NAIC Fall Meeting Update: Climate and Resiliency (EX) Task Force

The mission of the Climate and Resiliency (EX) Task Force is to serve as the coordinating NAIC body for discussion and engagement on climate-related risk and resiliency issues, including dialogue among state insurance regulators, industry, and other stakeholders. On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the Climate and Resiliency (EX) Task Force discussed the following topics:ⁱ 

1. The Task Force’s 2026 Proposed Charges and Updates: Specifically, the regulators discussed concerns relating to harsh winter storms that impact various jurisdictions across the U.S. The comment period as to what will be included in the proposed charges will be open until January 12, 2026.
2. The Natural Catastrophe Risk Dashboard Report: The Task Force discussed the project, which was developed using a drafting group of 12 states to give regulators data which could assist in closing protection gaps. At the meeting, an attendee asked for an extension of the comment period for this report, and the committee responded that the deadline could be extended 10 days. The comment period now ends January 12, 2026. At the meeting, regulators discussed how important it is to gather helpful information and statistics from industry contributors to create the best and most accurate dashboard tool.
3. Disaster Preparedness Guide Summary: The Task Force discussed how, since the Summer Meeting, the drafting group has incorporated comments into a full document, but that the Guide is still developing. Additionally, the Task Force is drafting an executive summary document which includes timelines and post-disaster steps (from fires in Hawaii and Hurricane Helene in North Carolina). It is projected that this document will be accessible for regulatory reference in the near to medium term. The Task Force noted the importance of combatting misinformation surrounding natural disasters in real time by communicating with consumers, local governments, and news outlets with accurate information regarding how the insurance industry is and will respond. It was acknowledged that much of the contributing work was provided by the Catastrophe Risk Management Center of Excellence (COE).
4. A Presentation on Private Flood Insurance and Discussion of the Flood Insurance Blueprint: The Task Force received a presentation on Private Flood Insurance, with key takeaways including: (i) the task force has been collecting data since 2021; (ii) Since 2018, there has been significant growth in the private flood market; (iii) there were 773,000 private flood policies in force at the end of 2024 in this market; (iv) the highest loss ratios were seen in SD, IA, ME, NH, TN; (v) the states with most residential premium written were FL, TX, NJ, CA, NY; and (vi) outside of FL and NC, negative growth has been observed in the National Flood Insurance Program. With regards to the Flood Insurance Blueprint, a stated priority for 2026, there were five major actions items for the task force: (i) launch national initiative to increase awareness of flood risk and risk mitigation recommendations; (ii) close protection gaps by growing private flood insurance options; (iii) create new partnerships with universities in state jurisdictions to conduct localized risk assessments and risk mitigation strategies; (iv) build stronger communication with state and local governments to support more effective risk awareness; and (v) expand advocacy for state and federal funding to reduce floods.