Risk Theory Taps ZestyAI to Underwrite High-Value California Homes Amid Wildfire Risks

Risk Theory and ZestyAI today announced a partnership supporting Jupiter Platinum Home, Risk Theory’s new primary excess & surplus (E&S) homeowners program for high-net-worth properties in California. Built for difficult-to-place homes, including those with significant wildfire exposure, the program uses ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE™ for individual property-level wildfire risk assessment, bringing greater precision to underwriting and risk selection.

The program addresses a persistent coverage gap for California homeowners whose properties fall outside the appetite of the admitted market or other E&S products, including those facing wildfire-related non-renewals. Coverage is available for homes with dwelling limits starting at $750,000 and up to $25 million in total insured value.

Traditional wildfire scoring approaches often rely on broad geographic or territory-level factors, making it difficult to distinguish how risk varies from one property to the next. Z-FIRE delivers a more granular view by applying machine learning to evaluate defensible space, vegetation proximity, topography, building materials, and surrounding fire behavior patterns at the individual structure level – combining hazard and vulnerability into a single, unified risk assessment.

“Jupiter Platinum Home was built for risks that are increasingly difficult to place in California, including homes with elevated wildfire exposure,” said Jessica Furrow-Young, Executive Vice President of Underwriting, Risk Theory. “For us, that means understanding the differences between individual properties rather than treating wildfire exposure as a simple yes-or-no decision. Z-FIRE gives our underwriters insight into both the hazard surrounding a home and the characteristics that influence how that individual structure may perform, helping us deploy capacity thoughtfully while delivering a strong solution for our agency partners and their clients.”

“Expanding capacity in California requires more than simply taking on risks the traditional market has pulled back from. It requires the ability to differentiate those risks with precision,” said Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI. “Risk Theory built property-level risk selection into its underwriting approach from the outset. That level of insight can help insurers approach even challenging wildfire exposures with greater confidence and discipline.”

Z-FIRE 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.