Flood Insurance Market Overview | 2026

MARKET OVERVIEW

FLOOD INSURANCE Rising Risks, New Solutions and Expanding Opportunities

Key Takeaways Flooding is the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, with an estimated 83% of flood losses uninsured.

Recurring NFIP disruptions create operational challenges and reinforce the need to evaluate private Flood Insurance alternatives.

Private market capacity across Primary and Excess Flood Insurance has expanded, offering higher limits and greater structural flexibility.

Parametric Flood solutions provide liquidity tied to measurable flood events, addressing economic impacts that traditional policies may not fully capture.

Portfolio-level review and data-driven analytics are becoming essential tools in long-term Flood Insurance planning.

Burns & Wilcox and Floodbase have partnered to launch an exclusive Parametric Flood solution designed to complement Primary and Excess Flood Insurance by addressing exposures such as business interruption, loss of access, and claims timing through rapid, trigger-based payouts.

Introduction Flood events remain the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, affecting residential and commercial properties well beyond designated flood zones. As loss frequency and severity increase, the need for comprehensive Flood Insurance solutions has become more urgent.

Despite this exposure, an estimated 83% of flood-related losses remain uninsured, underscoring the scale of the protection gap.

At the same time, recurring disruptions to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) have created uncertainty for brokers, agents, and property owners, reinforcing the importance of private market alternatives.

As capacity expands across Primary, Excess, and Parametric Flood Insurance, brokers and agents have greater flexibility to address evolving flood exposures and close coverage gaps.

Flood Insurance | Introduction

Navigating NFIP Disruptions Interruptions to the NFIP can create immediate operational challenges. When lapses occur, new policies cannot be issued, renewals may be delayed, and real estate transactions can stall. This disruption often occurs at critical moments in the insurance placement process.

Even outside of lapse periods, the NFIP operates within defined structural limits. Coverage caps, limited flexibility, and constraints around certain exposures may not align with the needs of higher-value residential properties, complex commercial risks, or multi-location portfolios.

These realities highlight the importance of understanding alternative Flood Insurance options. Rather than relying exclusively on a single government program, brokers and agents are increasingly evaluating where private Flood Insurance may offer broader and more comprehensive protection.

Flood Insurance | Navigating NFIP Disruptions

Private Market Expansion Private Flood Insurance capacity has expanded significantly in recent years, supported by improved catastrophe modeling, refined underwriting discipline, and increased participation within the Excess & Surplus (E&S) market. What was once viewed as a limited alternative to the NFIP has become a more established segment of the flood marketplace.

Primary Flood Insurance solutions now offer higher limits and greater flexibility than traditional federal options.

Excess Flood Insurance has also become more accessible, allowing layered programs for higher-value residential properties, commercial risks, and multi-location portfolios.

Flood Insurance | Private Market Expansion

Portfolio Strategy As placement options expand, portfolio-level strategy is becoming more central to Flood Insurance planning. Rather than evaluating risks individually, brokers and agents are increasingly reviewing entire books of flood business to identify opportunities for consolidation, excess layering, or private market placement.

Data-driven modeling and multi-property analytics allow for evaluation of exposure concentration, limit adequacy, and overall program structure. This broader view can improve efficiency and placement outcomes, particularly for high-value residential properties, commercial schedules, and multi-location risks.

Expanded capacity combined with portfolio-level analytics is broadening the range of available solutions—especially for risks that exceed NFIP limits or require more customized structures.

Flood Insurance | Portfolio Strategy

Parametric Flood Solutions Parametric Flood coverage is designed to complement Primary and Excess Flood Insurance by addressing exposures that traditional policies may not fully capture.

Traditional Flood Insurance responds to documented physical damage and serves as the foundation of flood risk protection. Used alongside Primary and Excess Flood Insurance, Parametric Flood coverage can provide an additional layer of financial support when economic impacts extend beyond structural damage.

Flood Insurance | Parametric Flood Solutions

NEW EXCLUSIVE SOLUTION AVAILABLE Burns & Wilcox recently introduced an exclusive Parametric Flood solution in partnership with Atain Insurance Companies, an “A” rated carrier, and Floodbase, the leading AI-powered flood monitoring platform.

The program incorporates consistent data from public and commercial satellites, IoT and stream gauges, meteorological information, on-theground sensors, and other verified sources to establish objective, clientspecific parametric triggers.

It is designed to address wider-area economic risk and exposures such as: Non-damage business interruption Loss of access High deductibles Policy exclusions and limitations Claims timing As part of this program, Floodbase provides near-real-time monitoring to determine when flood events occur. Parametric Flood coverage is triggered when a predefined, locationspecific flood parameter is met within a selected geographic boundary, based on verified data inputs such as satellite-observed water inundation or ground-level IoT sensor readings.

Flood Insurance | Exclusive Solutions

New Exclusive Solution Available Once the selected threshold is reached, payment is validated through Floodbase event data and delivered without a traditional adjustment process. Because payouts are tied to measurable event conditions rather than physical damage assessments, funds are typically issued more quickly and may be used at the policyholder’s discretion.

The solution is designed for non-Tier 1 areas and can be applied across a broad range of risks, including: Scheduled commercial property Cannabis Transportation Municipalities Golf courses Amusement parks

Restaurant chains Retail stores Hospitals Real estate portfolios Other wide-area or multilocation exposures

For more information regarding the Floodbase Parametric solution, please contact theBurns & Wilcox Flood Practice Group at flood@burns-wilcox.com Flood Insurance | Exclusive Solutions

Tips for Brokers

Agents

As flood risk and placement options expand, a proactive approach can help brokers and agents manage disruption and identify opportunities. #1 Review NFIP portfolios proactively.

#4 Consider Parametric Flood solutions.

Identify accounts that may be affected by program disruptions or constrained by NFIP coverage limits.

For multi-location risks or properties with operational dependencies, Parametric Flood coverage can complement traditional placements by providing liquidity tied to measurable flood events.

#2 Reassess limits and structure.

Evaluate whether Primary and Excess Flood Insurance placements align with current property values and exposure profiles.

#3 Address economic loss exposure.

Determine where business interruption, loss of access, or wide-area impacts may require solutions beyond traditional Flood Insurance.

#5 Use portfolio-level analytics.

Leverage data-driven modeling to assess exposure concentration and identify consolidation or layering opportunities across books of business.

Flood Insurance | Tips for Brokers

Flood risk continues to challenge property owners and the brokers and agents who serve them. NFIP disruptions, evolving exposure profiles, and expanding economic losses are reshaping how Flood Insurance is structured.

As Primary, Excess, and Parametric Flood Insurance capacity expands within the E&S market, brokers and agents have greater flexibility to respond with tailored solutions—creating expanded opportunities to close coverage gaps and strengthen overall flood programs.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.BURNSANDWILCOX.COM

Contributors Bill Gatewood

Brad Turner

Executive Vice President Personal Insurance Burns & Wilcox Detroit/Farmington Hills, MI

Vice President National Product Manager, Flood Burns & Wilcox Morehead City, NC

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Jacob Martin

Bessie Schwarz

Jacob Martin Director, Flood Burns & Wilcox Charlotte, NC

Special Guest

Co-Founder and CEO Floodbase

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This commentary is intended to provide a general overview of the issues contained herein and is not intended, nor should it be construed, to provide legal or regulatory advice or guidance. If you have questions or issues of a specific nature, you should consult with your own risk, legal, and compliance teams.

Flood Insurance | Market Overview