Kingstone Companies Inc. has announced a strategic partnership with ZestyAI to enhance its wildfire risk assessment capabilities as it prepares to enter the California homeowners insurance market in 2026. The move supports Kingstone’s planned expansion into California on an excess and surplus (E&S) lines basis in the second quarter of 2026. The company aims to replicate the disciplined, data-driven underwriting strategy that has contributed to its strong financial performance in New York.
As part of this initiative, Kingstone will integrate ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE™ wildfire risk model into its underwriting and rating framework. The AI-powered model evaluates wildfire exposure at the individual property level by analyzing factors such as vegetation, topography, building materials, and defensible space. This granular approach enables insurers to distinguish risk between properties within the same geographic area, allowing for more precise pricing, improved portfolio management, and better control over catastrophe exposure.
Sarah Chen, Senior Vice President, Chief Actuary, and Head of Product Management at Kingstone, stated that the partnership strengthens the company’s ability to assess risk accurately in a complex market like California. She noted that Z-FIRE complements Kingstone’s internal Select platform by delivering property-level intelligence critical for informed underwriting decisions.
ZestyAI CEO Attila Toth highlighted the growing importance of advanced analytics in addressing wildfire risk. He said AI-driven models enable insurers to make more confident decisions about market expansion, exposure management, and maintaining coverage availability in high-risk regions.
Z-FIRE is already widely used by insurers across wildfire-prone states in the western U.S. and was the first AI-based wildfire risk model to be included in an approved insurance rate filing in California, marking a significant milestone for the adoption of machine learning in insurance underwriting.
Kingstone’s California strategy builds on a broader operational and underwriting transformation undertaken over the past four years. By leveraging its E&S structure, the company gains flexibility in pricing and can incorporate forward-looking risk models while maintaining strict underwriting standards.
To manage exposure during its initial rollout, Kingstone plans to maintain a 30% quota share on its California portfolio, balancing growth ambitions with risk control. The partnership underscores a broader industry shift toward AI-driven underwriting, particularly in regions facing increasing climate-related risks such as wildfires, where traditional risk models are often insufficient.
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