ZestyAI to Integrate IBHS's Fast-Growing FORTIFIED Construction Standard Into Its Predictive Property and Climate Risk Platform

Integrating FORTIFIED program data into ZestyAI's Z-PROPERTY helps insurers identify homes built to the highest standards of resiliency

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Today, ZestyAI, the leading provider of climate and property risk analytics solutions powered by artificial intelligence, announced it has integrated the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety's (IBHS) resilient construction standard, FORTIFIED, into Z-PROPERTY™, its AI-powered predictive property and climate risk platform. Z-PROPERTY uses computer vision and machine learning to extract insights from aerial and satellite imagery, among other unique data sources, for over 150 million residential and commercial properties.

The FORTIFIED Home™ standard goes beyond typical building codes to deliver superior performance during severe weather, such as high winds, hailstorms, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and even tornadoes. An independent study of FORTIFIED homes following four separate hurricanes showed homeowners were 35 percent less likely to file an insurance claim and suffered 22 percent less damage than owners of traditionally built homes.

Based on more than 20 years of scientific research and real-world testing by IBHS, FORTIFIED is a nationally recognized resilient building method. Interest in FORTIFIED homes has grown rapidly as severe weather continues to ravage communities across the U.S. and, as a result, the number of designated homes has more than doubled in the last three years. 

"FORTIFIED has already helped more than 50,000 families in 26 states better protect their homes from severe weather," said IBHS CEO Roy Wright. "It takes only one storm to cause devastating loss and significantly change the trajectory of people's lives. Strengthening homes and communities with the FORTIFIED program can help reduce the devastating losses caused by Mother Nature."

Customers of Z-PROPERTY can now view FORTIFIED designation information, including the designation level of FORTIFIED Roof, FORTIFIED Home–Silver, or FORTIFIED Home–Gold. In addition to being important information for underwriters, it also helps insurers stay in compliance with the mandatory discounts some states require for mitigation measures that are part of the FORTIFIED Home program. ZestyAI will also leverage FORTIFIED data for further enhancing Z-HAIL and Z-WIND, its industry-leading predictive models for underwriting and rating Severe Convective Storm risk.

"Severe weather and catastrophic events are on the rise, and it is crucial for insurance carriers to be able to accurately assess risk and identify homes built to the highest standards of resiliency," said Attila Toth, Founder and CEO of ZestyAI. "Our collaboration with IBHS and the integration of FORTIFIED into Z-PROPERTY gives insurers the necessary tools to reduce losses and continue providing access to high-quality insurance coverage."

The addition of FORTIFIED to Z-PROPERTY is just the latest of many collaborations between ZestyAI and IBHS. Recent collaborations include Wildfire Fuel Management and Risk Mitigation, which looked at the impact of mitigation efforts on wildfire losses, and Small Hail, Big Problems, New Approach, which researched the impact of small hail on roof damage and hail claims. FORTIFIED program data will be made available exclusively to IBHS Member companies using the Z-PROPERTY platform.

The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses, and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more at ibhs.org. 

FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and re-roofing program, based on decades of research by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), designed to strengthen homes against severe weather, including high winds, hurricanes and tornadoes. Visit fortifiedhome.org to learn more about the program, including the designation process.

ZestyAI is the leading property and climate risk platform for Property and Casualty (P&C) insurers in North America. The company has revolutionized the world's understanding and management of property and climate perils by combining artificial intelligence with historical losses and cutting-edge data sources. Many leading insurers trust ZestyAI's platform to identify risk and assess exposure, including the impact of catastrophic events like wildfires, hail, and wind storms. ZestyAI helps insurers make more informed underwriting decisions, rate fairly and accurately, and improve customer experience through actionable risk insights that both property owners and regulators trust.

For more information on how ZestyAI is revolutionizing risk management, visit zesty.ai. 

SOURCE ZestyAI