Southern Fidelity Insurance Company was ordered into liquidation by the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial Circuit, in and for Leon County, Florida, as of June 15, 2022. The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) is appointed Receiver of Southern Fidelity and all policies are being cancelled effective July 15, 2022. For more information, see the order.

Notes

• DFS issued a Notice to Agent or Broker Regarding the Liquidation, which informs agents of their responsibilities to provide written notice to Southern Fidelity policyholders of the DFS receivership and of the cancellation date of their Southern Fidelity policy effective July 15, 2022.
• Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) will mail unearned premium refunds to affected policyholders within 45 to 60 days of the liquidation date.

Agents assisting Southern Fidelity policyholders affected by the early cancellation and who are not the agent of record for the prior policy should follow the new-business process outlined below.

If you are unable to secure coverage in the private market, Citizens may provide coverage for these customers for one year, effective on July 15, 2022; however, coverage is not automatic and is not guaranteed. All risks are subject to Citizens’ eligibility rules.

To support the short time needed to provide coverage for these risks, Citizens has eased some underwriting time frames. More information is below.

Deferral for Required Documents for New-Business Submissions

Agents should submit required documents for all new-business submissions, including proof of repair for any fully repaired damage.

Agents can defer required documents for new-business submissions for:

• 4-point inspection form
• Roof condition documentation
• Current Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802)

Wind Loss Mitigation: Agents should apply the discount based on the current form available. If the current form is expired, it may be provided as a required document. A new form will be required within 90 days to retain the discount.

Submit the Document Deferral Form for Expedited Submission in lieu of these required documents in PolicyCenter®. This deferral program ends August 1, 2022.

Agents should submit new business for underwriting review as soon as all initial documents, including the document deferral form (if needed), are loaded into PolicyCenter. After the new-business policy is issued, agents must submit all required documents no later than 90 days after the Citizens policy effective date to avoid possible nonrenewal.

Note: Agents can submit the required documents to have a nonrenewal rescinded.

As reminders:

• Citizens has statutory maximums on coverage limits: Any risk in any county (except Miami-Dade or Monroe counties) that has a dwelling replacement cost of $700,000 or more, or a single condominium unit that has a combined dwelling and content replacement cost of $700,000 or more, is not eligible for coverage with Citizens. In Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, any risk that has a dwelling replacement cost of $1 million or more, or a single condominium unit that has a combined dwelling and content replacement cost of $1 million or more, is not eligible for coverage with Citizens.
• New-business risks cannot be submitted with a named insured or an additional named insured in the name of a trust. Refer to the agent job aids Writing a Residence Held in Trust and Residence Held in Trust: New Rules, Forms and System Changes for more information.

Risks with Existing Damage/Open Claims

When open claims and/or existing damage is present, a submission for approval should include the following documentation:

• Photos of the existing damage
• Document(s) reflecting when the repairs will be completed

To submit a risk with existing roof damage, contact the Customer Care Center at 888.685.1555. Inform the representative that the risk is a Southern Fidelity customer who has existing roof damage and needs to secure coverage before their existing policy is cancelled. The representative will provide you with further instructions.

Notes

• Personal Lines Underwriters may request an existing damage written disclaimer from the applicant.
• Loss History reports will automatically be pulled on all submissions. Agents should carefully review any previous losses that may require proof of repair.

Entering the Prior Carrier in PolicyCenter

When submitting a new-business risk into PolicyCenter, agents must follow the steps below to select the appropriate prior-carrier information:

1. On the Policy Info screen, enter information regarding the prior policies.
2. Click in the Carrier Name field to access the search feature.
   Result: The External Carriers search page displays.
3. Enter the first few characters of the carrier’s name and select Search.
   Result: The search results display.
4. In the search results, select the Carrier Id, 200989 and Carrier Name, Southern Fidelity Insurance Company.
   Result: The Policy Info screen displays.
5. Complete the remaining fields: Policy Number, Expiration Date and Cancel or Non-Renewal Reason.

Resources

For more details, log in to the Agents website and select:

• Training → Citizens Essentials for online webinar recordings to help you navigate the new-business submission process and service your customers.
• Training → Personal Job Aids to access:
  • Using the Clearinghouse for New Business
  • New-Business Submission Guide
  • Automated Loss History Data and Acceptable Proof of Repair Guide
  • Uploading and Linking Documents
  • Home Condition Requirements
  • Mobile Home Condition Requirements
  • Required Document Guides (by policy form on the right-hand side)

FAQs on the top menu. Enter +document +deferral in the Search field.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact Citizens’ Customer Care Center weekdays, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET, 888.685.1555.