If they believe they had insurance for flood and are being told they didn't -- it could be a simple clerical error, or worse.

The first place to start is with a call to the insurance department. http://www.tdi.texas.gov/

There are unscrupulous agents who will "sell" you insurance and actually put the premium you paid to them in their own pocket.

If you can prove that you paid for flood insurance, the law will back your rights. I've seen many instances over the years where agents have absconded the premiums and subsequently the courts pick "the logical carrier" who is forced to provide the coverage that was "purchased".

This doesn't happen all that often, but I would estimate that two to five percent of insurance agents have done this during their careers. Often, when it occurs it is a serial crime involving hundreds of fraudulent acts.

With computers these agents are able to create fairly legitimate-looking documents (binders) that would fool almost anyone. Unfortunately, I've caught agents doing this, turned them into the state, and the state has done nothing to prosecute.

Flood insurance is usually a stand-alone policy . . . not part of a standard homeowners policy. Almost all flood insurance is reinsured by the federal government even though it is written on a well known insurance company's paper. You might recall Travelers being called out after Sandy for shoddy claims handling practices. It was really government inefficiencies that created the problem.

Good luck to your customers. People like you, who are practicing compassion, make these catastrophes bearable.

Jill