COVID-19 Insurance Regulations
A recent Executive Order issued by Governor Cuomo, together with recent amendments to the insurance and banking regulations issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services, extend grace periods and give you other rights under certain property/casualty insurance policies if you are an individual or small business and can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the novel coronavirus (“COVID‑19”) pandemic. These grace periods and rights are currently in effect but are temporary, though they may be extended further. Please check the Department’s website at https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/coronavirus for updates.
If you are an individual, generally, personal lines property/casualty insurance policies are covered by these amendments, including auto, homeowners’ and renters’ insurance. If you are an individual and an affected policyholder, please contact us or your carrier directly if you are uncertain whether your policy is covered.
If you are a small business, only certain types of commercial lines property/casualty insurance policies are covered by these amendments, generally including property, fire, commercial general liability, special multiperil, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, commercial auto (including livery and other for-hire vehicles), and commercial umbrella insurance. A business qualifies as a “small business” if it is resident in New York State, is independently owned and operated, and employs 100 or fewer individuals. If you are a small business and an affected policyholder, please contact us or your carrier directly if you are uncertain whether your policy is covered.
- A copy of the Executive Order and regulations can be found at https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-20213-continuing-temporary-suspension-and-modification-laws-relating-disaster-emergency and https://www.dfs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/03/re_consolidated_amend_pt_405_27a_27c_new_216_text.pdf, respectively.
Moratorium on Cancellation, Non-Renewal, and Conditional Renewal
If you are an affected policyholder, there is a moratorium on your insurer canceling, non-renewing, or conditionally renewing your property/casualty insurance policy for a period of 60 days. If you do not make a timely premium payment and can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, your insurer may not impose any late fees relating to the premium payment or report you to a credit reporting agency or a debt collection agency regarding such premium payment.
Catching up on Overdue Insurance Payments
The regulations also require your insurer to permit you, as an affected policyholder, to pay the overdue premium over a 12-month period if you did not make a timely premium payment due to financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and can still demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This also applies if the insurer sent you a nonpayment cancellation notice prior to March 29, 2020.
Policies Financed by Premium Finance Agencies – Grace Period
If your insurance policy has been financed through a premium finance agency, and you, as an affected policyholder, do not make an installment payment, the premium finance agency may not cancel your policy for a period of at least 60 days, including any contractual grace period, and subject to the safety and soundness of the premium finance agency. In addition, if you do not make a timely installment payment to the premium finance agency, the premium finance agency must extend the due date for the installment payment by at least 60 days, may not impose any late fees relating to that installment payment, and may not report you to a credit reporting agency or a debt collection agency regarding that installment payment.
Catching up on Overdue Payments to Premium Finance Agencies
If you, as an affected policyholder, do not make a timely installment payment to the premium finance agency due to financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the premium finance agency must permit you to pay the installment payment over a 12-month period if you can still demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, subject to the safety and soundness of the premium finance agency. This also applies if the premium finance agency issued a non-payment cancellation notice prior to March 29, 2020.
How to Demonstrate Financial Hardship
If you, as an affected policyholder, are unable to make a timely premium payment due to financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may submit to your insurer or premium finance agency, as applicable, a statement that you swear or affirm in writing under penalty of perjury that you are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the insurer or premium finance agency, as applicable, shall accept as satisfactory proof. Such statement is not required to be notarized.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding your rights under the Executive Order or regulations, please contact us or your carrier directly.
Company |
Phone |
Website |
A-Central Insurance Company | 800-234-6926 | www.acentralinsurance.com |
Adirondack Insurance Exchange |
877-365-8693 800-668-1398 (Roadside Asst.) |
www.aie-ny.com |
Aegis Security Insurance Company | 800-233-2160 | www.aegisfirst.net |
American International Group | 866-960-0772 | www.aig.com |
Allegany Co-Op Insurance Company |
800-333-1679 877-346-0300 (After Hours) |
www.alleganycoop.com |
American Collectors | 800-360-2277 | www.americancollectorsins.com |
American Modern Insurance Group | 800-375-2075 | www.amig.com |
American Reliable | 800-245-1505 | www.assurantspecialtyproperty.com |
AmTrust Financial | 866-272-9267 | www.amtrustnorthamerica.com |
Andover Companies | 800-255-0770 | www.andovercos.com |
Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company | 877-222-5522 | www.atlanticcasualty.net |
AutoOne Insurance | 866-252-4669 | www.autooneins.com |
Bristol West Insurance Group | 800-274-7865 | www.bristolwest.com |
CNA Insurance | 877-262-2727 | www.cna.com |
CNA Surety/Western Surety | 877-672-6115 | www.cnasurety.com |
Chautauqua Patrons | 800-896-4720 | www.chautauquapatrons.com |
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies |
800-252-4670 800-699-9916 (Workers Comp.) |
www.chubb.com |
Community Mutual Insurance Co. | 800-758-4545 | www.communitymutual.com |
Condon Skelly | 800-257-9496 | www.condonskelly.com |
Dairyland Insurance |
800-334-0090 800-325-9559 (Motorcycle) |
www.dairylandinsurance.com |
Dryden Mutual Insurance Company |
800-782-0154 800-556-5802 (After Hours) |
www.drydenmutual.com |
Encompass Insurance | 800-588-7400 | www.encompassinsurance.com |
Erie and Niagara Insurance Association | 716-632-5433 | www.enia.com |
Fingerlakes Fire and Casualty | 607-387-6800 | www.flfcc.com |
Firemans Fund Insurance Company | 888-347-3428 | www.firemansfund.com |
First Rehab Insurance Company | 800-365-4999 | www.firstrehab.com |
Foremost Insurance Group |
800-527-3907 800-274-7865 (Auto Claims) |
www.foremost.com |
National General (Previously GMAC) | 800-325-1088 | www.nationalgeneral.com |
GNY (Greater New York Insurance Company) | 855-276-1271 | www.gny.com |
Hagerty Group | 800-922-4050 | www.hagerty.com |
Hanover Insurance Group | 800-628-0250 | www.hanover.com |
Harleysville Insurance Group |
800-892-8877 800-421-3535 (Flood) |
www.harleysvillegroup.com |
Hartford Insurance Company | 800-243-5860 | www.thehartford.com |
HR Keller | 800-424-2202 | www.kellerandco.com |
International Marine Underwriters | 877-248-3455 | www.imu.com |
JC Taylor | 800-272-6764 | www.jctaylor.com |
Kemper Corporation | 866-536-7376 | www.kemper.com |
Kingstone (Commercial Mutual) |
800-364-7045 845-430-0771 (After Hours) |
www.commercialmutual.com |
Lancer Insurance Company | 800-521-6155 | www.lancerinsurance.com |
Leatherstocking Cooperative Insurance Company |
607-547-2007 800-886-8048 (After Hours) |
www.leatherstockinginsurance.com |
Liberty Mutual Insurance | 800-225-2467 | www.libertymutual.com |
LoVullo | 716-856-8057 | www.lovullo.com |
McNeil & Company | 800-822-3747 | www.mcneilandcompany.com |
Merchants Insurance Group |
800-952-5246 888-644-6680 (After Hours) |
www.merchantsgroup.com |
Mercury Insurance Group | 800-503-3724 | www.mercuryinsurance.com |
MetLife Insurance Company | 800-854-6011 | www.metlife.com |
Midstate Mutual Insurance Company | 800-826-8520 | www.midstatemutual.com |
MSA (Main Street America Group/National Grange) | 877-425-2467 | www.msagroup.com |
National Benefit Life | 800-535-2710 | www.nationalbenefitlife.com |
National Flood | 800-637-3846 | www.nfsmt.com |
North Country Insurance | 800-847-7030 | www.ncins.com |
Nova Casualty (AIX Group) | 800-338-1569 | www.aixgroup.com |
New York Central Mutual – NYCM | 800-234-6926 | www.nycm.com |
NYPIUA (Fairplan) | 212-208-9711 | www.nypiua.com |
Ohio Casuality | 866-255-5530 | www.ohiocasualty-ins.com |
OneBeacon | 877-248-3455 | www.onebeacon.com |
Peerless Insurance | 800-522-7152 | www.peerless-ins.com |
Philadelphia Insurance Companies | 800-765-9749 | www.phly.com |
Preferred Mutual Insurance Company | 800-333-7642 | www.pminsco.com |
Progressive Insurance Company | 800-776-4737 | www.progressive.com |
RLI Corp | 800-444-0406 | www.rlicorp.com |
Russell Bond | 800-333-7226 | www.russellbond.com |
Safeco | 800-332-3226 | www.safeco.com |
Selective Insurance Group | 866-455-9969 | www.selective.com |
State Insurance Fund | 888-875-5790 | www.nysif.com |
Sterling Insurance Company | 877-254-1767 | www.sterlingins.com |
Tower Group Companies | 888-856-5522 | www.twrgrp.com |
Travelers Insurance Company |
800-252-4633 800-238-6225 (Business Insurance) |
www.travelers.com |
United Frontier Mutual Insurance Company | 800-352-0908 | www.unitedfrontier.com |
Utica First Insurance Company | 800-456-4556 | www.uticafirst.com |
Utica National Insurance Group | 800-216-1420 | www.uticanational.com |
Victoria Group | 800-926-3168 | www.victoriainsurance.com |
Wayne Cooperative Insurance Company | 800-724-1648 | www.wcicny.com |
Zurich Insurance Group | 800-987-3373 | www.zurich.com |