The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has posted on its website a summary of operational and policy changes that go into effect in 2020 as a result of new laws passed in 2019 by the state’s Legislature.
Following are changes set to become effective Jan. 1 or later in 2020. TWIA noted that while the change due dates listed in the tables below reflect deadlines written in statute, the implementation of some of these changes are tied to external timelines (e.g. the creation of new rules by the Texas Department of Insurance, which are not subject to a statutory deadline).
| Change Due Date | Change Summary |
| January 1, 2020 | Replacement cost estimation. Requires TWIA to determine residential replacement cost value at time of policy issuance rather than time of loss. |
| January 1, 2020 | New renewals process. The new policy renewal process includes sending renewal offers directly to policyholders and mortgage companies via US mail and accepting payment directly from them. |
| January 1, 2020 | Board of Directors training. Outlines new training requirements for members of the TWIA Board of Directors. |
| March 31, 2020 | Depopulation Eliminates any requirement for depopulation decisions to be made during hurricane season and reduces the policyholder opt out period. |
| June 1, 2020 | Windstorm certifications for completed improvements. Moves the responsibility of issuing Certificates of Compliance for completed improvements to the Texas Department of Insurance. |
| July 1, 2020 | Supplemental payment information in policy packets. Information about the supplemental payment process must be included in TWIA’s policy packets. |
| November 15, 2020 | Funding study. Requires a Legislative Oversight Board (the Legislative Funding and Funding Structure Oversight Board) to complete a report on findings regarding TWIA’s funding structure and ways to resolve issues with it and make it more sustainable. |
Separately, the Texas Department of Insurance recently announced that it has adopted changes to TWIA claim rules, including:
- Give TWIA policyholders more time to determine their repair costs.
- Give them more time to work with TWIA if they need additional payments.
- Extend deadlines so they can request appraisal if they need to.
- Allow TDI to extend some deadlines longer.
Source: TWIA, TDI
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
State Farm Seeking Large Rate Increases in Wildfire-Prone California 
NCCI Identifies ‘Big 3′ Workers’ Comp Issues to Watch 
Reinsurers’ Appetite Grows During Mid-Year Renewals but Discipline Remains: Brokers 
Elon Musk Beats $500 Million Severance Lawsuit by Fired Twitter Workers 
