All of us at Citizens hope you and your family are safe and that any damage your property may have experienced is minimal. Citizens is ready to assist you in helping your customers with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Informational Session

Citizens invites all our appointed agents and agency staff to join us for an informational session. Register via the link below where we will address agents most frequently asked questions while:

• Providing the status of Citizens’ catastrophe response.
• Sharing resources and communications designed to support
• policyholders.
• Demonstrating how to complete a first notice of loss (FNOL) and informing
• you who to call if a policy has been assumed.
• Discussing claim notifications for agents, reports and policy-specific
• claims information.

Webinar Session for Agents: Hurricane Ian

Catastrophe Response Centers

Citizens will deploy our mobile Catastrophe Response Centers (CRCs) to impacted areas to provide in-person service to our policyholders who may be cut off from their usual means of communication. Citizens’ CRC staff will:

• Process first notices of loss (FNOL)
• Make advance payments for additional living expenses, when warranted
• Answer questions and offer general assistance

Citizens will alert our agents as soon as the CRC locations and operating hours are confirmed. This information also will be posted on our Hurricanes webpage and Facebook.

Media Inquires

As Hurricane Ian may prompt calls from reporters wanting to know about Citizens’ catastrophe response, we remind agents and all representatives of Citizens that all questions from any person representing the media must be referred to Michael Peltier, Media Relations Manager, who will coordinate any interviews or official responses. Refer all questions from any person representing the media to Peltier by:

• Phone: 850.264.7702
• Email: Submit a Media Request from our website’s Contact Us page.

Claims and Loss Reporting

Advise policyholders to report a loss using one of these convenient options:

• Access myPolicy, Citizens’ online policyholder self-service tool, on their computer or mobile device.
• You can assist your Citizens customers by reporting FNOLs in PolicyCenter®. Use the job aid for filing FNOLs. Once the claim is filed, a claims representative will call the policyholder with the adjuster’s contact information.
• Call Citizens’ toll-free at 866.411.2742.

Ensure your impacted HO-3, HO-6 and DP-3 policyholders are aware of two important policy provisions that require them to:

• Take reasonable emergency measures for the sole purpose of protecting the covered property from further damage when experiencing a loss.
• Give prompt loss notice to Citizens. Except for the policy provisions regarding reasonable emergency measures, there may be no coverage for permanent repairs that begin before one of the following occurs:
  • 72 hours after the loss is reported to Citizens
  • The loss is inspected by Citizens
  • Verbal or written approval is provided by Citizens

Communication to Policyholders

Citizens will email policyholders in the storm-affected area with information about CRCs and claims reporting. If necessary, we’ll also send storm- and claims-related texts.

Electronic Claim Payments

Citizens now offers eligible Personal Lines policyholders an electronic claim payment option only at CRCs via their U.S. bank account for additional living expenses.

To be eligible for an electronic claim payment, the recipient must:

• Be the named insured and/or additional named insured(s) on a Personal Lines policy
• Have a valid email account and/or U.S. mobile phone number

CRC staff can help policyholders with this option.

Assignment of Benefits

You can help curb assignment of benefits (AOB) abuse and keep rates stable. Help your customers understand the importance of calling Citizens as soon as they know or suspect they have damage. See our Assignment of Benefits webpage for more information.

Visit our Hurricanes webpage for more information.

Additional Resources

Note: Some links require logging in to the Agents site to access:

• Submitting a First Notice of Loss job aid
• myPolicy Overview for Agents job aid
• Hurricanes webpage
• Catastrophe Claims webpage
• Assignment of Benefits webpage
• Book of Business request via myAgency
  Note: Must be requested by the agency principal or designee.
  
  Personal Lines:
• Quick Reference: Hurricane Coverages for Personal Lines
• Selecting Loss Causes and Sub-Loss Causes for a First Notice of Loss (FNOL) job aid
  
  Commercial Lines:
• Quick Reference: Hurricane Coverages for Commercial Lines
• Selecting Loss Causes with Dependent Sub-Loss Causes job aid

If you have questions or need additional support, contact Citizens via:

• Phone: 888.685.1555, weekdays, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• Email: the Contact Us webpage on the Agents website

Connect with Us

Stay up to date about the latest news, information and program initiatives from Citizens by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter: @Citizens_Agents.