View all text of Part 61 [§ 61.1 - § 61.17]

§ 61.13 - Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

(a) Incorporation of forms. Each of the Standard Flood Insurance Policy forms included in appendix “A” hereto (General Property, Dwelling, and Residential Condominium Building Association) and by reference incorporated herein shall be incorporated into the Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

(b) Endorsements. All endorsements to the Standard Flood Insurance Policy shall be final upon publication in the Federal Register for inclusion in appendix A.

(c) Applications. The application and renewal application forms utilized by the National Flood Insurance Program shall be the only application forms used in connection with the Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

(d) Waivers. The Standard Flood Insurance Policy and required endorsements must be used in the Flood Insurance Program, and no provision of the said documents shall be altered, varied, or waived other than by the express written consent of the Federal Insurance Administrator through the issuance of an appropriate amendatory endorsement, approved by the Federal Insurance Administrator as to form and substance for uniform use.

(e) Authorized only under terms and conditions established by the Act and Regulation. The Standard Flood Insurance Policy is authorized only under terms and conditions established by Federal statute, the program's regulations, the Federal Insurance Administrator's interpretations, and the express terms of the policy itself. Accordingly, representations regarding the extent and scope of coverage that are not consistent with Federal statute, the program's regulations, the Federal Insurance Administrator's interpretations, and the express terms of the policy itself, are void.

(f) Agent acts only for policyholder. The duly licensed property or casualty agent acts for the policyholder and does not act as agent for the Federal Government, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Write Your Own (WYO) program participating insurance company authorized by part 62 of this chapter, or the NFIP servicing agent.

(g) Oral and written binders. No oral binder or contract will be effective. No written binder will be effective unless issued with express authorization of the Federal Insurance Administrator.

(h) The Standard Flood Insurance Policy and endorsements may be issued by private sector Write Your Own (WYO) property insurance companies, based upon flood insurance applications and renewal forms, all of which instruments of flood insurance may bear the name, as Insurer, of the issuing WYO company. In the case of any Standard Flood Insurance Policy, and its related forms, issued by a WYO company, wherever the names “Federal Emergency Management Agency” and “Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration” appear, a WYO company must substitute its own name therefore. Standard Flood Insurance Policies issued by WYO companies may be executed by the issuing WYO company as Insurer, in the place and stead of the Federal Insurance Administrator, but the risk of loss is borne by the National Flood Insurance Fund, not the WYO company.

[43 FR 2570, Jan. 17, 1978. Redesignated at 44 FR 31177, May 31, 1979, as amended at 44 FR 62517, Oct. 31, 1979; 48 FR 46791, Oct. 14, 1983; 58 FR 62424, Nov. 26, 1993; 85 FR 43959, July 20, 2020]