FEMA Invites Insurers to Write Flood Policies
Published Date: 5/5/2026
Notice
Summary
FEMA is inviting private insurance companies to join the National Flood Insurance Program’s Write Your Own (WYO) Program for Fiscal Year 2027. These companies can sell and manage flood insurance policies under their own names with financial help from FEMA. Interested insurers need to sign up by September 2, 2026, to get involved and help protect homes from flood damage.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Daily Access to NFIP Funds for Claims
FEMA must enable WYO companies to withdraw funds from the National Flood Insurance Fund daily to pay claims, refunds, and loss adjustment expenses. If funding is not adequate, FEMA may direct companies to suspend issuing loss payments, and companies are not required to pay claims from their own funds during such a suspension.
How WYO Companies Are Paid
WYO companies may retain 15% of written premiums as an allowance to pay insurance agents and brokers. They may also withhold operating and administrative expense amounts calculated from industry expense ratios, and FEMA may pay growth and retention bonuses up to 2% of aggregate net written premium paid to companies after the Arrangement year.
Customer Service, Processing, and Claims Timelines
WYO companies must provide a live customer service agent reachable by phone on business days. FEMA sets firm time standards: application processing 15 business days, renewals 7 business days, endorsements 15 business days, cancellations 15 business days, file examination 7 business days, claims draft processing 7 business days, and claims adjustment 45 calendar days. Transactions must be uploaded to Pivot within 1 business day.
Company Compliance, Cybersecurity, and Registration Rules
Participating companies must register and keep active status in the System for Award Management (SAM) and implement cybersecurity controls consistent with NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3, validated by a third-party assessor, or use FEMA-accepted alternatives (ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, CMMC 2.0, SOC 2). Companies must also submit an operations plan within 90 days and meet vendor oversight, privacy, and system security plan requirements.
Insurers: FY2027 WYO Signup Deadline
If you are a private insurer that wants to sell National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies under the Write Your Own (WYO) program, you must submit intent to subscribe or re-subscribe by September 2, 2026. The FY2027 Arrangement is effective October 1, 2026 through at least September 30, 2027.
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