Latest news from the State of California;
ZestyAI, the leader in AI-powered property and climate risk analytics, today announced a four-year expansion of its partnership with the California FAIR Plan.
The California FAIR Plan, the insurer of last resort, has leveraged ZestyAI’s Z-FIRE™ to enhance risk assessment since 2021, ensuring that homeowners unable to obtain private insurance still have access to wildfire coverage. With coverage spanning nearly 100% of U.S. properties, Z-FIRE is already trusted by more than one-third of California’s insurance market to refine underwriting, enhance risk segmentation, and ensure that premiums accurately reflect the true wildfire exposure and vulnerability of each individual structure.
The model leverages AI-driven analysis of over 2,000 historical wildfires, integrating satellite and aerial imagery, topography, and property-level characteristics to provide precise, property-specific risk assessments. This scientifically validated approach is backed by decades of research, including studies from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
“We’re honored to continue supporting the California FAIR Plan in providing reliable insurance coverage in high-risk regions,” said Attila Toth, Founder & CEO of ZestyAI. “By providing Z-FIRE scores directly to policyholders, the California FAIR Plan has increased transparency around wildfire risk and empowered homeowners to take meaningful mitigation steps—like defensible space measures and fire-resistant building materials—to better protect their homes and communities.”
ZestyAI works closely with regulators to ensure transparency, validation, and continuous monitoring of its AI-driven models. The company has secured key regulatory approvals across the U.S., including all Western states for Z-FIRE and broad acceptance of its severe convective storm models from Texas to Colorado, the Midwest, and the Great Plains.
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) has reviewed Z-FIRE as part of recently approved rate filings. Insurers can continue filing to use the model for rate segmentation and underwriting without additional review under the Pre-Application Required Information Determination (PRID) process.
Building on its success in California, ZestyAI has partnered with other insurers of last resort, including the Colorado FAIR Plan, further expanding the adoption of AI-driven risk models to help protect families and communities.
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