State Beach and Windstorm Plans An Overview of Operations and Financial Structures

A new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC) describes how the role of beach and windstorm plans in some states has changed from serving as a market of last resort, to providing unintentional incentives for economic development in areas vulnerable to severe wind damage. The report explains how state-run plans interact with voluntary homeowners insurance markets and describes how each of the five state beach and windstorm plans (Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas) and two statewide plans (Louisiana and Florida) would weather a hurricane catastrophe. The study reviews each plan’s growth in insured exposure from a theoretical perspective. Individual state case studies analyze each plan's origin, operational framework, and financial structure, along with overall residual market health in each state.