The Second Judicial Circuit Court ordered Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Company into receivership as of March 14, 2022. All Avatar policies will be cancelled effective 12:01 a.m. on April 13, 2022. For more information, see the order.  

After an agent exhausts all other avenues for coverage, Citizens is ready to assist with securing coverage for these risks that meet Citizens’ eligibility guidelines. 

Note: Policies renewing prior to April 13, 2022, can be submitted as part of this process. 

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 60 days to retain the discount.    

Submit the Document Deferral Form for Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Company Policies in lieu of these required documents in PolicyCenter^®. This deferral program ends April 28, 2022.

Agents must submit all required documents no later than 60 days after the Citizens policy effective date to avoid cancellation or non-renewal. 

As reminders: 

• All new-business risks must be submitted through the Citizens’ Property Insurance Clearinghouse for applicable policy types.
• 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 $1,000,000 or more or a single condominium unit that has a combined dwelling and content replacement cost of $1,000,000 or more is not eligible for coverage with Citizens.

Risks with Existing Damage/Open Claims

To submit a risk with existing damage, contact the Customer Care Center at 888.685.1555. Inform the representative that the risk is an Avatar customer who has existing damage and needs to secure coverage before their existing policy is cancelled. The representative will provide you with further instructions as these risks must be submitted unbound for review. These will be individually underwritten and there is no guarantee of coverage. 

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 

Note: Personal Lines Underwriters may request an existing damage written disclaimer from the applicant.

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 201552 for the Carrier Id and Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Company for the Carrier Name.
   Result: The Policy Info screen displays.
5. Complete the remaining fields: Policy Number, Expiration Date and Cancel or Non-Renewal Reason.

Resources

For information on other companies who are making offers to Avatar policyholders, please refer to this memo.

• Personal Lines Bulletin: Reminder: Automated Loss-History Data in PolicyCenter dated November 17, 2021

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:
  • Citizens Essentials 1: Personal - Eligibility and Prequalification
  • Citizens Essentials 2: Success in the Clearinghouse
  • Citizens Essentials 3: Personal - Submission and Issuance in PolicyCenter
  • Citizens Essentials 4: Personal - Servicing, Remarketing and Renewals

• Training > Personal Job Aids to access:
  • Using the Clearinghouse for New Business
  • New-Business Submission Guide
  • Uploading and Linking Documents
  • 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.