Procedural Updates

We encourage all paper filers to switch to electronic filings, particularly if you are printing electronic files solely to put it in the mail. You can skip that entire laborious process by utilizing SLTX’s online filing system (SMART) or secure file sharing software. Information on how to register for online filing can be found on our website. To use a secure file sharing service that allows for electronic submissions, rather than mailing, contact Tech Support.

Data exchanged within SMART is encrypted to provide a high degree of security for both the user and SLTX. No user can access another organization’s transactions, and input is restricted to only registered user profiles.

When using SMART, you have the option to file transactions via web entry or through automation. As the primary method of filing, web entry allows agency staff to input individual policy information into a web-based form. Automation allows data submissions to be electronically submitted in XML format.

SMART is the best choice for users because it provides users the opportunity to correct errors as they are detected as well as access to monthly reports and invoices.  These options are not available through the file sharing service.

If the secure file sharing service is your choice, you may access stamping fee invoices, reports and pay stamping fee electronically through SMART by completing the System Registration form on our website. Ensure the box marked “I intend to use the Online Filing System to only make ACH/online payments” is checked. To assist with the transition, SLTX has created the following guides:

• Online Invoice Payment
• Monthly and Annual Reports

In any event, the SLTX team is here to help! Contact us we can assist step-by-step on how to utilize SMART or the online filing system! Happy paperless Filing!

As a reminder, ALL features and/or transactions have been available in SMART as of the January 2023 release. End-of-life for Electronic Filing System (EFS) is May 1, 2023.

 The March/April SMART release included the following improvements:

• Improvements to placement of “Correct Original Filing” field from Policy and Binder entry screens
• Improvements to Policy Limits field (Context for potentially inaccurate policy limit amounts)
• Phase 1 of Global (email) Notifications integrated into SMART, allowing SLTX to send notifications directly to users
• Improvements to automated purge, sync, and display of reports for all available report categories
• Improvements to guidance shown on Policy Limits Upload page
• Policy Limits Upload will now notify user making submission instead of primary agency contact
• Improvements to “Errors” Section from Policy’s Search result page
• Improvements to API batch posting within Test Environment (better management of transactions submitted “outside of reporting month” error assignment)

SLTX will release process improvements and/or enhancements as available.

Available Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: New or Renewal Policies or Binders; New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders; Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments; Audit Amendments; Cancellations; Reinstatements;  Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change, Inception Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements; Reversals; Agent/Broker of Record changes; and ability to correct or delete errors (tags).

Visit Training Videos & Guides page to access user guides or supplemental video components for each transaction or feature in SMART. Sign up for a walk-though of SMART’s features tailored to your agency’s business / workflows, or a support session for technical assistance with API (automated) filing or SMART Connector processes.

As of the January 2023 release, ALL features and/or transactions have been delivered in SMART. End-of-life of Electronic Filing System (EFS) is May 1, 2023, and no further access will be available. SLTX will release process improvements and/or enhancements indefinitely as available.

Available Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: New or Renewal Policies or Binders; New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders; Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments; Audit Amendments; Cancellations; 
Reinstatements;  Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change,
 Inception Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements; Reversals; Agent/Broker of Record changes; and ability to correct or delete errors (tags).

Visit Training Videos & Guides page to access user guides or supplemental video components for each transaction or feature in SMART. Sign up for a group education session to experience a walk-through of SMART’s features, or request an individualized training session tailored to your agency’s business / workflows or API (automated) filing processes.

The February release included the following improvements:

• Improved handling of error (tag) correction components
• Replacing restricted or invalid coverage/class codes
• Color indicator for “binder data” with Policy Replacing Binder
• Messaging for Windstorm Exclusion indicator for Policy Replacing Binder
• Improvements for API filers who elect to update FCU (Federal Credit Union) flag
• Include API response model information within SMART’s Swagger page and Programmer Technical Reference guide
• Remove “in-progress” reminder from SMART login
• Update SLTX address within SMART reports to reflect new Pflugerville address

The Annual Late Filing report will be generated on March 13, 2023. Policies are considered late if not filed with SLTX within 60 days of issuance or the effective date, whichever is later.

In compliance with the Texas Administrative Code, SLTX must submit the report each year to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) no later than the first business day in April. Once the report is sent to TDI, no additional changes can be made. Adjustments approved by TDI on policies included on a monthly late filing report should be considered timely filed, will not be included on the annual report.

Beginning March 13, 2023, you can access the report both in SMART and EFS (note: this is the last year to access the report in EFS). You can find the “how to” user guide in SMART by following this link. Follow these instructions to access report in EFS: “Reporting” tab on the left navigation menu. Select “EOM/EOY Reports” from the “Listings” drop-down menu at the top of the screen. Choose the “Late Filing Reports” radio button, and the annual late filing report will be displayed as the most recent report listed, if available.

SLTX will send the official Annual Late Filing Report by certified mail to agents and brokers included in the report. Those who are not included in the report will not see it listed in the online filing system and will not receive a letter from SLTX.

The report will include:

• A list of all late policies,
• Number of days late for each,
• Total percentage of late policies for the year,
• A calculation of total fees due and,
• Number of policies sent to enforcement, if any.

Assessments and enforcement actions are determined by statute and all fees should be submitted directly to TDI. The TDI Late Filers Fee Payment Form will be included within the certified mailing.

SLTX is moving! Effective immediately please send all mail, checks, policy filings, and other written communication to this address to avoid delays.

Our new address is:

1601 E Pflugerville Pkwy, Suite #3301
Pflugerville, TX 78660

The SLTX website, phone numbers, and email addresses will remain the same. Please contact SLTX with any questions.

The January release includes ability for API filers to correct errors (tags) and delete errors (tags) through SMART’s user interface, ability to access monthly / annual late filings reports, and an additional Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transaction: Audit Amendment.

The following improvements include:

• Syncing of legacy (EFS) reports. This allows users to access historical (legacy) reports via SMART until expired (based on SLTX retention policy). It may take 1-2 weeks for all reports to sync / become available.
• Automated purge of existing (and legacy) reports which exceed SLTX’s retention policy
• Non-Texas and Exempt Premium added to Advanced Policy Search and Full Export data
• Improved handling after-action options for Broker’s Sent Invitations
• Improved handling of credit balance(s) for non-Texas premiums by state or territory
• Improved messaging when any API data point’s max length is exceeded
• Improvements for API filers who elect to update FCU (Federal Credit Union) flag
• Improved context on “Upload Policy Limits” page (additional clarity regarding which policy limits to provide)
• Updated guidance for “Renewal” and “Installment” transactions
• Updated field label to reflect “Correct Original Filing”
• Removed “API” option from Filing menu (providing streamlined Help functions within “Help” menu)
• Improved handling of long Reference field values from Recent Filings (Data Entry landing page)
• SMART Connector (v. 1.1.35) improvements (branch / division selection)

Available Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: New or Renewal Policies or Binders; New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders; Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments; Cancellations; Reinstatements;  Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change, Inception Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements; Reversals; and Agent/Broker of Record changes.

At this time, ALL features and/or transactions have been delivered in SMART. As a result, SLTX confirms end-of-life of Electronic Filing System (EFS) as May 1, 2023.

 SLTX will continue to regularly release process improvements and/or enhancements indefinitely.

Visit Training Videos & Guides page to access user guides or supplemental video components for each transaction or feature in SMART. Sign up for a group education session to experience a walk-through of SMART’s features, or request an individualized training session tailored to your agency’s business / workflows or API (automated) filing processes.

The following month-end reports are solely published / accessible from SMART: Monthly Invoice, Detail Policy Activity, Policy Transaction Activity, Duplicate Policy, and Outstanding Ineligible. EFS no longer has the capability to produce and publish these reports.

During December’s monthly/annual closure EFS developed difficulties processing month-end close data and generating reports. Those challenges carried on with January’s close and following an unsuccessful attempt to restore the process and a 16-hour report run, it was clear that EFS is no longer capable of producing month-end closure data. However, all other EFS features remain available until the May 1, 2023 end of life.

To access your End of Month Reports in SMART, log in with your existing EFS credentials. SMART utilizes EFS credentials; therefore, a separate SMART User ID is not necessary. From SMART landing or home page, select “View Reports” from the Reports tile. Click the Report Category tile to navigate and view desired report(s). To view a detailed step-by-step guide, please view the “Reports and Data” section of the “SMART Videos and Guides” page from our website. You may also contact our Tech Support for further information and necessary assistance with this process.

The December release included the following improvements:

• Ability to (separately) upload policy limit data is integrated in SMART. This provides enhanced security, increased processing speed, and simplified processes with enhanced communication capability.

• • Reminder: Policy Limit field continues to be available within all policy or binder transactions and remains the preferred submission method.

• Improvements for larger premium/coverage amounts (up to $200M)
• Improved handling of one-time migration process for legacy Continuous Until Cancelled policies (one time migration) when “duplicated” dummy renewals exist
• Improvements for API filers who elect to download status of API “Update” transactions
• Improved handling of child and reversal transactions when parent policy indicates “Purchasing Group”
• The “Get More Help” option from broker landing page fully utilizes ALL Help features within SMART

Available Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: New or Renewal Policies or Binders; New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders; Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments; Cancellations; Reinstatements;  Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change, Inception Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements; Reversals; and Agent/Broker of Record changes.

The following features or transactions remain outstanding: API filer’s ability to correct errors (tags) through SMART’s user interface, and monthly/annual late filing reports. Features are expected within the next 1-2 release cycles.  All other features and/or transactions have been delivered. As a result, SLTX confirms end-of-life of Electronic Filing System (EFS) as May 1, 2023.

Learn all about SMART from the Training Videos & Guides page. For personalized training, sign up for group education sessions which includes a walk-through of SMART features. Utilize this link or request an individualized training session tailored to your agency’s business / workflows or API (automated) filing.

The October release includes additional features for API filers to request batch or transaction-level details for previously submitted XML batch filings.

The following improvements include:

• Improved handling of API updates for Federal Credit Unions (FCU)
• Improved handling of Agent/Broker of Record (AOR) changes (when a previous AOR exists)
• Improved handling of Data Entry or API batch links on Data Entry landing page
• Improved handling of Month-End scheduled tasks
• Improvements to Broker Security and Manual Data Entry pages for clarity
• Updates to Coverage and Class Code(s) Search results pages which provide additional clarity on Restricted codes
• Updates to Help page to consolidate “help” features which include links to video and user guide page(s)
• Reorganized Filing Menu and updated menu option labels
• Updates to “Save as PDF” feature in which purpose is better clarified

Available Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: New or Renewal Policies or Binders; New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders; Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments; Cancellations; Reinstatements;  Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements; Reversals; and Agent/Broker of Record changes.

The following features or transactions remain outstanding: Inception Date Change endorsement (manual filing), API filers ability to correct errors (tags) through SMART’s user interface, and monthly/annual late filing reports. These features are expected within the next 1-2 release cycles. The objective was to provide an official 90-day notice of impending end-of-life date of the Electronic Filing System (EFS) once all features are released. Given current timelines and existing constraints, SLTX is tentatively scheduling end-of-life of the Electronic Filing System (EFS) as May 1, 2023.

To avoid issues once EFS is gone, SLTX urges you to sign up for group education sessions for training and questions regarding the new system. Select training sessions by following this link or request an individualized training session tailored to your agency’s business/workflows or API filing questions here. We look forward to assisting you!

API, Report, Advanced Search, Manual Data Entry, and Export capabilities are attached for your convenience.

The September release includes additional features for Manual Filing (or Data Entry) transactions: Non-Policy Reversals, and Agent/Broker of Record changes. Users may enter New or Renewal Policies or Binders, New or Renewal Policy Replacing Binders, New and Renewal Reversals, Cancellations, Reinstatements, Premium Endorsements, Audits, and Installments, and Name Change, Policy Number Change, Insurer / Company Change, Expiration Date Change, or Other Non-Premium Endorsements.

Improvements Include:

• Policies Search results screens include Broker’s National Producer Number (NPN)
• Password reset page(s) includes additional context regarding “TDI License Number”
• Improved handling of special characters within Usernames
• Improved handling of email addresses longer than 35 characters
• Improved handling when adding transactions effective prior to an existing cancellation/reinstatement pair
• Improved handling of advanced search results for deleted records
• Updated “Entry Method” within Policies Search (provides additional clarity between transactions processed by SLTX and Online Filers)
• SMART Connector improvements (Windstorm Exclusion)

Manual filing (or data entry) transactions have been released, with following transactions or features remaining: Inception Date Change endorsement, API filers ability to correct errors (tags) through SMART’s user interface, and monthly/annual late filing reports. These features are expected within the next 1-2 release cycles. SLTX will give official 90-day notice of impending end-of-life date of the Electronic Filing System (EFS) once all features are released.

SLTX invites you to sign up for group education sessions for training and questions regarding the new system. Select training sessions by following this link or request an individualized training session tailored to your agency’s business/workflows here.

API, Report, Advanced Search, Manual Data Entry, and Export capabilities are attached for your convenience. External Filing testing continues, including additional manual (or data entry) transactions, reversals, and update capability.

With each new release and deployment, additional notifications will be published. These notifications may also be found on our website under News>Procedural Updates.