Real Options for Texas Homeowners:
A Quick Guide on Shopping Around for Homeowners Insurance in Texas

You Have Options In Texas

A competitive insurance market provides consumers with more options and better service than highly regulated markets. In Texas, more and more companies are now able to offer policies that suit your needs while competing for your business by offering a variety of prices.

In Texas, you have dozens of companies to choose from to insure your home. Listed below are companies that currently offer homeowners insurance in Texas and their contact information. In addition, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has useful information on their Web site at www.tdi.state.tx.us, including the following:

To find homeowners insurance companies in your area, visit TDI's new shopping Web site at www.helpinsure.com which includes up-to-date lists of who's providing insurance, and provides a guide to finding an insurance agent.

For information on TDI's Market Assistance Program (MAP), which helps consumers find homeowners insurance and lower-priced auto liability insurance, call 1-888-799-6277.

For copies of free consumer publications, call the TDI Publications Order Line at 1-800-599-7467.

For answers to other insurance questions, call the TDI Consumer Help Line at 1-800-252-3439.

For more help on understanding Texas' insurance market, visit www.insuretexas.org.

For more tools like this and other helpful information on insurance issues facing all Texans, visit www.tcais.org.

Additional Tools

Insurance companies use many factors when determining whether to accept a customer and how much his or her insurance should cost. Information on two of these factors — credit information and claims history — is below.

Your Credit Report

Credit information has proven to be an accurate way to estimate the number of claims a customer may file. Check your credit report each year to verify its accuracy. Below are the toll-free numbers and Web sites for the three main credit reporting agencies:

Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE)

The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE)is a database used by homeowners insurers to track claims filed on each property. The CLUE, which tracks past claims during the past three years, is a useful tool for finding fraudulent claims and for determining which properties are potentially high-risk.

You can order a copy of your home ’s CLUE report for $8 by calling ChoicePoint — the company that owns the database — at 1-866-527-2600. You may also visit www.choicetrust.com for more information.

If you are denied coverage because of your CLUE report, you can order a free copy by calling the Equifax Insurance Consumer Center at 1-800-456-6004. You should also receive instructions for challenging any incorrect information on your report.

Statement of Principles

The Texas Coalition for Affordable Insurance Solutions (TCAIS) believes all Texans should have access to affordable home and auto insurance. TCAIS is committed to public policy principles that will improve insurance affordability for all consumers.

We believe any legislative and regulatory action related to insurance should:

• promote healthy competition ,so Texans can get the best price possible for their insurance coverage;
• provide a greater choice of policy options ,so Texans can choose insurance coverage that meets their needs and fits their budgets; and
• prevent fraud and claims abuse ,so Texans don ’t pay higher prices for their insurance because of others who are taking advantage of the system.

TCAIS believes by working together, insurance companies, state leaders, consumers and other interested parties can find solutions for the issues affecting the homeowners and auto insurance markets in Texas.

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