Hi everyone.  We recently published a press release announcing the launch of our DirectFlood platform so everyone can have access to high-quality and affordable guaranteed flood zone determinations.  Here's the press release:

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL, November 1, 2018 – MassiveCert, a leading provider of Flood Certification products and services, announced they have opened their Guaranteed Flood Zone Determination platform, DirectFlood (https://www.massivecert.com/directflood), to everyone. Beginning today, NFIP Direct and Write-Your-Own (WYO) flood insurance agents, lenders, mortgage originators, real-estate professionals, and homeowners can get a fast, affordable, and guaranteed Flood Zone Determination to assess risk from flood hazards and comply with federal flood insurance regulations without a contract requirement.

A Standard Flood Hazard Determination (SFHD), or Flood Zone Determination as it is commonly known, is an official document for a property or structure that determines the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zone.  Flood Zone Determinations also establish eligibility to purchase flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Tens of millions of Flood Zone Determinations are generated annually and are used to determine if a property must carry flood insurance according to federal regulations or to aid in setting the proper premium for a flood insurance policy. They are also used for building permits and to assess flood risk during the real estate transaction process.

MassiveCert’s President, Josh Price, offered this thought: “I talk to professionals all the time who don’t have easy access to a guaranteed flood zone, and it’s a critical part of their business. And there are so many property owners who don’t know their flood zone. So, what we created provides a path for anyone to get easy access to a high-quality guaranteed determination. Something as basic as knowing your flood zone is just the first step to becoming risk-aware, but it’s a critical step to keep your business moving and your properties protected.”

To create a Flood Zone Determination, MassiveCert uses large geospatial databases containing property records, digital flood zone maps, and NFIP eligibility information to determine which flood zone correctly applies to the property. They can automate 90% or more of all Flood Zone Determinations by maintaining these large geospatial databases of property and risk information. If the property is difficult to locate on FEMA’s official Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or multiple flood zones affect the property, a team of researchers will investigate the property records and make manual measurements to determine the correct flood zone. The findings are placed on the official FEMA Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form (SFHDF, OMB 1660-0040) which is then guaranteed by MassiveCert.  The guarantees cover the accuracy of the flood zone and the factors that determine NFIP eligibility to purchase federal flood insurance.

MassiveCert’s guaranteed Flood Zone Determinations go one step further to elevate flood risk awareness by providing more data than what’s provided in the basic SFHDF. In addition to the flood zone and insurance eligibility information, customers are able to see the determination location on a flood map with aerial photographs and property boundaries. Because being close to mapped flood hazards is also risky, MassiveCert provides the distance to the floodplain at no additional cost. The distance to salt water and fresh water as well as available community insurance discounts is also provided as part of the service. Finally, if it’s available, the previous and future flood zones resulting from changes in FEMA’s flood maps are included. In total, there are over a dozen elements included in the MassiveCert determination that go above and beyond the FEMA standard.

“I couldn’t be more excited to open our platform to the public”, said Eric Ratcliffe, MassiveCert Operations Manager, “Until now, most of the access to flood zone determinations was managed through long-term contracts and high-tech data delivery so determinations like ours are typically directly integrated into insurance and mortgage systems. Not everybody has that kind of access, or wants it, but they still need a fully guaranteed determination and it needs to be affordable. DirectFlood is a real game changer.”

About MassiveCert

MassiveCert is a leader in comprehensive Flood Certification providing Flood Zone Determinations, Elevation Certificates, Letters of Map Amendment, and private flood insurance solutions. From large-scale integration with insurance and lending systems, to one-at-a-time services, we make it massively easy for everyone. For more information, please visit https://www.massivecert.com.