National General Insurance
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Verified official homeowner underwriting guide remains the Illinois Premier and OneChoice Homeowners guide revised March 11, 2025, underwritten by MIC General Insurance Corporation. Published appetite is for owner-occupied primary homes, plus eligible secondary/seasonal dwellings, condos, and renters within filed limits. HO3 limits shown are $100,000-$3,000,000 for OneChoice and $750,000-$5,000,000 for Premier; HO4/HO6 contents limits run $25,000-$1,000,000 for OneChoice and $100,000-$1,000,000 for Premier. Coverage A must be insured to 100% of calculated replacement cost. Preferred submissions are well-maintained owner-occupied 1-2 family residences in Protection Classes 1-9, located within 5 miles of a fire department, with adequate water supply and year-round access. Secondary/seasonal homes are eligible when the primary home is also insured by National General, subject to limited exceptions for out-of-state primaries or catastrophe-guideline conflicts. Important restrictions/declines in the published guide: vacant/foreclosed/for-sale risks are ineligible; primary residence rented to others is ineligible; short-term rentals up to 3 months require underwriting approval; townhouses/row houses are acceptable only with firewalls or if masonry, while frame row houses, 3-4 family units, and >8 units within a fire division are ineligible; Protection Class 10 is ineligible; homes exposed to active brush/forest fire, wave wash, cave-in, sinkhole, or landslide are ineligible. Property condition rules are tight: no observable hazards or unrepaired pre-existing damage; historic registry homes are ineligible; roofs are ineligible if flat outside Cook County, tar paper/rolled/plywood board/stapled/asbestos/corrugated metal, or over 20 years old unless slate/tile; roofs over 15 years require special roof coverage treatment, and non-asphalt/composition roofs require cosmetic roof damage exclusion. Electrical declines include under 100 amps/220 volt service, no circuit breakers, knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, and Federal Pacific Stab Lok or Zinsco panels. Plumbing declines include polybutylene, galvanized/lead plumbing, and plumbing over 50 years old that has not been updated. New business dwellings under construction are ineligible; renovations must be referred, with completion within 6 months, owner occupancy, licensed contractor carrying at least $1,000,000 liability coverage, and insurance carried at full completed value. Liability and occupancy controls include ineligible dogs with prior bite/loss history and any wild animals; incidental business only with underwriting approval; home day care declined; trampolines acceptable only with safety netting and flat placement; swimming pools acceptable only if fenced with self-locking gate, no diving boards over 18 inches, and above-ground pools have pull-up ladders; skateboard/bicycle ramps and treehouses above 12 feet are ineligible. Watercraft liability endorsement appetite is narrow: no racing, charter, hire, or commercial use; no major vehicle violations or boating violations in past 5 years; ineligible craft types include jet ski, jet boat, houseboat, wave runner, and experimental craft; acceptable length is 26 feet or less and speed 50 mph or less. Farming is declined unless incidental or hobby, and refer if more than two farm animals. Timeshares are ineligible. Trusts and LLCs can be acceptable only for estate-planning-type ownership with resident trustee/grantor/beneficiary or LLC members and no commercial exposure. Submission and producer instructions are explicit: agents in good standing may bind only within the guide; completed/signed application and required forms must be obtained, adequate rating information verified, and down payment or payment in full collected before binding; all applications must be submitted within 48 hours of the policy effective date. National General states agents do not have authority to issue policies/endorsements/cancellations unless specifically authorized. Brokering is not permitted and sharing underwriting materials or accepting brokered submissions can result in termination. During hurricane, tropical storm, tornado, hailstorm, or flood warnings/moratoriums, do not bind new coverage. National General uses CLUE, credit reports, and MVRs for watercraft to verify/rate risk, and agents are directed to disclose all losses and accident activity. Agency records must be retained for at least 5 years after policy expiration (or quote rejection if never bound), and policy documents should be uploaded through the policy system when requested. For producer access, National General’s official agent pages confirm independent-agent distribution and a five-step appointment process; the producer application requests agency/producer information, E&O details, years of experience, whether business is currently written through a broker, desired product line, comparative rater, agency management system, and carrier/loss ratio details.