DUAL North America, a specialty programme administrator, has widened its relationship with InsurTech firm ZestyAI, the Risk and Decision Intelligence Platform for the insurance industry, to underpin wildfire underwriting for a newly launched homeowners programme in California.
Under the enlarged agreement, DUAL will deploy Z-FIRE™, ZestyAI’s wildfire model, to gauge exposure at the level of individual properties, enabling measured expansion in areas prone to catastrophe losses.
Wildfire conditions in California remain highly unpredictable, pushing carriers to look past sweeping regional measures in favour of detailed, house-by-house analysis. Z-FIRE applies machine learning to a property’s distinctive traits, such as defensible space, nearby vegetation, terrain, construction materials, and patterns of fire behaviour in the surrounding area, to estimate how susceptible each structure is to wildfire.
With this granularity, insurers can pinpoint which buildings face the greatest chance of total loss and which are much more likely to withstand a blaze.
The deal follows DUAL’s move in late 2025 to adopt Z-STORM™, ZestyAI’s hail and wind solution, across its US book, reflecting a swift scaling of its work with the platform.
Z-FIRE holds approvals throughout wildfire-affected Western markets and became the first AI-driven wildfire model cleared within a carrier rate filing in California.
DUAL North America offers property, casualty, financial lines and surety products via a range of specialised operating subsidiaries, running unique insurance programmes from 10 offices across North America with the help of advanced technology and streamlined distribution.
ZestyAI serves property and casualty carriers and regulators across the US, combining property-level data, predictive AI models and Agentic AI automation to reshape how insurers view, price and manage risk. Its models, validated against climate science and historical loss data, address major perils including wildfire, severe convective storm and non-weather water, supporting underwriting, rating, reinsurance and regulatory workflows.
DUAL chief actuary Luke Wolmer 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.”
ZestyAI founder and CEO Attila Toth said, “After strengthening severe storm underwriting with Z-STORM, DUAL is now extending that strategy to wildfire with Z-FIRE. This expansion shows how insurers can grow responsibly in challenging markets when decisions are grounded in verified, property-level intelligence.”
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