KINGSTON, N.Y., July 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kingstone Companies, Inc. (Nasdaq: KINS) ("Kingstone" or the "Company"), a regional property and casualty insurance holding company, today announced that its catastrophe reinsurance program for the period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 has been finalized.
Key Highlights
- Increased loss limit to $500 million, a 14% increase from 2025-2026
- Maintained low first-event retentions of $3.5 million for wildfire, $5 million for named storm and $6 million for winter storm
- Reduced the cost of core catastrophe excess of loss coverage by more than 15% on a risk-adjusted basis
Meryl Golden, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kingstone, stated, "I am pleased to announce the successful completion of our 2026/2027 catastrophe reinsurance placement on favorable terms. Due to the significant increase in exposure experienced in the past year, we made the decision to raise our catastrophe reinsurance limit by $60 million to $500 million. This limit includes the multi-year protection of $125 million sourced through our catastrophe bond, issued last year by 1886 Re Ltd. We also maintained a low first event retention with $3.5 million for wildfire, $5 million for named storm and $6 million for winter storm.
"While we raised the limit purchased, added wildfire to the mix and improved terms, the cost of our core catastrophe excess of loss coverage decreased more than 15% on a risk-adjusted basis. The catastrophe program cost is approximately 11% of projected direct premiums earned, down from 13% for the previous treaty period. This coverage strengthens our balance sheet protection and helps reduce the volatility of our results while supporting our continued profitable growth.
"We appreciate the broad support of our valued reinsurance partners, with over 34 reinsurers participating in the program, including six new reinsurers. Their continued confidence underscores the quality of our underwriting, the strength of our claims execution, and our disciplined approach to risk management. With this placement complete, we are well positioned to continue our profitable growth trajectory toward our goal of $500 million of annual written premium by year end 2029."
About Kingstone Companies, Inc.
Kingstone is a regional property and casualty insurance holding company whose principal operating subsidiaries write business through retail and wholesale agents and brokers. Kingstone delivers tailored homeowners insurance solutions through its sophisticated product suite, Select, supported by a scalable and efficient operating platform that enables the Company to pursue significant market opportunities and strategic expansion. Kingstone was the 11th largest writer of homeowners insurance in New York in 2025 and also writes homeowners coverage in California on a non-admitted basis.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors. For more details on factors that could affect expectations, see Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
The risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the following:
- the risk of significant losses from catastrophes and severe weather events;
- risks related to the lack of a financial strength rating from A.M. Best;
- risks related to limitations on the ability of our insurance subsidiary to pay dividends to us;
- adverse capital, credit and financial market conditions;
- risks related to volatility in net investment income;
- the unavailability of reinsurance at current levels and prices;
- the exposure to greater net insurance losses in the event of reduced reliance on reinsurance;
- the credit risk of our reinsurers;
- the inability to maintain the requisite amount of risk-based capital needed to grow our business;
- the effects of climate change on the frequency or severity of weather events and wildfires;
- risks related to the limited market area of our business;
- risks related to a concentration of business in a limited number of producers;
- legislative and regulatory changes, including changes in insurance laws and regulations and their application by our regulators;
- the effects of competition in our market areas;
- our reliance on certain key personnel;
- risks related to security breaches or other attacks involving our computer systems or those of our vendors;
- our reliance on information technology and information systems; and
- the uncertainty relating to our geographic diversification strategy in entering the California market and other markets.
Kingstone undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Investor Relations Contact
Elevate IR
KINS@elevate-ir.com
720-330-2829
