QD/QF FILE TRANSFER SYSTEM USER GUIDE

QD/QF FILE TRANSFER SYSTEM USER GUIDE

Table of Contents OVERVIEW... 1 WELCOME PAGE... 3 DOWNLOAD PAGE... 5 UPLOAD PAGE... 8 ACTIVITY REPORT... 10 ACCESS FAILURE... 11 ERROR MESSAGES... 14 Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018

OVERVIEW This document provides general instructions for the use of the QD/QF File Transfer System. For security and efficiency reasons, ISO uses the QD/QF File Transfer System exclusively for the exchange of company spreadsheets for Quota Determination (QD), Quota Fulfillment (QF), and Texas data. Any information ISO may need to provide to a company that is not included on the QD, QF, or Texas spreadsheets will be made available via the QD/QF File Transfer System on files designated as "Special." ISO will inform the company(ies) in question of the availability of these "Special" files. Companies will not receive Quota spreadsheets via email, and ISO will not accept spreadsheets sent via email. Instead, companies will access the latest version of the QD, QF, Texas, and Special spreadsheets via the QD/QF File Transfer System on ISOnet. After review of the spreadsheet(s) is complete and any necessary corrections or revisions made, the company will simply upload the updated file. Should any additional questions arise, ISO will contact the company. Please Note: These instructions assume the use of Internet Explorer 11. If you are using another browser there will be minor differences. If you experience any problems please don t hesitate to contact ISOnet@verisk.com BACKGROUND The Financial Responsibility laws in most states require motorists to carry automobile liability insurance. Since some drivers have difficulty finding coverage in the voluntary market, each state has developed a residual market mechanism to ensure that coverage is available to eligible drivers. Companies licensed and operating in the voluntary market share certain responsibilities for the residual market, with the specifics of the sharing process varying according to the individual state mechanisms. AIPSO provides managerial, administrative and/or support services to these state mechanisms in a variety of ways. One of AIPSO's primary services is the calculation of company quotas. In the case of assigned risk plans, for example, this means determining each company's share of the risks in an automobile insurance plan. For pooling mechanisms (joint underwriting associations, reinsurance facilities, etc.), the operating results of the mechanism are usually distributed to the participating companies. In all cases, the basis for sharing these risks, or results, is each company's share of the voluntary market. Various states offer credits for voluntarily writing certain types of business that might otherwise be written in the assigned risk plans. The most common include "Youthful Operator credits (for writing policies for certain drivers under age 25), senior citizen credits, take-out credits 1 and territorial/zip code credits. Such credits reduce a company's involuntary market assignment or participation obligation. 1 Take-out credit programs are offered in a limited number of jurisdictions, specifically DE, IL, ME, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and WI. There are mandatory and voluntary take-out programs. Companies may receive take-out credits for voluntarily writing eligible business from the Automobile Insurance Plan in accordance with the local Take-out Program provisions. Companies send their individual data on take-out credits directly to AIPSO, and need not consider them in this verification process. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 1

In order to calculate company quotas and participation ratios, AIPSO must use various written premium and exposure data for each company. The state mechanisms require the statistical agents to supply the necessary information to AIPSO. AIPSO maintains state manuals describing the details of the residual market quota data and calculations. To learn more about AIPSO s function and to access links to AIPSO Electronic Manuals by state, click here: www.aipso.com. If you have any questions on the specifics of the quota calculations, you may contact Dave Amaral at AIPSO at (401) 528-1314 or David.Amaral@aipso.com Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 2

WELCOME PAGE The Welcome Page provides the menu for the QD/QF File Transfer System. The buttons on the left side of the screen will direct companies to the pages necessary for the file transfer process. The Help button will open this document for review. The Download button will provide companies access to the most up to date versions of their spreadsheets. The Upload button will allow companies to return a spreadsheet to ISO with any corrections, revisions and/or explanations. Please Note: Any uploaded file will overwrite the last available file. Please be sure you are using the latest version of the company spreadsheet to provide any corrections, revisions or explanations. The Activity Report button will allow the company to view what spreadsheets have been downloaded, what spreadsheets have been uploaded, and when these actions occurred. The company can also download its activity report in Excel format. The HOME button will always return you to the Welcome Page. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 3

If you click on the Download, Upload, Activity Report, or Help buttons and receive the error message below, please refer to the Access Failure section. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 4

DOWNLOAD PAGE The Download Page provides access to a company's Quota spreadsheets. The following spreadsheets will be available for download: Quota Determination Company Spreadsheet: Upon a company's first visit to the QD/QF File Transfer System, these files will contain the data ISO has on record as being reported for the calendar year in question as of a particular date. Please refer to the General Instructions for the actual date for the given calendar year. Each subsequent visit will contain the latest revisions a company or ISO has made directly to the spreadsheet, and then returned via upload. ISO will not update the available files with any statistical data received after the processing date contained in the General Instructions, but may need to revise the file in certain rare instances, such as newly identified roll up companies or dual reporting companies, or any other special reporting circumstances that may arise. Quota Fulfillment Company Spreadsheet: The Quota Fulfillment spreadsheets will be updated quarterly with the data reported by companies to ISO on a quarterly basis. The files will continue to be by calendar year. Texas Company Spreadsheet: As with the Quota Fulfillment spreadsheets, these files will be updated with the involuntary data reported by companies to ISO on a quarterly basis. The voluntary data for a given calendar year will be input when it is available. Special Spreadsheets: Special spreadsheets will be made available on a company specific basis. ISO will inform the relevant company(ies) when they are available. The Download Page also provides the date/time of the last upload of the company spreadsheet, and the name of the person uploading. A company can choose to view all available files, listed by ISO company number, name and calendar year. Or, using the search filter provided, a company may also view specific files, selecting by Report Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 5

Type, Calendar Year or Company Number. Please Note: Currently, only Calendar Year 2011 Quota Determination and Calendar Year 2012 Quota Fulfillment and later are available via the File Transfer System. To receive a spreadsheet(s), check the box next to the file(s) in question. Click the Download button. If you have selected a single company spreadsheet, you will have the option of opening the file directly, or saving it to your computer. To open the file, click "Open." To save the file, click "Save" and choose the appropriate location. Save a working copy of this file for review. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 6

You have the option of opening the.zip file directly, or initially saving it to your computer. Do this in the same manner as above. The name of the.zip file reflects the time it was created. Please feel free to rename the.zip file anything you'd like, keeping in mind the naming convention for the files contained within must be retained for upload (see the Upload section for more detail.) Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 7

UPLOAD PAGE The Upload Page allows a company to upload a completed and/or revised spreadsheet back to the QD/QF File Transfer System, where ISO will process the file. After completing your review of the file and making any corrections or revisions that may be necessary, upload the file. Begin by clicking Browse. A directory for your machine will appear. Select the appropriate file from your computer. Click Open. Each upload will overwrite the previous version of the file on ISOnet. Please be sure you are working with the most up to date file before uploading. Additionally, with multiple years now available, please be sure the file name reflects the calendar year you wish to update. For example, if you wish to update data for calendar year 2016, the file selected for upload must be named Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 8

cxxxxc16.xlsx. After clicking Open, the QD/QF File Transfer System will provide the following warning prompt. Verify you are uploading the most recent, up to date company spreadsheet. Click Upload. Otherwise, click the browse button to select the appropriate file, or go to the Download page to download the current file, make any necessary revisions, and then upload. While companies are able to download multiple files at once, via a zip file (see Download section), each company spreadsheet must be uploaded individually so that naming conventions and authorizations can be verified. Important note: The File Transfer System will only accept files using the naming conventions listed below. It is vital that any file that is to be uploaded has the same name as the initial downloaded file. Any working versions of the company spreadsheets you may be using must be renamed prior to upload. File Type Quota Determination Company Spreadsheet Quota Fulfillment Company Spreadsheet Texas Involuntary Company Spreadsheet Special Quota Spreadsheet Naming Convention cxxxxcyy.xlsx cxxxxfyy.xlsx cxxxxtyy.xlsx cxxxxsyy.xlsx Note: XXXX denotes ISO company number, YY denotes calendar year. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 9

ACTIVITY REPORT The Activity Report allows companies to track the downloads and uploads for each specific file type and company over a select period of time. To view the Activity Report, select the file type in question from the drop down field "Report Type." You will be able to choose "Quota Determination," "Quota Fulfillment," "Texas" or "Special." The "Texas" spreadsheet will contain the Texas Involuntary totals; the "Special" spreadsheet, if necessary, was prepared by ISO to exchange company information without having to use email. Next, choose the calendar year from the "Year" drop down, and company you wish to view from the "Company" field. Input the time period you wish to review and click Search. If you would like to view all Reports for all companies, simply select "All Report Types" and "All Companies." To download the activity report into a consolidated excel report, select "Download" at anytime to capture any activity for the selected companies in the requested time frame. To open the file, click "Open." To save the file, click "Save" and choose the appropriate location. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 10

ACCESS FAILURE If you have trouble accessing the QD/QF File Transfer System, you may encounter the screen below. There are several reasons you may be encountering this problem. Eligibility for the QD/QF File Transfer system is governed by ISO's Quota Contact Information database. If a specific email address is not included, either as a primary contact or carbon copy, that user will not have access to the company files. If you have questions concerning your Registration or your access, please call Customer Support at 1-800-888-4476 or send an email to ISOnet@verisk.com. If your email address needs to be added to the Quota Contact Information database, there will be a one day lag between updating the database and the access being granted. Additionally, access may be denied if the email address in your ISOnet profile differs from the information you provided for ISO's Quota Contact Information Database. If this is indeed the case, you can contact ISO and update the email address previously provided. This will again result in a one day lag, in which there will be no access to your company's spreadsheets. Alternatively, you may update the ISOnet profile to reflect the email address so that it matches your current email address provided to ISO and stored in ISO's Quota Contact Information database. Once this address has been updated, and the page refreshed, access to the company spreadsheets will be available immediately. Note: Any added contacts will need to have access to the QD/QF File Transfer System on ISOnet. Should any new contacts not already have this access, please contact Customer Support at 1-800- 888-4476 or send an email to ISOnet@verisk.com. When creating the new user profile, be sure to enter an email address identical to the address provided for the contact database. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 11

To update your ISOnet user profile, click on "My Account." Click on "Manage Profile." Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 12

Scroll down to "Email Address" and input the revised information. Click "Save." Refresh the page. Your access to the QD/QF File Transfer system should be available immediately. If you have questions concerning your Registration or your access, please call Customer Support at 1-800-888-4476 or send an email to ISOnet@verisk.com. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 13

ERROR MESSAGES There are several error messages that may be encountered when using the File Transfer System. If you are unable to access the File Transfer System, the following message will appear: This may mean the users' email address is not currently in ISO's Quota Contact Information database, or the email address in the database is out of sync with the users' ISOnet user profile. To resolve the error, either provide ISO with a corrected (or new) email address for the contact database, or update the email address in the ISOnet user profile (see the Access Failure section.) Note: As mentioned previously, any change to the ISO Quota Contact Information database will result in a one day lag before access to the company spreadsheets on the QD/QF File Transfer System is allowed because of the overnight update procedure. If you attempt to upload a file that is not currently saved on your computer, the following message will appear: Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 14

Check that you have entered the correct name of the file you wish to upload. Additionally, save the company spreadsheet to your computer using the correct naming convention. Should you attempt to upload a file that does not follow the required File Transfer System naming conventions, this message will appear: Rename the file using the proper naming convention (see the Upload section.) Save the file to your computer, and begin the upload process again. If you attempt to upload a spreadsheet for a company which you are not listed as a contact in the ISO contact database, the following message will appear: If you feel you should be authorized to view and revise the spreadsheets for this company, contact ISO to confirm and add your email address to the contact database. If not, check that the file name accurately represents the ISO number for the company you are attempting to load. Insurance Services Office, Inc., 2018 Page 15