Procedural Updates

Lone Star Lines
Volume 21, January – March & Special Report

By this time, you should have received the last of the monthly late filing reports for 2014. If you file using the Electronic Filing System (EFS), these reports were no longer mailed to you beginning with the September report, but rather they were available through the EFS. The annual report will be available the same way. It is important that you review all the reports carefully for any transactions you believe are appearing in error. If you file using the EFS, you should use the “Correction Re-Entry tieback” option for any necessary corrections. If you file by paper, you need to provide us with appropriate documentation to confirm the item in question is not late so it can be adjusted before the annual report is run. If you delay too long before resolving these “false-positive” transactions, it will be too late to have them resolved. They must be resolved prior to the running of the annual late filers report. The annual late filers report will be run on March 10, 2015.

Effective May 28, 2011, Texas Insurance Code Section 981.105 specifies the regulatory remedies the Commissioner may take for late-filed surplus lines policies. Section 981.105 provides two authorized remedies for surplus lines agents who file policies late: fees and enforcement actions. These will be determined from the 2014 annual late filing report.

Lone Star Lines
Volume 20, October – December

It’s finally here – Late Filing Reports will be available online to agents/agencies filing through the Electronic Filing System (EFS) beginning with the September 2014 report. If we identified any late filings for you for the month, both the primary and secondary EFS contacts will be notified by email and they will be provided with a link to the report as well as a link to additional information concerning the report. The Late Filing Reports will no longer be mailed to you if you file electronically. The reports will only be available beginning with September, going forward. No reports prior to September will be available on the EFS website.

It is important that you keep the EFS contact information current. However, if you do not receive an email, you can still access the report(s) or check to see if you received one by going to Reporting, selecting EOM/EOY Reports, and then selecting Late Filing Reports. Any users, including agency principals, can access these reports as long as they have a valid user id and password.

If you require assistance accessing the reports, please contact the EFS Help Desk at (512) 531-1880.

Lone Star Lines
Volume 20, July – September

Lone Star Lines
Volume 20, April – June

Lone Star Lines
Volume 20, January – March & Special Report

By now, you will have received the last of the monthly late filing reports for 2013. It is very important that you review all of these reports carefully for any transactions you believe are appearing in error. If you file using the Electronic Filing System (EFS), you should use the “Correction Re-Entry tieback” option for any necessary corrections. If you file by paper, you will need to provide us with appropriate documentation to confirm the item in question is not late so it can be adjusted before the annual report is run. If you delay too long before resolving these “false-positive” transactions, it will be too late to have them resolved. They must be resolved prior to the running of the annual late filers report. The annual late filers report will be run March 7, 2014.

Effective May 28, 2011, Texas Insurance Code Section 981.105 specifies the regulatory remedies the Commissioner may take for late-filed surplus lines policies. Section 981.105 provides two authorized remedies for surplus lines agents who file policies late: fees and enforcement actions. These will be determined from the 2013 annual late filing report.

Texas has issued a data call requiring each insurer to report the “current average credit for excluding windstorm and hail coverage in the catastrophe area.” This requirement includes surplus lines carriers. The deadline for submitting completed data is December 31, 2013. Instructions and other details from the Commissioner’s Bulletin can be found here.

All policies, binders, cover notes, and date extensions filed with the Stamping Office on or after January 1, 2014 must include the zip code of the risk location, if the effective date of the policy is post NRRA (on or after 07/21/11). This requirement now applies to all lines of business, not just property. If the policy is covering multiple locations, you should enter the single Texas zip code that reflects the highest limit or greatest Texas exposure. It is not necessary to provide the zip code on endorsements, unless the risk location/exposure is changing. All zip codes must be valid Texas zip codes.

For questions, please call SLTX at (512) 531-1880.