MetLife Auto & Home Adds Flood Insurance

MetLife Auto & Home has been appointed by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to offer flood insurance, becoming one of a select group of property and casualty insurance companies approved for the NFIP’s “Write Your Own” (WYO) program.

“Most standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, even though flooding is nature’s most common peril, so this will allow us to offer a deeper level of protection to our customers,” said Franklin Reid, assistant vice president overseeing the program for MetLife Auto & Home. “By expanding our offerings to include flood insurance, we’re able to offer a more robust product lineup to new and existing customers.”

To broaden awareness, the company has established a flood Web site, available at www.metlifeflood.com. “This comprehensive site, which was developed in collaboration with FEMA, will help educate consumers and agents about flood risks, promote awareness of the benefits of flood insurance, and assist agents with the flood insurance sales process,” said Reid.

In addition to providing flood insurance protection basics, the site provides consumers with the ability to view sample policies and determine whether their communities participate in the National Flood Insurance program.

MetLife Auto & Home products are available through an array of distribution sources, including independent agents and career MetLife Auto & Home agents. Agent access to the National Flood Services Web site is accomplished by submitting a registration form from National Flood Services, Inc, which is downloadable from www.metlifeflood.com. The NFS Web site can be used to transmit applications and policy endorsements and to submit notices of loss.

The National Flood Insurance Program was established by Congress in 1968, in response to the rising cost of taxpayer-funded disaster relief for flood victims and the increasing amount of damage caused by floods.

The WYO program was initiated in 1983 as a cooperative undertaking between the insurance industry and the Federal Insurance Administration. The WYO allows participating property and casualty companies to write and service the Standard Flood Insurance Policies in their own names.