Rural Community Insurance Services Launches Write Your Own Program for Flood Insurance

Business Editors

ANOKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2009--Rural Community Insurance Company (RCIC), a Wells Fargo Company and subsidiary of Rural Community Insurance Services (RCIS) said it has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Write Your Own (WYO) Program. Rural Community Insurance Agency, Inc. will serve as managing general agent for RCIC, the WYO carrier, and the program will be available to RCIS’s existing agency network, Wells Fargo Insurance entities, and other independent agents and brokers.

The WYO Program began in 1983 and is a cooperative undertaking of the insurance industry and FEMA. The Program allows participating property and casualty insurance companies to write and service the Standard Flood Insurance Policy in their own names. The companies receive an expense allowance for policies written and claims processed while the Federal Government is responsible for underwriting losses.

Agents will have access to a state-of-the-art flood insurance policy processing and claims administration system designed to accommodate flexible servicing strategies that are easy to use. It features automated on demand excess flood insurance quotes from a Wells Fargo Special Risks program whenever the replacement cost of the property to be insured exceeds the standard underlying policy limits available through the NFIP – a unique, distinguishing benefit of the RCIS offering.

Rural Community Insurance Services (www.rcis.com) supports the agriculture community with comprehensive insurance services, access to the information growers and agents need to run a successful business, and innovative, leading-edge technology tools. RCIS has five regional offices across the country and a national network of over 5,600 professionally trained and licensed agents serving customers in all 50 states, and is the nation’s largest crop insurance provider.