On August 5, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) Board of Directors voted to file a 0 percent rate change as part of its required annual submission to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI). The motion passed with a 7-1 vote, with one abstention, and the official filing will be submitted by the August 15 deadline.

The Board’s decision followed a recommendation from TWIA’s Actuarial & Underwriting Committee to maintain current rates. TWIA’s 2025 Rate Adequacy Analysis shows the Association’s rates remain slightly inadequate by 3 percent for residential coverage and 5 percent for commercial. However, this marks a significant improvement from prior years. The reduction in rate inadequacy is largely attributed to legislation enacted during the recent Texas legislative session, House Bill 3689, which the Chamber actively supported.

Other Business Highlights:

Board Appointments: The Texas Insurance Commissioner filled two long-vacant positions on the Board:

Rolando Rubiano, an engineer from Cameron County, was appointed as a First Tier Coastal Representative.

Mark Shewmaker, an investor and government relations consultant from Travis County, will serve as a Non Seacoast Territory Representative.

Policy Updates:
The Board directed staff to submit a filing to TDI to update maximum liability limits on TWIA policies.

Residential Policy Changes:
Actuarial staff briefed the Board on adjustments to the Automatic Adjusted Building Cost (ABC) Endorsement. Starting November 1, 2025, residential policies renewing with this endorsement will see an automatic increase of approximately 1 percent in coverage amount.

2026 Catastrophe Funding Planning:
The Board asked the Actuarial & Underwriting Committee to convene later this year to develop recommendations for 2026 catastrophe funding. This follows new legislative requirements for earlier planning. The Committee is expected to meet in conjunction with the Board’s interim meeting scheduled for October 8. The Board also requested a catastrophe modeling briefing from Aon, TWIA’s modeling vendor, at that meeting.

The Chamber applauds the TWIA Board’s decision to hold rates steady for 2025 and thanks the many community leaders who weighed in during the public comment period. Sound fiscal management and thoughtful legislative action are contributing to a more stable insurance environment for the Coastal Bend and all Coastal Texans. 

To follow the latest updates, including the full timeline for the annual rate filing process, visit: www.twia.org