ZestyAI, a company specialising in AI-driven property risk analytics, has introduced a new feature in its Severe Convective Storm risk suite that allows insurers to update risk scores based on property improvements.
The update allows insurers to incorporate verified property changes directly into their risk assessments. Carriers can now reflect completed mitigation efforts in real time, correct inaccurate property information, and simulate the potential impact of proposed upgrades before they occur.
These capabilities help insurers provide more accurate risk evaluations and allow homeowners and agents to better understand the effect of improvements on future losses.
ZestyAI noted that similar mitigation-aware functionality is already in use in its wildfire products, supporting regulatory filings and accounting for actions such as defensible space and upgraded roofing. Extending the approach to severe convective storm assessments provides insurers with a consistent method for incorporating verified property improvements across multiple hazards.
The company emphasises that the feature is part of its human-in-the-loop approach, keeping insurers in control of decisions while providing transparency into the data used to generate risk scores. This allows insurers to maintain oversight of model outputs and ensure they reflect real-world conditions.
The scoring feature is integrated into the ZestyAI platform and can support a range of applications, including refining underwriting decisions, improving inspection processes, and enhancing rating accuracy.
The storm models use property-specific information such as roof condition, geometry, and surrounding vegetation combined with claims data to provide more detailed risk insights than traditional territory-based approaches.
ZestyAI’s storm models are approved for use in more than 20 states across the Great Plains, Midwest, and southern United States, regions frequently affected by severe convective storms, and are actively used by insurers for rating and underwriting purposes.
“Models should be powerful, but also flexible and responsive to real-world improvements,” added Kumar Dhuvur, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of ZestyAI.
“By giving carriers the ability to incorporate mitigation and field data into model outputs, we’re supporting transparent, action-oriented risk management that benefits both insurers and homeowners.”
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