NFIP Address Discrepancy

Miscalculation of Effective Dates is the most common type of error committed in NFIP Underwriting, but Address Discrepancies come a close second.

USPS Lookup

USPS Zip Code Lookup

This utility is found in the upper left toolbar on the United States Postal Service (USPS) website.

• Select "Quick Tools"
• From the dropdown menu, choose "Look Up a ZIP Code"

There are different options within this site to use depending on what you are resolving.

NETR Online

NETROnline

NETR Online catalogs all the online public records libraries across the country by county. Most legal documents can be found here, including real property deeds and taxation records.

Find the "Public Records" link at the top of the page.

The next page shows a variety of search methods.

• You may either use the map to click in the state you need to search, or
• You can select the state name from the drop-down menu, or
• You may need to click the "View More" options; these list the states in alphabetical order.
• After locating the correct state, choose the county name from one of two locations.
• After choosing the county, the next page shows a list of different departments. These must be searched to find the address information you need.

Identifying Discrepancies

If the address in the documentation is different from what is in the Policy Record.  Ask yourself if this discrepancy would appear to change the location of the structure.

• • Addresses where the suffix is shown on one item and not the other may be considered the same
    • 123 Main vs 123 Main St = same location
    • 123 5^th St vs 123 5^{th =} same location
  • Addresses with a change to direction may need to be resolved
    • 123 N Main vs 123 S Main = Resolution because both could be good address but not the same building
    • 123 Main N vs 123 N Main = Same location
    • 123 W 5^th Street vs 123 5^th St W = Same location
    • 123 W 5^th Suite #1 vs 123 W 5^th Apt#1
    • 123 W 5^th Ave Unit 30 vs 123 W 5^th Ave Unit 3 = Resolution was the policy always supposed to be Unit 30 or did they relocate from Unit 30 to Unit 3? Change or Correction, change would result in a new policy being written.

• Name Discrepancies – Ask yourself if the discrepancy or change could result in a change to the ownership of the property, which would need clarification from the agent.
  • Bob Brown vs Robert Brown = Same Person Robert is the formal name to Bob, no resolution needed.
  • Smith vs Smyth = Spelling Correction, no resolution needed.
  • Robert Brown vs Robert Brown Sr. = Resolution this would require the agent to confirm the policy was originally written for Robert Brown Sr. because the addition of the suffix could change ownership
  • Robert Brown vs Robert Brown II    = Resolution the addition of I, II, or III like Jr. Sr. could actually be a change in ownership.
  • Edward L. Lewis vs Edward V. Lewis = Resolution could be a change in ownership.

• Policy Assignment – It is important to understand what types of changes could result in a change to the ownership of the building.  to determine if you can process as a simple name changes or if you must process it as a Policy Assignment from one owner to another.
• Elevation Certificate
  • Property Address
  • Diagram Numbers
  • Missing Surveyor signature or Date
  • Attachments
  • Photographs
• Number of floors
• Foundation
• Increasing Coverage
• Mortgagee Information

Appropriate Use

• Use USPS for city and ZIP code verification
• Use Public Records for all else

This page is a rough draft and will need more work before it's finalized.