COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Obligations under Multi-Year Reinsurance Contracts
The Company purchases reinsurance coverage to protect its capital and to limit its losses when certain major events occur. The Company’s reinsurance commitments generally run from June 1st of the current year to May 31st of the following year. Certain of the Company’s reinsurance agreements are for periods longer than one year. Amounts payable for coverage during the current June 1st to May 31st contract period are recorded as “Reinsurance Payable, net” in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Multi-year contract commitments for future years will be recorded at the commencement of the coverage period. Amounts payable for future reinsurance contract years that the Company is obligated to pay are: (1) $89.1 million in 2026; (2) $153.5 million in 2027 and (3) $64.5 million in 2028.
Litigation
Lawsuits and other legal proceedings are filed against the Company from time to time. These legal matters typically include civil and administrative or regulatory considerations for which the Company obtains internal or third-party legal or other assistance to provide guidance, and when applicable, to represent and protect the Company’s interest.
Many of these legal proceedings involve disputes as to coverage or the scope and amount of damage arising from claims or under contracts or policies that the Company underwrites. The Company establishes a liability for its anticipated claims obligations and records an estimate for expected reinsurance recoveries. From time to time, the Company is also involved in various other legal proceedings unrelated to claims disputes. The Company contests liability and/or the amount of damages as it considers appropriate according to the facts and circumstances of each matter.
In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company establishes an accrued liability for legal matters when those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable.
Legal proceedings are subject to many factors that cannot be predicted with certainty, and the Company may be exposed to losses in excess of any amounts accrued. The Company currently estimates that the reasonably possible losses for legal proceedings, whether in excess of a related accrued liability, including unpaid losses and LAE liability, or where there is no accrued liability, and for which the Company is able to estimate a possible loss, are immaterial. This represents management’s estimate of possible loss with respect to these matters and is based on currently available information. These estimates of possible loss do not represent our maximum loss exposure, and actual results may vary significantly from current estimates.