National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) News

Appeals Court Denies State Farm’s Rehearing Request in Katrina Fraud Case

A federal appeals court has decided that last month’s upholding of a jury’s insurance fraud ruling will stand, allowing whistleblowers who sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. to seek more evidence of fraud after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The Sun …

Munich Re Launches Inland Flood Insurance Product for U.S. Homeowners

Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. has launched a new personal lines inland flood insurance product designed to provide more options for homeowners in low-to-moderate-hazard flood zones. According to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), flood is the most common natural disaster …

Louisiana, Oklahoma Face Deadlines for Flood Insurance Claims

Insurance regulators in Louisiana and Oklahoma are are encouraging folks with flood insurance policies to file claims from recent flooding in those states as soon as possible. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires homeowners to file a Proof of …

Exec’s Parting Shot: Flood Insurance Program Is a ‘Melting Iceberg’

The outgoing director of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) says the program is a “melting iceberg” that is incapable of properly managing its various players including the private insurance carriers that sell policies and handle claims. The government has …

FEMA Reconsidering Private Insurers’ Role in Flood Insurance

Federal officials have agreed to consider a proposal calling for an end to the federal flood insurance model that allows private insurance carriers to write and service policies. Senator Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., citing alleged “widespread fraud” and “unjust denials” …

Millions, Including Sandy Victims, Facing Higher Flood Insurance Premiums

A $24 billion sea of red ink has millions of Americans in vulnerable flood zones, including homeowners still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy, facing steep increases in flood insurance premiums. New legislation that went into effect this month — …

Reports Advise How to Make Flood Insurance Affordable

A new report suggests the federal flood insurance program may want to target mitigation grants to households with high premiums, urge homeowners to select higher deductibles, expand the educational role of insurance agents, and provide mitigation loans to help make …

FEMA Shows Some Progress Implementing Flood Insurance Changes: GAO

The agency responsible for managing the federal flood insurance program has made progress in carrying out key changes mandated by Congress in two recent laws but lacks resources and data to completely implement others, a government report says. [See copy …

Sisters’ Whistleblower Case Over State Farm’s Katrina Claims Nears Court Date

State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. has appealed an order that it pay legal fees and damages of $3 million in a whistleblower lawsuit in which a jury found the insurer defrauded the government in a policyholder claim after Hurricane …

Preliminary Flood Maps Available in Texas for Aransas, San Patricio Counties

Newly-released preliminary flood maps for Aransas and San Patricio counties in Texas will help residents and business owners to determine their flood risks and make informed decisions, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). County officials and FEMA are …