nearest $1,000, at a rate that reflects any change in the BOECKH Index.
The new maximum limits of liability, applicable to TWIA policies effective on or after January 1, 1998, are as follows:
| Previous Limits | Revised Limits | |
| Dwellings and Individually Owned Townhouses and Corporeal Moveable Property | $288,000 | $355,000 |
| Apartments, Residential Condominiums, or Townhouses | $823,000 | $1,551,000 |
| Individually Owned Corporeal Moveable Property in Apartments, Condominiums, or Townhouses | $111,000 | $127,000 |
| Governmental Buildings and Corporeal Moveable Property | $2,192,000 | $2,192,000 |
| Commercial Buildings and Corporeal Moveable Property | $1,108,000 | $1,551,000 |
Questions regarding this bulletin may be addressed to:
- Texas Department of Insurance
- Attn: Marilyn Hamilton
- Manager, Commercial Lines, MC 104-2F
- P. O. Box 149104
- Austin, TX 78714-9104
David P. Durden
Deputy Commissioner
Property and Casualty Insurance Lines