WINTER 2013 A quarterly newsletter for agents of American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida. National Flood Conference

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Jessica Leonard
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com Phone: 1-800-245-1505 Fax: 1-800-224-4170 Hours of operation: 24 Hours Mon-Fri 5:30am-5:00pm PST Claim status, please call: 1-800-245-1505 If you need help to submit a claim via AccessFlood, call

1 FLOOD FACTS WINTER 2013 A quarterly newsletter for agents of. Client Claims Information American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida PO Box 6099 Scottsdale AZ E Via De Ventura Scottsdale, AZ Address: claims.department@assurant.com Phone: Fax: Hours of operation: 24 Hours Mon-Fri 5:30am-5:00pm PST Claim status, please call: If you need help to submit a claim via AccessFlood, call the Flood Service Center at IN THIS ISSUE Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 AccessFlood Training Marketing Support Flood Service Center-Broker of Record (BOR) / Agent of Record (AOR) Department New Business Application - Property Address NFIP s Flood Training Flood Service Center Contact Information and Holiday Schedule Links to Additional Flood Information What would you like to see in upcoming issues of Flood Facts? your suggestions to Rebecca. Burton@Assurant.com National Flood Conference The thirtieth annual National Flood Conference is tentatively scheduled to be held in Anaheim, CA, Sunday, May 5, through Wednesday, May 8, The anticipated venue will be: Hilton Anaheim Hotel 777 Convention Way Anaheim, CA To take a look back at the 2012 NFC in Austin, TX, please visit the conference homepage at PostNFC2012/index.html. Stay tuned for more information on the 2013 NFC, as it becomes available.

Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 As you know, due to a provision in the Biggert- Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, pre-firm single-family residential structures (including

reflect the full flood risk. The first annual rate increase took effect starting on January 1, 2013, and those renewal notices already reflect the increase.

2 Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 As you know, due to a provision in the Biggert- Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, pre-firm single-family residential structures (including condo unit owners) that are not rated with an elevation certificate and which are not the policyholder s primary/principal residence will have their premiums increase 25% annually until the premiums reflect the full flood risk. The first annual rate increase took effect starting on January 1, 2013, and those renewal notices already reflect the increase. More information on what those full flood risk rates are will be provided by FEMA later this year. FEMA released Bulletin W that requires all WYO s to send out letters with the renewal notices on policies affected by the rate increase. We started sending these letters January 2nd, 2013 ahead of the required March 1st deadline. In addition to the FEMA required letter going out to non-primary residential policyholders that are affected by the rate increase, we are also sending out a letter to all policyholders that have primary residence indicated on their policy that will be affected by the rate increase if the property is not actually their primary residence. We are asking policyholders to certify that the property address on the policy is their primary residence or to indicate if the property address on the policy is not their primary residence. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Flood Service Center. 2 Flood Facts

ACCESSFLOOD WEB TRAINING The Flood Service Center is committed to providing the best training programs to our Agents.

We realize that your time is valuable so each Webinar will last no more than 1.5 hours but should save you time in the long run.

All AccessFlood Training Webinars will be at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on the dates listed below. Log in at least 10 minutes early.

3 ACCESSFLOOD WEB TRAINING The Flood Service Center is committed to providing the best training programs to our Agents. Please take advantage of this opportunity to sign up for one of the following AccessFlood Training Webinars. A number of changes have been made recently to the AccessFlood Online System. We realize that your time is valuable so each Webinar will last no more than 1.5 hours but should save you time in the long run. For assistance or additional information please contact x350 or x610. Let us help you write more flood business. All AccessFlood Training Webinars will be at 8:00 am and 10:00 am on the dates listed below. Log in at least 10 minutes early. 8:00 am (MST) 10:00 am (MST) February 6 February 20 March 13 March 27 April 10 April 24 To connect to an on-line AccessFlood Training Webinar click on the following link: meet/?exeventid= To log into a Webinar call one of the numbers below and, when prompted, enter the meeting access code # Toll-Free Number (in USA): Caller-Paid number: Blackberry (Toll-Free Number): x # A number in your country or in a country close to you (may be toll free): ess?process=1&accessnumber= &accessco de= MARKETING SUPPORT to Marketing Support for any agency related questions. The following are some of the issues Marketing Support handles: The Marketing Support area handles all agency level requests, from agency address changes to requesting a user name and password for access to AccessFlood. They also support our Sales Reps out in the field. Anything pertaining to your agency is their specialty! Request can be sent via fax or . Faxes should be sent to and s should be sent to flood.marketing.support@assurant.com. When calling the Flood Service Center ask to speak Agencies address, phone and fax changes Issuing user names and passwords for accessflood.com Requesting new agency set-ups CE training request Commission s questions Book of Business requests And many more Remember if you have any questions regarding your agency and changes that need to be made to your agency please give our Marketing Support division a call. Winter

For Your Information Flood Service Center-Broker of Record (BOR) / Agent of Record (AOR) Department The Broker of Record department handles all BOR/AOR changes.

All requests can be submitted via e-mail at agencybrokerchange@assurant.com or you can call the Marketing Support division, who handles these request at 1.800.423.

Always use the address exactly as it appears on the elevation certificate unless you submit legal documentation to support your change.

4 For Your Information Flood Service Center-Broker of Record (BOR) / Agent of Record (AOR) Department The Broker of Record department handles all BOR/AOR changes. They also handle all book transfers from one agency to another. They work these changes on a daily basis to ensure that all requests get handled diligently. All requests can be submitted via at agencybrokerchange@assurant.com or you can call the Marketing Support division, who handles these request at and request to speak to someone in Marketing Support. New Business Applications Property Addresses It is critical that property addresses on new business applications be accurate. Always use the address exactly as it appears on the elevation certificate unless you submit legal documentation to support your change. If you disagree with the elevation certificate (EC) you are using to rate the policy and the EC was recently completed you may want to contact the surveyor or insured to discuss the discrepancy and possibly have the EC revised. Legal addresses can usually be found on County Assessor s websites or use tools.usps.com/go/ziplookupaction!input. action to verify zip codes. NFIP S FLOOD TRAINING ONLINE WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS The NFIP now offers Agent training via Workshops and Webinars. Find training that meets your needs by viewing the Agents schedules on the website. This web based training does not provide CE Credits, unless specifically stated on their website below. The Webinar does provide a Certificate of Completion to all attendees for the FloodSmart cooperative programs and any WYO requesting proof of training. Workshops (classroom style): The NFIP s workshop, Basic Agent Flood Seminar, provides 3 CE Credits to all licensed agents/producers except for those agents/producers licensed in the following three States (Montana, Michigan and Massachusetts) as well as agents/producers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, on the NIFP Webinars or Workshops, please go to: schedule_agents.html *** offers two different Flood Insurance Training Classes that are NFIP Compliant for our agents and producers: Level I - Fundamentals of Flood Insurance. This class covers all basic rules and requirements of completing a Standard Flood Insurance Application. Level II - Advanced Flood Insurance. This class would be for the more experienced agent. The class reviews the Fundamentals of Flood Insurance with emphasis on elevated buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas, Condominiums, and coverage Limitations. For more information on the Level I and Level II classes, including CE Credits available, please visit our website at and select Education and then select your State from the drop down box. 4 Flood Facts

FLOOD SERVICE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION General mail address for New Business Applications, Rollovers, Endorsements, Cancellations and Other Correspondence Flood Service Center PO Box 4337

Operation Monday Friday: 6:00am - 4:00pm MST Phone: 1-800-423-4403 Fax: 1-714-712-3842 Email flood.service.center@assurant.com submitforrate@assurant.com flood.rollovers@assurant.

.. Monday, May 27, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATION In-depth Flood Training is available on the AccessFlood System. Just logon and click on this Flood Training widget.

gov The official site of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). www.nfipiservice.com/watermark/index.html WATERMARK is published 3 times a year by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

5 FLOOD SERVICE CENTER CONTACT INFORMATION General mail address for New Business Applications, Rollovers, Endorsements, Cancellations and Other Correspondence Flood Service Center PO Box 4337 Scottsdale AZ Overnight Mail Address Flood Service Center 8655 E Via De Ventura Scottsdale AZ Lockbox Address for Renewal Payments Only PO Box Phoenix AZ Hours of Operation Monday Friday: 6:00am - 4:00pm MST Phone: Fax: flood.service.center@assurant.com submitforrate@assurant.com flood.rollovers@assurant.com agencybrokerchange@assurant.com 2013 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE Flood Service Center is closed: Presidents Day... Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 Memorial Day... Monday, May 27, 2013 FOR YOUR INFORMATION In-depth Flood Training is available on the AccessFlood System. Just logon and click on this Flood Training widget. Links to Additional Flood Information The official site of the American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida. The official site of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). WATERMARK is published 3 times a year by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The current issue and selected back issues of Watermark are available at this site. The NFIP Flood Insurance Manual is revised twice a year - once in May and once in October. The fully revised Manual (including the above changes) is available at this site. To access the chapters, just click on the chapter name. shtm Provides additional information about the NFIP Flood Insurance Manual and yearly revisions. shtm or Additional information on the NFIP and FEMA. Winter

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Biggert-Waters Act 2012 (BW12)

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Biggert-Waters Act 2012 (BW12) NFIP Re-Authorization & Reform Todd Bass Natural Hazards Program Specialist Floodplain Management and Insurance Branch Mitigation