Property-Level AI Sparks California Insurance Expansion for DUAL, Kingstone, and Windward

San Francisco, CA - August 19, 2026; New insurance capacity is beginning to take shape in California, and carriers are turning to more precise views of wildfire risk as they enter and expand in the market.

DUAL, Kingstone and Windward Risk Managers are using ZestyAI’s wildfire risk model, Z-FIRE™, to support new California homeowners programs. Together, the three companies reflect a broader shift toward property-level intelligence as insurers look for disciplined ways to write coverage following a record year for wildfire losses.

The three programs arrive in a market still absorbing the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. The Eaton and Palisades fires destroyed more than 16,200 structures and drove an estimated $40 billion in insured losses—the largest insured wildfire loss event on record, according to the Swiss Re Institute.

Yet wildfire risk in California is highly concentrated. ZestyAI's analysis of 2025 property data places just 11% of the state's homes in its High Risk wildfire tier, and Z-FIRE had rated 94% of the area burned by the Palisades Fire and 87% of the Eaton burn area High Risk.

Trained on more than 2,000 historical wildfire events, Z-FIRE uses machine learning to evaluate each property's defensible space, vegetation proximity, topography, building materials, and surrounding fire behavior patterns, predicting both the likelihood that a property will encounter wildfire and the vulnerability of the individual structure once exposed. The model is approved across all Western wildfire markets and was the first AI-based wildfire model approved as part of a carrier rate filing in California. ZestyAI's broader portfolio of risk models has secured more than 200 regulatory approvals nationwide.

Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI, said: “For three years, the California story has been about who was leaving. DUAL North America, Kingstone and Windward are writing a different story—each entering the state with a clear, property-by-property view of wildfire risk. That's the kind of precision that lets capacity stay.”

DUAL North America Expands ZestyAI Partnership

Specialty program administrator DUAL North America is using Z-FIRE to assess wildfire exposure at the individual-property level as it builds its California homeowners portfolio.

DUAL first adopted Z-STORM™ in late 2025 to strengthen hail and wind underwriting across its U.S. portfolio. The addition of Z-FIRE expands its use of ZestyAI’s risk models across major catastrophe perils.

Luke Wolmer, Chief Actuary at DUAL, said: “Launching a California program requires a disciplined, data-driven approach to wildfire risk. Z-FIRE delivers the property-level insight we need to confidently assess exposure, differentiate risk within the same territory, and offer coverage with greater clarity and consistency. That level of precision is essential as we grow our portfolio with greater confidence.”

Kingstone Brings Its Underwriting Strategy to California

Kingstone has selected Z-FIRE as it enters the California homeowners market on an excess and surplus lines basis, marking the company’s first geographic expansion outside the Northeast.

The model will support rating, underwriting and accumulation management as Kingstone scales its California business.

Sarah Minlei Chen, SVP, Chief Actuary and Head of Product Management at Kingstone, said: “Our California entry reflects the same disciplined, data-driven approach that has driven our results in New York. ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE model complements our Select platform by providing the property-level wildfire intelligence we need to rate and underwrite with precision in a complex and dynamic market like California.”

Windward Risk Managers Extends Partnership into California

Windward Risk Managers is extending its partnership with ZestyAI as it expands from Florida into the California homeowners market.

The company currently uses Z-PROPERTY™ across its Florida portfolio to assess structural and parcel characteristics in a hurricane-exposed market. Windward is now bringing that same property-level approach to California, using Z-FIRE to evaluate wildfire exposure and manage risk at the individual-property level.

Gard Olbers, Chief Risk Officer at Windward Risk Managers, said: “Z-PROPERTY gave us accurate property insights and broad coverage across our Florida portfolio. That experience made ZestyAI a natural partner as we expand into California, where Z-FIRE gives us an accurate, predictive view of wildfire risk as we evaluate and manage exposure.”