To strengthen consumer protections, the Texas Department of Insurance is asking state lawmakers to consider adjusting when new home and auto insurance rates are implemented.
What's happening: Texas currently operates under a "file-and-use" system, allowing insurance companies to begin using new rates immediately after they are filed, regardless of whether the TDI has reviewed them.
In a Sept. 14 letter detailing actions the department is taking to address Texas' high home insurance costs, Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford suggested that the legislature look into "adding a delay between a rate filing and its use in the market." Under the current system, if the TDI finds an issue with a new insurance rate, there is "limited" redress for affected policyholders if that rate is already in effect.
The background: Crawford's letter comes after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the TDI to take affordability-focused actions in an Aug. 24 letter.
Texans paid the nation's fourth-highest home insurance premiums at the end of 2025, according to previous Community Impact reporting.