Meets or Exceeds Principle in Risk Engineering Rules

Overview

Risk Engineering Rules help your agency apply consistent quoting guidelines in ReFocus.

The Meets or Exceeds principle protects existing customer or policy information when it already meets or exceeds the value selected in a Risk Engineering Rule.

In plain English:

If the current customer or policy information is higher than the value selected in the Risk Engineering Rule, ReFocus will keep the higher value.

This helps your agency enforce minimum standards without accidentally lowering stronger existing coverage or replacing acceptable customer-specific values.

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What Meets or Exceeds means

When ReFocus applies a Risk Engineering Rule, it checks whether the current value already meets or exceeds the agency’s selected rule value.

If the current value is already higher, ReFocus keeps the higher value.

Example

Your agency sets a Risk Engineering Rule for:

1. Water backup coverage: $25,000

2. If the customer’s current policy already has:

3. Water backup coverage: $50,000

4. ReFocus will keep the $50,000 value because it already meets or exceeds the agency’s rule.

5. ReFocus will not reduce it to $25,000.

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Why ReFocus uses this principle

The Meets or Exceeds principle helps agencies apply quoting guidelines while still preserving appropriate existing coverage.

This matters because it helps your agency:

• Enforce minimum standards without lowering stronger existing coverage

• Protect customer-specific values that already meet agency guidelines

• Set preferred minimums while preserving better values when they already exist

• Keep quoting workflows consistent without removing acceptable coverage options

ReFocus is not making underwriting decisions. It is helping apply the quoting guidelines your agency configures.

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Example scenario

Liability coverage limit

Your agency rule says:

1. Liability limit: $100,000 / $300,000

2. If the customer’s current policy already has:

3. $250,000 / $500,000

4. ReFocus keeps the higher existing liability limit.

This allows your agency to set a preferred minimum while preserving stronger existing coverage.

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Carrier does not offer the exact coverage option

Sometimes, a carrier may not offer the exact value selected in your Risk Engineering Rule.

For example, your agency rule says:

Liability limit: $50,000 / $100,000

But the carrier only offers:

• $100,000 / $300,000
• $250,000 / $500,000

In this case, ReFocus will choose the next highest available option:

$100,000 / $300,000

This meets or exceeds the agency’s selected rule value.

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Deductible selection

Your agency rule says:

Deductible: $1,000

If the customer’s current policy already has:

Deductible: $2,500

ReFocus keeps the $2,500 deductible because it exceeds the selected rule value.

This is useful because carrier deductible options can vary by state, product, or carrier. If the exact deductible is not available, ReFocus can use the next-highest deductible option that meets or exceeds the rule value.

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How this works with Risk Engineering Rules

Risk Engineering Rules are used to guide how ReFocus completes quoting or renewal workflows based on your agency’s preferences.

The Meets or Exceeds principle applies when:

• A current customer or policy value already exists
• That value is higher than the value selected in the Risk Engineering Rule
• A carrier does not offer the exact selected value, but offers a higher available option

In these cases, ReFocus preserves or selects the value that meets or exceeds the rule rather than reducing the value to the rule amount.

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Best practices

Use rules as preferred minimums

Set Risk Engineering Rules based on the values your agency generally wants ReFocus to use when quoting.

For many coverage limits, the rule should represent the minimum acceptable value your agency wants to apply.

Review carrier-specific options

Carrier options can vary by state, line of business, or product.

If the exact value selected in a rule is not offered by a carrier, ReFocus may use the next highest available option that meets or exceeds the rule value.

Be thoughtful with deductibles

Deductibles can work differently from coverage limits because a higher deductible is not always better for every customer.

Use deductible rules when your agency has a clear preference for how deductible values should be handled.

Use the overwrite checkbox intentionally

The overwrite checkbox should be used when your agency wants ReFocus to replace existing information based on the rule setup.

The Meets or Exceeds principle still helps protect higher values from being reduced when they already satisfy the rule.

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Quick reference table

Rule of thumb

If the current customer or policy value already meets or exceeds the Risk Engineering Rule, ReFocus keeps the higher value.

If the exact rule value is not available from a carrier, ReFocus uses the next highest available option that meets or exceeds the agency’s selected value.

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Related articles

For more detailed guidance, see separate articles on:

• Using Default, Rules, and Nested Risk Engineering Rules
• How to Override or Respect Existing Information in Risk Engineering Rules
• Presets available for Risk Engineering when onboarding