Mendota Insurance Company

Carrier appetite summary

Verified official underwriting guidance located for Mendota’s non-standard personal auto program, with the clearest current underwriting page found as the Florida Value Policy Auto Program guide. Mendota appears focused on personal auto / value-policy business rather than broad commercial lines. Preferred/acceptable business includes qualifying personal auto risks that can be bound when the application is fully completed, signed, and the required deposit premium is paid; Mendota also allows certain limited artisan/business-use exposures when the use is only carrying tools/supplies between residence and job site, the vehicle is individually owned, operated only by the named insured/family members, and there is no more than one such vehicle in that category. The guide also reflects support for named driver exclusions, standard liability/physical damage combinations, and some non-owner coverage structures depending on state form. Restricted/declined business in the verified guides includes: premium-financed policies; policies combining vehicles from more than one household; named insureds that are estates, receiverships, corporations, or partnerships; physical-damage-only new business (except limited situations on an in-force policy by state rule); and multiple same-household Mendota policies except certain child-owned vehicle or roommate exceptions. California guidance additionally restricts risks where drivers are not California residents, where any driver lives or works in Mexico, named insureds who are minors, policies over five vehicles, stated value physical damage, and named non-owner business where the insured regularly uses a vehicle or operates a business/artisan-use vehicle. Florida guidance indicates bodily injury selection affects underwriting segment and cannot be added or deleted mid-term. Both guides stress unacceptable risks by policy/operator/vehicle class and documentation/audit compliance. Geographic notes: official underwriting guides were found for Florida and California, suggesting state-specific appetite/rules. California requires California-resident drivers and domestic valid licenses (with military exceptions stated). Florida guide includes severe weather binding authority language, indicating temporary binding restrictions may apply around weather events. No broad 50-state appetite bulletin was verified on the public site. Submission and binding requirements: qualifying risks may be bound only after the application is complete, signed, and deposit premium paid. Applications and payment must be uploaded within 72 hours / 3 business days of effective date, and prior effective dates are not acceptable. Mendota requires producers to retain signed applications and supplemental forms, and paper applications are not accepted; business must be uploaded via MENDOTAMAX. Endorsements are generally processed through MENDOTAMAX/online systems, while certain signed reductions, driver deletions/exclusions, and cancellations must be sent directly to the company. Mendota may audit files, and requested documentation must be furnished promptly (California guide states within 1 business day). Claims are to be reported directly to Mendota. Producer/broker notes: official producer-facing documents on the site include an Individual Agent Information Form requiring a submission for each producer/officer/principal/member involved in solicitation or sale of business, along with current license copies. Roadside assistance guidance states enrollment can be added at point of sale or mid-term, requires signed registration retention, and commissions follow Mendota premium treatment. Mendota also publishes flood appointment/program materials, but those are administrative/partner-program oriented rather than a general carrier appetite guide.

Referenced source pages