Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) has a program in place to encourage Citizens policyholders to move their windstorm coverage to the private market or "depopulate" their policy from Citizens. Weston is participating in this program and has put together the information below to assist policyholders in understanding the process and learn about Weston. We also encourage you to click on the Home, About Us, Products, Questions and Resources tabs above where you'll find more information about Weston. You can also visit Citizens' depopulation information page here. And please do not hesitate to contact us using the contact information on the Home tab above if you have further questions about Weston or the depopulation process.
Why Depopulation?
As the state affiliated windstorm "insurer of last resort," Citizens is designed to only offer windstorm coverage when a policyholder cannot find coverage with an admitted, private market insurance company. Citizens' depopulation efforts are centered on assisting policyholders with finding private market options for their windstorm insurance needs.
If my Citizens policy is selected for assumption by more than one private company, do I have a choice as to which private company assumes my Citizens policy?
For personal lines policies, the answer is yes. Each Citizens policyholder selected by more than one private company for assumption will receive a letter from Citizens asking them to choose which company they would like to assume their policy (or to opt-out of the assumption as noted above). For commercial lines policies selected by more than one private company for assumption, Citizens uses an algorithm to distribute the policies among the various private companies so the commercial policyholder only receives an offer from one private company.
What role does my agent play in the assumption?
Your agent will remain your agent throughout the process regardless of whether you elect to opt out of the assumption or not. Private insurance companies cannot make an offer of assumption to a Citizens policyholder unless the private company first has an agency appointment agreement in place with the policyholder's agent. Once the private insurance companies participating in the assumption process select the list of Citizens policies they want to assume, each agent will be given access to a list of the selected policies the agent represents.
Once my policy is assumed, who is responsible for servicing my policy?
During the period after your Citizens policy is assumed but before the private company issues you one of their policies, the private carrier will be responsible for handling all claims on your policy while Citizens will continue to handle your policy administration (e.g. processing any updates or changes you need to make to your coverage and accepting premium payments). Once the private company issues you one of their policies, the private company will then be responsible for servicing all aspects of your policy including both policy administration and claim handling.
Please review the information below and also download our "Why Choose Weston Insurance" flyer to see the reasons why we think Weston is the best insurance company for your windstorm insurance needs:
