NAIC, Md.’s Redmer Press for Flood Program Review

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has formed a working group to examine issues with the National Flood Insurance Program in light of Hurricane Isabel complaints and experiences with other recent storms by Maryland citizens.

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer, Jr. said he has also asked his fellow state insurance regulators to prod Congress to look into the NFIP after exhausting all other avenues to help Maryland claimaints.

“As part of the Insurance Administration’s continuing efforts to advocate for Maryland consumers, I asked my fellow insurance commissioners to join me in an effort to work with the Congressional leaders in Washington D.C. to address the perceived oversights and apparent flaws in this federal program,” said Redmer. “While Governor Ehrlich, various cabinet secretaries and I have exhausted every avenue at the state level to provide Maryland storm victims needed relief and assistance, we recognize that there are still flood insurance gaps not being filled in this recovery. Through NAIC, we hope to be a part of improving the system so that future flood victims have a smoother road to rebuilding or repairing their homes in the wake of disaster.”

Redmer is co-chair of the NAIC Government Affairs Task Force and propsoed the diea of the working group, which was adopted at the last quarterly NAIC meeting in March of 2005. The working group will offer to share its collective experience and any recommendations for changes to the federal program with interested parties and state and federal government leadership.