Draft:Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau

Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) is an independent, not-for-profit, public service organization serving Washington state.

WSRB provides fire protection data to insurance companies operating in Washington, including protection classes and loss costs. The company evaluates the protection class for each community in the state, enabling insurers to determine fire insurance premiums for properties.

The ownership of WSRB is vested in a subscriber trust agreement approved by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Early history
The State of Washington was admitted to the Union in 1889. At that time, the Pacific Insurance Union (PIU), the predecessor of the Board of Fire Underwriters of the Pacific, developed rates for stock companies on the West Coast. By 1897, Puget Sound Underwriters Association and Northwestern Insurance Association, both agent organizations, had formed to stabilize rates. PIU was abandoned.

In 1897, the State Legislature passed the Anti-Compact Law and prompted companies to form a rating organization that would comply with the law. By June, the Washington Insurance Association was formed, a committee with rating jurisdiction for surveying risks and recommending rates. The WIA operated until 1906 when they were disbanded for violating the Anti-Compact Law.

State legislature approved the formation of a committee to write a new insurance code for the state in 1909. The code was adopted and approved by governor Marion E. Hay in 1911. A provision within the new code sought to create a non-profit, public service organization devoid of any direct control by companies or agents.

The new Insurance Code required the following to be licensed as a Fire Rating Organization:


 * 1) Applicant and operator must be resident of and actually domiciled in the state
 * 2) Shall be and shall be conducted as a non-profit public service institution
 * 3) Ownership vested in trustees for all subscribers under approved agreement
 * 4) Not be connected with any insurer except to the extent such insurer may subscribe to its service

This code was later amended in 1947 and it’s current form is a part of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 48.19.050).

Fire Insurance Rating and Regulation
In its early years, WSRB focused primarily on fire insurance rating, a process of assessing the risk associated with insuring properties against fire-related damage. The organization's teams of trained surveyors conducted detailed inspections of buildings, evaluated fire protection services in different communities, and collected relevant data. This information was then used to establish standardized insurance rates, striving to achieve fair and consistent premiums for policyholders across the state.

1928 saw the publication of the General Basic Schedule (GBS) for building rating. The GBS, an updated form of which is still in use today, utilizes engineering, building code, and fire protection principles, allowing inspectors to translate findings into a loss cost for the building, general contents, and contents for each occupancy type description.

Mechanical grading of sprinkler systems began in 1935.

Growth and Expansion
Throughout the 20th century, WSRB expanded its services beyond fire insurance rating. The organization began providing additional property-related information and risk assessment services to insurance companies, including information on natural hazards and other factors that could influence insurance coverage and rates. New services included:


 * Mailing paper rate quotes for surveyed buildings (1980)
 * Class rating of properties less than 5,000 square feet (1983)
 * Risk rumbers assigned to surveyed buildings (1987)
 * Tender Credit established (1987)
 * BCEGS evaluations (1997)

Over the years, outdated technology gave way to new forms of operation. In 1981, paper rate books were updated to microfiche. In 1985, the ENTREX system was used to calculate rates. In 1988, WSRB added an online rate lookup system, RAIN (Rate Access Information Network) as an alternate to microfiche, a system which included access to Public Protection information. Compact disc distribution of loss costs began in 1997 and in 1999 wsrb.com was launched.

Modern methods of data collection and analysis allowed for further expansion. The organization leveraged geographic information systems (GIS) and other technologies to streamline its operations, improve the accuracy of its risk assessments, and offer more comprehensive and up-to-date information to its clients.

In 2002, WSRB launched PROTECTION, a web-based, GIS application for determining class rated property protection classes. An interactive underwriting web application, PropertyEDGE, was launched in 2012.

BuildingMetrix
In 2007, WSRB incorporated a wholly owned for profit subsidiary, BuildingMetrix (BMX), to develop new products, services, and customers.

BuildingMetrix has helped to develop various of assessment tools for range of different risks, including wildfire, earthquake, cannabis, hemp, vape, residential care (adult family homes and home daycare), federal firearms dealers, historic buildings, unreinforced masonry buildings (URM), and underground storage tanks (UST).

Managers of WSRB
1911–1926 - Lee McKenzie, Manager

1926–1957 - J. K. Wooley, Manager

1957–1972 - George W. Clarke, General Manager

1972–1985 - R. A. Pedersen, General Manager

1985–2000 - Rex W. Clark, General Manager

2000–2016 - Brian Upton-Rowley, President and CEO

2016–Present - Karl Newman, President and CEO