Helpinsure.com is a service of the State of Texas and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) to help Texans shop for homeowners insurance. To participate, homeowners will visit www.helpinsure.com or call 866-695-6873.
Homeowners and prospective homeowners will be asked to:
- Provide contact information and details about their home. In turn, insurers and agents will be given access to that information to allow them to contact and offer coverage to consumers they select from the Helpinsure.com database.
- Review a list of current insurers offering homeowners insurance in Texas. Homeowners will be encouraged to contact the listed insurers or the insurers' agents to discuss their insurance needs.
- Visit Helpinsure.com's Learning Center to read more about homeowners insurance and the Texas insurance market.
Both licensed insurers and agents will have access through a Web site to a list of consumers interested in obtaining residential property insurance. A query screen with restricted access will allow a company or agent to select all listings received on a specific date or only those within a specific county, city or ZIP code. Information submitted by homeowners will be maintained for 30 days. Records entered on one day will become available the next day. The Texas Department of Insurance also will maintain records of all queries to the homeowner database to help measure participation in Helpinsure.com. TDI also will check with homeowners by mail, telephone, fax or e-mail to determine (1) if coverage was obtained or (2) whether they want to re-enroll in Helpinsure's program to help homeowners find coverage. Completing the form online or by telephone will not guarantee an offer of coverage. However, data collected will help determine the condition of the homeowners market in Texas.
Access by companies will be via a user name and password. Companies are urged to participate by first obtaining a password. Companies may obtain one by completing the attached form and FAXing it to the attention of Gary Gola at 512-463-6122. An electronic version of the form can be accessed via the Bulletins section of the TDI Web site, www.tdi.state.tx.us. The electronic version can be e-mailed to gary.gola@tdi.state.tx.us. Insurers may obtain individual passwords for staff needing access to the Web site or may share a single password. Insurers, however, will be responsible for protecting their passwords.
Access by agents (including surplus lines agents) will be limited to agents holding a valid license to write residential property insurance in Texas. Agents will not be required to use a password. They can access the database with their nine-digit social security number. Agents with a missing or incorrect social security number in TDI's license database will not be able to access the system until the license database is updated. Information for agents can be found at www.helpinsure.com/help/agentinfo.html.
Additional information is available at www.helpinsure.com. Questions may be FAXed or e-mailed to Gary Gola at 512-463-6122 or gary.gola@tdi.state.tx.us.
______(Original Signed by Commissioner)______
Jose Montemayor, Commissioner
Texas Department of Insurance
Attachment: Insurer Registration Form
Texas Department of Insurance