Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Risk Factors
Risks Relating to the Property and Casualty Insurance Industry
Industry trends, such as increasing loss severity due to higher rates of litigation against the insurance industry and individual insurers, the willingness of courts to expand
covered causes of loss, rising jury awards, escalating medical, automobile and property repair costs and other factors may contribute to increased costs and result in ultimate loss settlements that exceed the reserves of our insurance subsidiaries.
Loss severity in the property and casualty insurance industry has increased in recent years, principally driven by factors such as distracted driving, larger court judgments, higher jury awards and increasing medical
and automobile and property repair costs, including increases due to inflation and supply chain disruption. In particular, future cost volatility for automobile replacement costs and repair parts could occur because of exposure to governmental
trade policies, including tariffs, or geopolitical events. In addition, many classes of complainants have brought legal actions and proceedings, some of which may be funded by third-party litigation financing, that tend to increase the size of
judgments. The propensity of policyholders and third-party claimants to utilize specialized plaintiff firms and litigate and the willingness of courts to expand causes of loss and the size of awards, to eliminate exclusions and to increase
coverage limits may result in ultimate settlements of current and future losses that exceed the loss reserves of our insurance subsidiaries.
Our insurance subsidiaries are subject to catastrophe losses and losses from other severe weather events, which are unpredictable and may adversely affect our results of
operations, liquidity and financial condition.
The underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries are subject to weather and other conditions that may adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations. Because the occurrence and
severity of catastrophes are inherently unpredictable and may vary significantly from year to year and region to region, our historical results of operations may not be indicative of our future results of operations. Our property and casualty
insurance operations expose us to claims arising from catastrophic events affecting multiple policyholders. Such catastrophic events consist of various natural disasters, including, but not limited to, hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes,
windstorms, hailstorms, fires and wildfires, flooding, landslides, earthquakes, severe winter weather events and man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks, explosions and infrastructure failures. Historically, our insurance subsidiaries have
experienced weather-related losses from hurricanes and tropical storms in Mid-Atlantic and Southern states, tornadoes and hailstorms in Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern and Southern states and severe winter weather events in Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern
states.
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Losses from catastrophic events are a function of both the extent of our insurance subsidiaries’ exposures, the frequency and severity of the events themselves and the level of reinsurance coverage our insurance
subsidiaries purchase. The increased frequency and severity of weather-related catastrophes and other losses, such as from wildfires and flooding, incurred by the industry in recent years may be indicative of changing weather patterns due to
climate change. Should those patterns continue to emerge, increased weather-related catastrophes in the states in which our insurance subsidiaries operate would lead to higher overall losses that they may be unable to offset through pricing
actions.
Our insurance subsidiaries seek to reduce their exposure to catastrophe losses through their underwriting strategies and their purchase of catastrophe reinsurance. Advancements in economic capital modeling and
catastrophe risk modeling assist our insurance subsidiaries in measuring risk concentrations and inform their reinsurance purchase decisions. Nevertheless, reinsurance may prove inadequate under certain circumstances. While the emerging science
regarding climate change and its connection to extreme weather events continues to be studied, climate change, to the extent it produces rising temperatures and changes in weather patterns, could affect the frequency and severity of weather events
and other losses and thus impact the affordability and availability of catastrophe reinsurance coverage for our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries’ ability to appropriately manage catastrophe risk depends partially on catastrophe
models, which may be affected by inaccurate or incomplete data, the uncertainty of the frequency and severity of future events and the uncertain impact of changing climate conditions that tend to occur gradually over time.
Changing climate conditions could lead to new or revised regulations with which our insurance subsidiaries would have to comply. Such regulations could impact the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to manage their
exposures in areas impacted by increased weather activity, require our insurance companies to alter the terms and conditions of their policies or impact the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to obtain sufficient pricing increases to offset
higher loss activity.
Our insurance subsidiaries must establish premium rates and loss and loss expense reserves from forecasts of the ultimate costs they expect will arise from risks underwritten
during the policy period, and the profitability of our insurance subsidiaries could be adversely affected if their premium rates or reserves are insufficient to satisfy their ultimate costs.
One of the distinguishing features of the property and casualty insurance industry is that it prices its products before it knows its costs, since insurers generally establish their premium rates before they know the
amount of losses they will incur. Accordingly, our insurance subsidiaries establish premium rates from forecasts of the ultimate costs they expect to arise from risks they have underwritten during the policy period. Proposed increases in premium
rates are subject to regulatory approval on a state-by-state basis, and there is a lag between the time that our insurance subsidiaries file for such approval and the date upon which our insurance subsidiaries can implement any such approved
premium rate increase across their book of business for a product in a particular state. The premium rates our insurance subsidiaries charge may not be sufficient to cover the ultimate losses they incur. Further, our insurance subsidiaries must
establish reserves for losses and loss expenses as balance sheet liabilities based upon estimates involving actuarial and statistical projections at a given time of what our insurance subsidiaries expect their ultimate liability to be. Significant
periods of time often elapse between the occurrence of an insured loss, the reporting of the loss and the settlement of that loss. It is possible that our insurance subsidiaries’ ultimate liability could exceed these estimates because of the future
development of known losses, the existence of losses that have occurred but are currently unreported and larger than historical settlements of pending and unreported claims. The process of estimating reserves is inherently judgmental and can be
influenced by a number of factors, including the following:
• trends in claim frequency and severity;
• changes in operations;
• emerging economic and social trends;
• economic and social inflation;
• the level of insurance fraud; and
• changes in the regulatory and litigation environments.
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If our insurance subsidiaries determine that their reserves are insufficient to cover their ultimate liability, they will increase their reserves. An increase in reserves results in an increase in losses and a
reduction in net income for the period in which our insurance subsidiaries recognize a deficiency in reserves. Accordingly, an increase in reserves may adversely impact the business, liquidity, financial condition and results of operations of our
insurance subsidiaries.
The financial results of our insurance subsidiaries depend primarily on their ability to underwrite risks effectively and to charge adequate rates to policyholders.
The financial condition, cash flows and results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries depend on their ability to underwrite and set rates accurately for a full spectrum of risks across a number of lines of
insurance. Rate adequacy is necessary to generate sufficient premium to pay losses, loss adjustment expenses and underwriting expenses and to realize a profit.
The ability to underwrite and set rates effectively is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those related to:
• the availability of sufficient, reliable data;
• the ability to conduct a complete and accurate analysis of available data;
• uncertainties generally inherent in estimates and assumptions;
• the ability to predict policyholder retention accurately;
• unanticipated court decisions, legislation or regulatory action;
• unanticipated changes in our claim settlement practices;
• changes in driving patterns for auto exposures;
• changes in weather patterns for property exposures;
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Such risks may result in our insurance subsidiaries basing their premium rates on inadequate or inaccurate data or inappropriate assumptions or methodologies and may cause our estimates of future changes in the
frequency or severity of claims to be incorrect. As a result, our insurance subsidiaries could underprice risks, which would negatively affect our margins, or our insurance subsidiaries could overprice risks, which could reduce their premium volume
and competitiveness. In either event, underpricing or overpricing risks could adversely impact our operating results, financial condition and cash flows.
We face risks associated with technological change, including artificial intelligence, data modernization and cloud migration, and the profitability of our insurance subsidiaries
could be adversely affected if their competitors deploy such technologies more effectively or at greater scale.
The insurance industry is undergoing rapid technological change, including the expanded use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, process automation and GenAI. Since 2018, Donegal Mutual has
undertaken a multi-year modernization of its core systems, including replacement of legacy policy administration systems, implementation of a cloud-based data infrastructure and, beginning in 2026, migration of its Guidewire claims, billing and
policy administration systems to the Guidewire cloud platform. Donegal Mutual has also begun deploying and piloting certain GenAI-enabled solutions to provide operating efficiencies and data-driven insights.
These initiatives involve significant cost, operational complexity and reliance on third-party vendors. They may result in implementation delays, cost overruns, data migration errors, system integration challenges,
cybersecurity vulnerabilities, service disruptions or diversion of management attention. These initiatives may not be completed as planned or achieve intended operational efficiencies or other benefits. Any disruption or failure could adversely
affect the underwriting, billing or claims operations of our insurance subsidiaries and materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, competitors, including larger insurers and technology-enabled companies, may have greater financial resources, broader data assets and more advanced analytical capabilities, enabling them to develop and
scale artificial intelligence, automation and cloud-based solutions more rapidly or effectively than our insurance subsidiaries can. If competitors more effectively utilize technology to enhance risk selection, refine pricing, reduce expenses,
improve claims handling or strengthen customer and agent experience, they may achieve superior underwriting performance or market share. More sophisticated use of data and analytics by competitors could also increase adverse selection risks for
insurers with comparatively less advanced capabilities.
Our increasing reliance on third-party cloud platforms and technology providers exposes our insurance subsidiaries to vendor dependency and concentration risks. Any service disruption, cybersecurity incident or
strategic misalignment involving a key vendor could impair the operations of our insurance subsidiaries or increase their costs.
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The use of artificial intelligence and GenAI presents additional operational, regulatory and reputational risks. Artificial intelligence models may produce inaccurate or unintended results, and evolving legal and
regulatory standards governing artificial intelligence, data usage and algorithmic decision-making may increase compliance costs or restrict certain practices. Use of GenAI may also create unforeseen exposures or coverage issues under the
policies our insurance subsidiaries issue or introduce new forms of claims fraud or cybercrime. If our insurance subsidiaries are unable to adapt to technological developments or compete effectively with organizations that deploy such
technologies at greater scale, their competitive position and financial performance could be materially adversely affected.
Loss or significant restriction of the use of specific rating attributes, analytical models or technologies in the pricing and underwriting of insurance products by our insurance
subsidiaries could adversely affect their future profitability.
Our insurance subsidiaries consider a variety of rating attributes in making risk selection and pricing decisions for personal lines insurance products where allowed by state law. There is increasing regulatory debate
as to whether use of certain rating attributes is unfairly discriminatory. For example, consumer groups and regulators often call for the prohibition or restriction on the use of credit scoring in underwriting and pricing. In addition, there is
increasing regulatory attention on the governance over and use of analytical models and technologies, including artificial intelligence systems, to ensure that such technologies comply with laws that address unfair trade practices and unfair
discrimination. Laws or regulations that significantly curtail the use of specific rating attributes or other analytical models and technologies in the underwriting process could reduce the future profitability of our insurance subsidiaries.
Changes in applicable insurance laws or regulations or changes in the way insurance regulators administer those laws or regulations could adversely affect the operating
environment of our insurance subsidiaries and increase their exposure to loss or put them at a competitive disadvantage.
Property and casualty insurers are subject to extensive supervision in their domiciliary states and in the states in which they do business. This regulatory oversight includes matters relating to:
• licensing and examination;
• approval of premium rates;
• market conduct;
• policy forms;
• limitations on the nature and amount of certain investments;
• claims practices;
• mandated participation in involuntary markets and guaranty funds;
• reserve adequacy;
• insurer solvency;
• transactions between affiliates;
• the amount of dividends that insurers may pay; and
• restrictions on underwriting standards.
Such regulation and supervision are primarily for the benefit and protection of policyholders rather than stockholders.
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The NAIC and state insurance regulators re-examine existing laws and regulations from time to time, specifically focusing on areas such as:
• insurance company investments;
• issues relating to the solvency of insurance companies;
• risk-based capital guidelines;
• restrictions on the terms and conditions included in insurance policies;
• certain methods of accounting;
• reserves for unearned premiums, losses and other purposes;
• interpretations of existing laws and the development of new laws.
Changes in state laws and regulations, as well as changes in the way state regulators view related-party transactions in particular, could change the operating environment of our insurance subsidiaries and have an
adverse effect on their business.
Insurance companies are subject to assessments, based on their market share in a given line of business, to assist in the payment of unpaid claims and related costs of insolvent
insurance companies. Such assessments could adversely affect the financial condition of our insurance subsidiaries.
Our insurance subsidiaries are subject to assessments pursuant to the guaranty fund laws of the various states in which they conduct business. Generally, under these laws, our insurance subsidiaries can be assessed,
depending upon the market share of our insurance subsidiaries in a given line of insurance business, to assist in the payment of unpaid claims and related costs of insolvent insurance companies in those states. We cannot predict the number and
magnitude of future insurance company failures in the states in which our insurance subsidiaries conduct business, but future assessments could adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of our insurance
subsidiaries.
Risks Relating to Our Business
Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual currently conduct business in a limited number of states, with a concentration of business in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware,
Maryland and Virginia. Any single catastrophe occurrence or other condition affecting losses in these states could adversely affect the results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries.
Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual conduct business in 21 states located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, Southern and Southwestern regions of the country. A substantial portion of their business
consists of private passenger and commercial automobile, homeowners, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation insurance in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. While our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual
actively manage their respective exposure to catastrophes through their underwriting processes and the purchase of reinsurance, a single catastrophic occurrence, destructive weather pattern, general economic trend, terrorist attack, regulatory
development or other condition affecting one or more of the states in which our insurance subsidiaries conduct substantial business could materially adversely affect their business, financial condition and results of operations. Common
catastrophic events include hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, wind and hailstorms, fires and wildfires, explosions and severe winter storms.
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If the independent agents who market the products of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual do not maintain their current levels of premium writing with us and Donegal
Mutual, fail to comply with established underwriting guidelines of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual or otherwise inappropriately market the products of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, the business, financial condition
and results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries could be adversely affected.
Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual market their insurance products solely through a network of approximately 2,000 independent insurance agencies. This agency distribution system is one of the most important
components of the competitive profile of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual. As a result, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual depend to a material extent upon their independent agents, each of whom has the authority to bind one
or more of our insurance subsidiaries or Donegal Mutual to insurance coverage. To the extent that such independent agents’ marketing efforts fail to result in the maintenance of their current levels of volume and quality or they bind our insurance
subsidiaries or Donegal Mutual to unacceptable insurance risks, fail to comply with the established underwriting guidelines of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual or otherwise inappropriately market the products of our insurance
subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, the business, financial condition and results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries could suffer.
The business of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual may not continue to grow and may be materially adversely affected if our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual
cannot retain existing, and attract new, independent agents or if insurance consumers increase their use of insurance distribution channels other than independent agents.
The ability of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual to retain existing, and to attract new, independent agents is essential to the continued growth of the business of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal
Mutual. If independent agents find it easier to do business with the competitors of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual could find it difficult to retain their existing business or to attract
new business. While our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual believe they maintain good relationships with the independent agents they have appointed, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual cannot be certain that these independent
agents will continue to sell the products of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual to the consumers these independent agents represent. Some of the factors that could adversely affect the ability of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal
Mutual to retain existing, and attract new, independent agents include:
While our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual sell insurance to policyholders solely through their network of independent agencies, many competitors of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual sell insurance
through a variety of delivery methods, including independent agencies, captive agencies and direct sales. To the extent that current and potential policyholders change their distribution channel preference, the business, financial condition and
results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries may be adversely affected.
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Competition within the property and casualty insurance industry may adversely impact the revenues and profit margins of our insurance subsidiaries.
The property and casualty insurance industry is intensely competitive, and the pricing of insurance products is subject to significant fluctuations and uncertainties. Competition can be based on many factors,
including:
• the perceived financial strength of the insurer;
• premium rates;
• policy terms and conditions;
• policyholder service;
• reputation; and
• experience.
Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual compete with many regional and national property and casualty insurance companies, including direct sellers of insurance products, insurers having their own agency
organizations and other insurers represented by independent agents. Many of these insurers have greater capital than our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual, have substantially greater financial, technical and operating resources, have
substantially greater exposure and access to potential customers and have equal or higher ratings from A.M. Best than our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual. In addition, our competitors may become increasingly better capitalized in the
future as the property and casualty insurance industry continues to consolidate.
The greater capitalization of many of the competitors of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual enables them to operate with lower profit margins and, therefore, allows them to market their products more
aggressively, to take advantage more quickly of new marketing opportunities and to offer lower premium rates. In addition to established insurers, our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual compete with a growing number of start-ups, some of
which have received substantial infusions of capital, that seek to disrupt traditional business platforms and distribution channels. Our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual may not be able to maintain their current competitive position in
the markets in which they operate if their competitors offer prices for their products that are lower than the prices our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual are prepared to offer. Moreover, if these competitors lower the price of their
products and our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual meet their pricing, the profit margins and revenues of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual may decrease and their ratios of claims and expenses to premiums may increase. All of
these factors could materially adversely affect the financial condition and results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries and their A.M. Best ratings.
If A.M. Best downgrades the rating it has assigned to Donegal Mutual or any of our insurance subsidiaries, it would adversely affect their competitive position.
Industry ratings are a factor in establishing and maintaining the competitive position of insurance companies. A.M. Best, an industry-accepted source of insurance company financial strength ratings, rates Donegal
Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. A.M. Best ratings provide an independent opinion of an insurance company’s financial health and its ability to meet its obligations to its policyholders. We believe that the financial strength rating of A.M.
Best is material to the operations of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. For example, certain lenders require customers to purchase insurance from an insurance carrier that has received an A.M. Best rating that exceeds a certain
level. Currently, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries each have an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best. In May 2025, A.M. Best affirmed its A (Excellent) ratings of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. However, if A.M. Best
were to downgrade the rating of Donegal Mutual or any of our insurance subsidiaries, it would adversely affect the competitive position of Donegal Mutual or that insurance subsidiary and make it more difficult for it to market its products and
retain its existing policyholders.
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Economic disruption related to a future pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, profitability, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity and financial
condition.
We cannot predict the ultimate impact that the economic and financial disruption related to a pandemic may have on us. Risks related to a pandemic include, but are not limited to, the following:
Dividends from our insurance subsidiaries are a significant source of funds for the payment of our operating expenses and dividends to our stockholders; however, there are
regulatory restrictions and business considerations that may limit the amount of dividends our insurance subsidiaries may pay to us.
As a holding company, we rely on dividends from our insurance subsidiaries as a significant source of funds to meet our corporate obligations and to pay dividends to our stockholders. The amount of dividends our
insurance subsidiaries can pay to us is subject to regulatory restrictions and depends on the amount of surplus our insurance subsidiaries maintain. From time to time, the NAIC and various state insurance regulators consider modifying the method of
determining the amount of dividends that an insurance company may pay without prior regulatory approval. The maximum amount of ordinary dividends that our insurance subsidiaries can pay to us in 2026 without prior regulatory approval is
approximately $66.4 million. Other business and regulatory considerations, such as the impact of dividends on surplus that could affect the ratings of our insurance subsidiaries, competitive conditions, RBC requirements, the investment results of
our insurance subsidiaries and the amount of premiums that our insurance subsidiaries write could also adversely impact the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to pay dividends to us.
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The growth and profitability of our insurance subsidiaries depend, in part, on the effective maintenance and ongoing development of Donegal Mutual’s information technology
systems, and the allocation of related costs to our insurance subsidiaries may adversely impact their profitability.
Our insurance subsidiaries utilize Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems to conduct their insurance business, including policy quoting and issuance, claims processing, processing of incoming premium payments
and other important functions. As a result, the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to grow their business and conduct profitable operations depends on Donegal Mutual’s ability to maintain its existing information technology systems and to
develop new technology systems that will support the business of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries in a cost-efficient manner and provide information technology capabilities equivalent to those of our competitors. The allocation among
our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual of the costs of developing and maintaining Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems may adversely impact our insurance subsidiaries’ expense ratio and underwriting profitability, and such costs
may exceed Donegal Mutual’s and our expectations.
Donegal Mutual is currently in the midst of a multi-year effort to modernize certain of its key infrastructure and applications systems, and the allocation of related costs to our insurance subsidiaries has resulted in
an increase to their expense ratio. These new systems are intended to provide various benefits to the member companies of the Donegal Insurance Group, including streamlined workflows and business processes, service enhancements for their agents and
policyholders, opportunities to implement new product models and innovative business solutions, greater utilization of data analytics and operational efficiencies. From 2020 to 2024, we implemented five major releases of new systems. In 2025,
Donegal Mutual implemented the final two major releases of new systems for the remaining lines of business the Donegal Insurance Group issues currently and for the conversion of remaining legacy renewal policies of the Donegal Insurance Group. The
conversion process will continue into 2027 as legacy policies renew on a state-by-state rollout schedule. During 2025, Donegal Mutual also began planning for the migration of its claims, billing and policy administration application systems from
on-premise versions to cloud-based versions of these applications that we expect will occur in a phased approach over the next two years. Even with Donegal Mutual’s and our best planning and efforts and the involvement of third-party experts,
Donegal Mutual may not complete the implementation of these new systems within its planned timeframes or budget. Further, Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems may not deliver the benefits Donegal Mutual and we expect and may fail to keep
pace with our competitors’ information technology systems. As a result, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries may not have the ability to grow their business and meet their profitability objectives.
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While we are currently placing less emphasis on pursuing acquisitions because Donegal Mutual and we believe there are opportunities for profitable organic growth, our strategy to
grow in part through acquisitions of other insurance companies exposes us to risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The affiliation with, and acquisition of, other insurance companies involves risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. The risks associated with these affiliations and
acquisitions include:
If we cannot obtain sufficient capital to fund the organic growth of our insurance subsidiaries and to make acquisitions, we may not be able to expand our business.
Our strategy is to expand our business through the organic growth of our insurance subsidiaries and through our strategic acquisitions of regional insurance companies. Our insurance subsidiaries may require additional
capital in the future to support this strategy. If we cannot obtain sufficient capital on satisfactory terms and conditions, we may not be able to expand the business of our insurance subsidiaries or to make future acquisitions. Our ability to
obtain additional financing will depend on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing because we or our insurance subsidiaries may already have
substantial debt at the time, because we or our insurance subsidiaries do not have sufficient cash flow to service or repay our existing or additional debt or because financial institutions are not making financing available. In addition, any
equity capital we obtain in the future could be dilutive to our existing stockholders.
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The investment portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of fixed-income securities; therefore, the investment income and the fair value of the investment
portfolios of our insurance subsidiaries could decrease as a result of a number of factors.
Our insurance subsidiaries invest the premiums they receive from their policyholders and maintain investment portfolios that consist primarily of fixed-income securities. The effective management of these investment
portfolios is an important component of the profitability of our insurance subsidiaries. Our insurance subsidiaries derive a significant portion of their operating income from the income they receive on their invested assets. A number of factors
may affect the quality and/or yield of their investment portfolios, including the general economic and business environment, government monetary policy, changes in the credit quality of the issuers of the fixed-income securities our insurance
subsidiaries own, changes in market conditions and regulatory changes. The fixed-income securities our insurance subsidiaries own consist primarily of securities issued by domestic entities that are backed by either the credit or collateral of the
underlying issuer. Factors such as an economic downturn, disruption in the credit market or the availability of credit, a regulatory change pertaining to a particular issuer’s industry, a significant deterioration in the cash flows of the issuer or
a change in the issuer’s marketplace may adversely affect the ability of our insurance subsidiaries to collect principal and interest from the issuer in which they invest.
The investments of our insurance subsidiaries are also subject to risk resulting from interest rate fluctuations. As we experienced when market interest rates increased significantly in 2022, increasing interest rates
or a widening in the spread between interest rates available on U.S. Treasury securities and corporate debt or asset-backed securities will typically have an adverse impact on the market values of fixed-rate securities. If interest rates decline,
our insurance subsidiaries will generally have a lower overall rate of return on investments of cash their operations generate. In addition, in the event of the call or maturity of investments in a low interest rate environment, our insurance
subsidiaries may not be able to reinvest the proceeds in securities with comparable interest rates. Changes in interest rates may reduce both the profitability and the return on the invested capital of our insurance subsidiaries.
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We and our insurance subsidiaries depend on key personnel. The loss of any member of our executive management or the senior management of our insurance subsidiaries could
negatively affect the continuation of our business strategies and achievement of our growth objectives.
The loss of, or failure to attract, key personnel could significantly impede our financial plans, growth, marketing and other objectives and those of our insurance subsidiaries. The continued success of our insurance
subsidiaries depends to a substantial extent on the ability and experience of their senior management. Our insurance subsidiaries and we believe that our future success is dependent on our ability to attract and retain additional skilled and
qualified personnel and to expand, train and manage our employees. We and Donegal Mutual have employment agreements with our senior officers, including all of our named executive officers.
The reinsurance agreements on which our insurance subsidiaries rely do not relieve our insurance subsidiaries from their primary liability to their policyholders, and our
insurance subsidiaries face a risk of non-payment from their reinsurers as well as the non-availability of reinsurance in the future.
Our insurance subsidiaries rely on reinsurance agreements to limit their maximum net loss from large single catastrophic risks or excess of loss risks in areas where our insurance subsidiaries may have a concentration
of policyholders. Reinsurance also enables our insurance subsidiaries to increase their capacity to write insurance because it has the effect of leveraging the surplus of our insurance subsidiaries. Although the reinsurance our insurance
subsidiaries maintain provides that the reinsurer is liable to them for any reinsured losses, the reinsurance agreements do not generally relieve our insurance subsidiaries from their primary liability to their policyholders if the reinsurer fails
to pay the reinsurance claims of our insurance subsidiaries. To the extent that a reinsurer is unable to pay losses for which it is liable to our insurance subsidiaries, our insurance subsidiaries remain liable for such losses. At December 31,
2025, our insurance subsidiaries had approximately $90.7 million of reinsurance receivables from third-party reinsurers relating to paid and unpaid losses. Any insolvency or inability of these reinsurers to make timely payments to our insurance
subsidiaries under the terms of their reinsurance agreements would adversely affect the results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries.
Michigan law requires several of our insurance subsidiaries to provide certain medical benefits under the personal injury protection, or PIP, coverage of the personal automobile and commercial automobile policies
they write in the state of Michigan. Michigan law also requires those insurance subsidiaries to be members of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association, or MCCA, in order to write automobile insurance. MCCA receives funding through assessments
that its members collect from policyholders in the state and provides reinsurance for PIP claims that exceed a set retention. At December 31, 2025, our insurance subsidiaries had approximately $45.5 million of reinsurance receivables from MCCA
relating to paid and unpaid losses. The MCCA has generated significant operating deficits in recent years, and applicable Michigan law allows MCCA to assess its member companies for all losses and deficits through adjustments to future
assessments. Although we currently consider the risk to be remote, should MCCA be unable to fulfill its payment obligations to our insurance subsidiaries in the future, the financial condition and results of operations of our insurance
subsidiaries could be adversely affected.
In addition, our insurance subsidiaries face a risk of the non-availability of reinsurance or an increase in reinsurance costs that could adversely affect their ability to write business or their results of operations.
Market conditions beyond the control of our insurance subsidiaries, such as the amount of surplus in the reinsurance market and the frequency and severity of natural and man-made catastrophes, affect both the availability and the cost of the
reinsurance our insurance subsidiaries purchase. If our insurance subsidiaries cannot maintain their current level of reinsurance or purchase new reinsurance protection in amounts that our insurance subsidiaries consider sufficient, our insurance
subsidiaries would either have to accept an increase in their net risk retention or reduce their insurance writings, either of which could adversely affect them. For example, due to increased reinsurance pricing and reduced reinsurance market
capacity, our insurance subsidiaries increased their net retentions under several of their reinsurance programs for 2024 and 2025.
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The disruption or failure of Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems or the compromise of the security of those systems that results in the theft or
misuse of confidential information could materially impact adversely the business of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries.
Our insurance subsidiaries’ business operations depend significantly upon the availability and successful operation of Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems. In addition, in the normal course of their
operations, Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries collect, utilize and maintain confidential information regarding individuals and businesses. While Donegal Mutual has established various security measures to protect its information
technology systems and confidential data, unanticipated computer viruses, malware, ransomware, power outages, unauthorized access or other cyberattacks could disrupt those systems or result in the misappropriation or loss of confidential data.
Donegal Mutual could experience technology system failures or other outages that would impact the availability of its information technology systems. Donegal Mutual has experienced brief disruptions of systems in the past, including those systems
that allow underwriting and processing of new policies. Disruption in the availability of Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems could affect the ability of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries to underwrite and process their
policies timely, process and settle claims promptly and provide expected levels of customer service to agents and policyholders.
While Donegal Mutual has identified threats to the security of its information technology systems, Donegal Mutual and we are unaware of any significant breach of the security measures Donegal Mutual maintains. A
significant breach of the security of Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems that results in the misappropriation or misuse of confidential information could damage the business reputation of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries
and could expose Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries to litigation. The financial impact to Donegal Mutual, us and our insurance subsidiaries of a significant breach could be material.
Risks Relating to Us and Our Common Stock
The price of our common stock may be adversely affected by its low trading volume.
Our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock have limited liquidity. Reported average daily trading volume for our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock for the year ended December 31, 2025 was
approximately 128,268shares and approximately1,288 shares, respectively. This limited liquidity could subject our shares of Class A common stock and our shares of
Class B common stock to greater price volatility.
Donegal Mutual is our controlling stockholder. Donegal Mutual and its directors and executive officers have potential conflicts of interest between the best interests of our
stockholders and the best interests of the policyholders of Donegal Mutual.
Donegal Mutual controls the election of all of the members of our board of directors. Six of the ten members of our board of directors are also directors of Donegal Mutual. Donegal Mutual and we share the same
executive officers. These common directors and executive officers have a fiduciary duty to our stockholders and also have a fiduciary duty to the policyholders of Donegal Mutual. Among the potential conflicts of interest that could arise from these
separate fiduciary duties are the following:
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Donegal Mutual has sufficient voting power to determine the outcome of substantially all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval.
Each share of our Class A common stock has one-tenth of a vote per share and generally votes as a single class with our Class B common stock. Each share of our Class B common stock has one vote per share and generally
votes as a single class with our Class A common stock. Donegal Mutual has the right to vote approximately70% of the combined voting power of our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock and has
sufficient voting control to and has acted to:
The interests of Donegal Mutual in maintaining this greater-than-majority voting control of us may have an adverse effect on the price of our Class A common stock and the price of our Class B common stock because of
the absence of any potential “takeover” premium and may, therefore, be inconsistent with the interests of our stockholders other than Donegal Mutual.
Donegal Mutual’s majority voting control of us, certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and certain provisions of Delaware law make it
remote that anyone could acquire actual control of us unless Donegal Mutual were in favor of another person’s acquisition of control of us.
Donegal Mutual’s majority voting control of us, certain anti-takeover provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws and certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, could delay
or prevent the removal of members of our board of directors and could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us more expensive as well as unlikely to succeed, even if such events were in the best interests of our stockholders other
than Donegal Mutual. These factors could also discourage a third party from attempting to acquire control of us. In particular, our certificate of incorporation and by-laws include the following anti-takeover provisions:
• our stockholders may remove our directors only for cause;
• we do not permit cumulative voting rights in the election of our directors;
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We have authorized preferred stock that we could issue without stockholder approval to make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us.
We have 2.0 million authorized shares of preferred stock that we could issue in one or more series without further stockholder approval, unless the DGCL or the rules of the NASDAQ Global Select Market otherwise
require, and upon such terms and conditions, and having such rights, privileges and preferences, as our board of directors may determine. Our potential issuance of preferred stock may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of
us.
Because we are an insurance holding company, no person can acquire or seek to acquire a 10% or greater interest in us without first obtaining approval of the insurance
commissioners of the states of domicile of each of our insurance subsidiaries.
We own insurance subsidiaries domiciled in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and Donegal Mutual is domiciled in Pennsylvania and owns or controls insurance companies domiciled in Georgia and New
Mexico. The insurance laws of each of these states provide that no person can acquire or seek to acquire a 10% or greater interest in us without first filing specified information with the insurance commissioners of those states and obtaining the
prior approval of the proposed acquisition of a 10% or greater interest in us by each of the state insurance commissioners based on statutory standards designed to protect the safety and soundness of us and our insurance subsidiaries. These
approval requirements may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
We have no unresolved written comments from the Securities and Exchange Commission staff regarding our filings under the Exchange Act.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity.
Our insurance subsidiaries utilize the information systems Donegal Mutual maintains. Donegal Mutual has a robust information security program in place as a component of the enterprise-level risk management program of Donegal Mutual and us. The integration of Donegal Mutual’s information security program into the enterprise-level risk management program is intended to promote the inclusion of cybersecurity considerations in decision-making processes throughout Donegal Mutual. Donegal Mutual has implemented multiple layers of cybersecurity systems and related defensive measures that are intended to assist with assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats to Donegal Mutual’s information systems. Examples of these systems and measures include firewalls, data encryption, intrusion detection and prevention systems, endpoint detection and response systems, data-loss prevention systems and multi-factor authentication requirements for remote and privileged access. Donegal Mutual also regularly evaluates the effectiveness of its information security program through enterprise risk assessments.
Donegal Mutual also requires annual cybersecurity awareness training for all employees who serve Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries. Donegal Mutual expects all employees to assist in safeguarding its
information systems and to assist in the discovery and reporting of cybersecurity incidents. This enterprise-wide program is intended to identify and assess internal and external cyber and information security risks that may threaten the security
or integrity of the information stored on Donegal Mutual’s information systems or those of third-party providers from unauthorized access, use or other malicious acts.
Donegal Mutual employs a third-party security operations center that provides after-hours alert services to help ensure continuous monitoring for cybersecurity threats. On an annual basis, Donegal Mutual also engages third-party cybersecurity consultants to perform cyberattack and penetration testing on its information systems and to conduct tabletop exercises to enhance preparedness of its crisis management team. This crisis management team includes technical and senior-level management personnel, and the exercises are intended to help maintain their readiness by reviewing the roles they will be expected to perform and the procedures they will be expected to follow in the event of a cybersecurity incident, including the assessment of reporting requirements. These consultants advise Donegal Mutual on the effectiveness of its cybersecurity processes and assist Donegal Mutual in remediating any identified vulnerabilities and implementing any recommended measures to improve its cybersecurity defenses and readiness.
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In addition to monitoring cybersecurity threats to Donegal Mutual’s information systems and information technology infrastructure, Donegal Mutual and we also assess and monitor the information security posture of third-party service providers whose services we deem critical to our operations. This process is designed to help Donegal Mutual’s information security personnel identify and mitigate risks related to data breaches or other cybersecurity incidents originating from third-party service providers in order to better protect Donegal Mutual’s information systems and information technology infrastructure.
Donegal Mutual and we are not aware of any cybersecurity incidents or risks from cybersecurity threats that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to affect, our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. While Donegal Mutual maintains cybersecurity insurance, the costs related to cybersecurity threats or disruptions may not be fully insured. For more information regarding the risks Donegal Mutual and we face from cybersecurity threats, see “Risk Factors - Risks Relating to Our Business - The disruption or failure of Donegal Mutual’s information technology systems or the compromise of the security of those systems that results in the theft or misuse of confidential information could materially impact adversely the business of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries.”
Donegal Mutual employs an information security officer who has relevant experience and expertise in information security and holds the management position that is primarily responsible for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks. In addition, the chief risk officer of Donegal Mutual and us has extensive experience in the field of risk management, which is helpful for developing and executing Donegal Mutual’s information security program in a manner that aligns with the overall enterprise-level risk management program of Donegal Mutual and us.
In connection with carrying out their overall oversight responsibilities, the boards of directors of Donegal Mutual and us have delegated certain cybersecurity oversight responsibilities to the joint audit committee of those boards. The joint audit committee meets at least quarterly and is central to the boards’ oversight of cybersecurity risks. A member of the joint audit committee has extensive information technology and cybersecurity experience in the insurance industry. The joint audit committee actively monitors these risks in order to assist in coordinating prevention and mitigation efforts by, among other things, participating in risk management committee meetings and receiving quarterly reports from the chief risk officer of Donegal Mutual and us on cybersecurity risks and related matters.Donegal Mutual’s information security officer also provides an annual cybersecurity report to the boards of directors of Donegal Mutual and us. The annual cybersecurity report encompasses a broad range of topics, including types of threats and attempted infiltrations, applicable regulatory developments, information security program activities and planned cybersecurity enhancements to address emerging threats.
Donegal Mutual and we also maintain a risk management committee that is comprised of our shared executive officers and other key management personnel. This committee meets quarterly and is responsible for our enterprise risk strategy and management, which includes identifying, assessing, addressing and monitoring cybersecurity risks. Donegal Mutual’s information security officer provides quarterly updates to the risk management committee. Those updates include current cybersecurity issues and trends and any relevant information related to the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity incidents.
Item 2. Properties.
We and our insurance subsidiaries share administrative headquarters with Donegal Mutual in a building in Marietta, Pennsylvania that Donegal Mutual owns. The Marietta headquarters has approximately 270,000 square feet
of office space. Southern owns a facility of approximately 10,000 square feet in Glen Allen, Virginia. In addition, Donegal Mutual leases office space in Albuquerque, New Mexico, MICO leases office space in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Southern
Mutual owns a building in Athens, Georgia. Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries share property-related expenses proportionately under a services allocation agreement.
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Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
Our insurance subsidiaries are parties to routine litigation that arises in the ordinary course of their insurance business. We believe that the resolution of these lawsuits will not have a material adverse effect on
the financial condition or results of operations of our insurance subsidiaries. However, regardless of outcome, litigation and related matters could have an adverse impact on us and our insurance subsidiaries due to defense and settlement costs,
diversion of management resources, negative publicity, reputational harm and other factors.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II
Our Class A common stock and Class B common stock trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbols “DGICA” and “DGICB,” respectively.
At the close of business on March 2, 2026, we had approximately 1,403holders
of record of our Class A common stock and approximately 196 holders of record of our Class B common stock.
We declared dividends of $0.73 per share on our Class A common stock and $0.66 per share on our Class B common stock in 2025, compared to $0.69 per share on our Class A common stock and $0.62 per share on our Class B
common stock in 2024.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, Donegal Mutual purchased shares of our Class A common stock as set forth in the table below:
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Stock Performance Chart.
The following graph provides an indicator of cumulative total stockholder returns on our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock for the period beginning on December 31, 2020 and ending on December 31, 2025,
compared to the Russell 2000 Index and a peer group comprised of six property and casualty insurance companies over the same period. The peer group consists of Cincinnati Financial Corp., Hanover Insurance Group Inc., Horace Mann Educators Corp.,
Kemper Corp., Selective Insurance Group Inc. and United Fire Group Inc. The graph shows the change in value of an initial $100 investment on December 31, 2020, assuming reinvestment of all dividends.
Research Data Group prepared the foregoing performance graph and data. The performance graph and accompanying data shall not be deemed “filed” as part of this Form 10-K Report for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange
Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section and should not be deemed incorporated by reference into any other filing we make under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent we
specifically incorporate the performance graph and accompanying data by reference into such filing.
Item 6. [Reserved]
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Overview
Donegal Mutual Insurance Company (“Donegal Mutual”) organized us as an insurance holding company on August 26, 1986. See “Business - History and Organizational Structure” for more information. Our insurance
subsidiaries are Atlantic States Insurance Company (“Atlantic States”), Michigan Insurance Company (“MICO”), The Peninsula Insurance Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Peninsula Indemnity Company (collectively, “Peninsula”), and Southern
Insurance Company of Virginia (“Southern”). Our insurance subsidiaries and their affiliates write commercial and personal lines of property and casualty coverages exclusively through a network of independent insurance agents in certain
Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Southern and Southwestern states. The commercial lines products of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation policies. The personal lines products
of our insurance subsidiaries consist primarily of homeowners and private passenger automobile policies.
At December 31, 2025, Donegal Mutual held approximately 44% of our outstanding Class A common stock and approximately 85% of our outstanding Class B common stock. This ownership provides Donegal Mutual with
approximately 70% of the combined voting power of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock and our outstanding shares of Class B common stock.
Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States have participated in a proportional reinsurance agreement, or pooling agreement, since 1986. Under the pooling agreement, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States contribute substantially
all of their respective premiums, losses and loss expenses to the underwriting pool, and the underwriting pool, acting through Donegal Mutual, then allocates 80% of the pooled business to Atlantic States. Thus, Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States
share the underwriting results of the pooled business in proportion to their respective participation in the underwriting pool. The operations of our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual are interrelated due to the pooling agreement and other
factors. While maintaining the separate corporate existence of each company, our insurance subsidiaries conduct business together with Donegal Mutual and its insurance subsidiaries as the Donegal Insurance Group. The Donegal Insurance Group is not
a legal entity, is not an insurance company and does not issue or administer insurance policies. Rather, it is a trade name that refers to the group of insurance companies that are affiliated with Donegal Mutual. See “Business - Relationship with
Donegal Mutual” for more information regarding the pooling agreement and other transactions with our affiliates.
Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries operate together as the Donegal Insurance Group and share a combined business plan designed to achieve market penetration and underwriting profitability objectives. The
products our insurance subsidiaries and Donegal Mutual offer are generally complementary, thereby allowing Donegal Insurance Group to offer a broader range of products to a given market and to expand Donegal Insurance Group’s ability to service an
entire personal lines or commercial lines account. Distinctions within the products of Donegal Mutual and our insurance subsidiaries generally allow the individual companies to manage certain risk segments through variations in coverage, terms and
pricing. Therefore, the underwriting profitability of the business the individual companies write directly will vary. However, because the pool homogenizes the risk characteristics of the predominant percentage of the business Donegal Mutual and
Atlantic States write directly and each company shares the underwriting results according to each company’s participation percentage, each company realizes its percentage share of the underwriting results of the pool.
In July 2013, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we have the authority to purchase up to 500,000 additional shares of our Class A common stock at prices prevailing from time
to time in the open market subject to the provisions of the SEC Rule 10b-18 and in privately negotiated transactions. We did not purchase any shares of our Class A common stock under this program during 2025 or 2024. We have purchased a total of
57,658 shares of our Class A common stock under this program from its inception through December 31, 2025.
On April 29, 2022, Donegal Mutual disclosed that it will, at its discretion, purchase shares of our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock at market prices prevailing from time to time in the open market
subject to the provisions of SEC Rule 10b-18 and in privately negotiated transactions. Such disclosure did not stipulate a maximum number of shares that may be purchased under this program. Donegal Mutual purchased 776,332 and 1,057,282 shares of
our Class A common stock during 2025 and 2024, respectively. Donegal Mutual purchased 43,404 shares of our Class B common stock during 2025. Donegal Mutual did not purchase any shares of our Class B common stock during 2024.
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In September 2025, Donegal Mutual and Southern entered into a renewal rights agreement with an affiliate of a farm-focused Pennsylvania-based mutual insurance group to provide a continuation option for their farm
policyholders when they begin to non-renew all farm policies as they expire beginning in the second quarter of 2026. Donegal Mutual and Southern determined that the costs required to modernize the legacy farm product and systems were higher than
the projected return on investment for this non-core line of business that represents approximately $6 million in premiums. None of our other insurance subsidiaries offered farm policies. We currently include farm policies within other commercial
lines in our line of business reporting.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
We combine our financial statements with those of our insurance subsidiaries and present them on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
Our insurance subsidiaries make estimates and assumptions that can have a significant effect on amounts and disclosures we report in our financial statements. The most significant estimates relate to the reserves of
our insurance subsidiaries for property and casualty insurance unpaid losses and loss expenses. While we believe our estimates and the estimates of our insurance subsidiaries are appropriate, the ultimate amounts may differ from the estimates we
provided. We regularly review our methods for making these estimates, and we reflect any adjustment we consider necessary in our results of operations for the period in which we make an adjustment.
Liability for Losses and Loss Expenses
Liabilities for losses and loss expenses are estimates at a given point in time of the amounts an insurer expects to pay with respect to incurred policyholder claims based on facts and circumstances the insurer knows
at that point in time. For example, legislative, judicial and regulatory actions may expand coverage definitions, retroactively mandate coverage or otherwise require our insurance subsidiaries to pay losses for damages that their policies
explicitly excluded or did not intend to cover. At the time of establishing its estimates, an insurer recognizes that its ultimate liability for losses and loss expenses will exceed or be less than such estimates. Our insurance subsidiaries base
their estimates of liabilities for losses and loss expenses on assumptions as to future loss trends, expected claims severity, judicial theories of liability and other factors. However, during the loss adjustment period, our insurance subsidiaries
may learn additional facts regarding individual claims, and, consequently, it often becomes necessary for our insurance subsidiaries to refine and adjust their estimates for these liabilities. We reflect any adjustments to the liabilities for
losses and loss expenses of our insurance subsidiaries in our consolidated results of operations in the period in which our insurance subsidiaries make adjustments to their estimates.
Our insurance subsidiaries maintain liabilities for the payment of losses and loss expenses with respect to both reported and unreported claims. Our insurance subsidiaries establish these liabilities for the purpose of
covering the ultimate costs of settling all losses, including investigation and litigation costs. Our insurance subsidiaries base the amount of their liability for reported losses primarily upon a case-by-case evaluation of the type of risk
involved, knowledge of the circumstances surrounding each claim and the insurance policy provisions relating to the type of loss the policyholder incurred. Our insurance subsidiaries determine the amount of their liability for unreported claims and
loss expenses on the basis of historical information by line of insurance. Our insurance subsidiaries account for inflation in the reserving function through analysis of costs and trends and reviews of historical reserving results. Our insurance
subsidiaries monitor their liabilities closely and recompute them periodically using new information on reported claims and a variety of statistical techniques. Our insurance subsidiaries do not discount their liabilities for losses and loss
expenses.
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Reserve estimates can change over time because of unexpected changes in assumptions related to our insurance subsidiaries’ external environment and, to a lesser extent, assumptions related to our insurance
subsidiaries’ internal operations. For example, our insurance subsidiaries have experienced an increase in claims severity and a lengthening of the claim settlement periods on bodily injury claims during the past several years. In addition, the
COVID-19 pandemic and related government mandates and restrictions resulted in various changes from historical claims reporting and settlement trends during 2020 and resulted in significant increases in loss costs in several following years due to
a number of factors, including supply chain disruption, higher new and used automobile values, increases in the cost of replacement automobile parts and rising labor rates. These trend changes caused significant disruption to historical loss
patterns and gave rise to greater uncertainty as to the pattern of future loss settlements. Uncertainties regarding future trends include social inflation, availability and cost of replacement automobile parts and building materials, availability
and cost of skilled labor, the rate of specialized plaintiff attorney involvement in claims, plaintiff attorney utilization of litigation financing and the cost of medical technologies and procedures. Assumptions related to our insurance
subsidiaries’ external environment include the absence of significant changes in tort law and the legal environment that increase liability exposure, consistency in judicial interpretations of insurance coverage and policy provisions and the rate
of loss cost inflation. Internal assumptions include consistency in the recording of premium and loss statistics, consistency in the recording of claims, payment and case reserving methodology, accurate measurement of the impact of rate changes and
changes in policy provisions, consistency in the quality and characteristics of business written within a given line of business and consistency in reinsurance coverage and collectability of reinsured losses, among other items. To the extent our
insurance subsidiaries determine that underlying factors impacting their assumptions have changed, our insurance subsidiaries make adjustments in their reserves that they consider appropriate for such changes. Accordingly, our insurance
subsidiaries’ ultimate liability for unpaid losses and loss expenses will likely differ from the amount recorded at December 31, 2025. For every 1% change in our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves, net of reinsurance
recoverable, the effect on our pre-tax results of operations would be approximately $7.1million.
The establishment of appropriate liabilities is an inherently uncertain process and we can provide no assurance that our insurance subsidiaries’ ultimate liability will not exceed our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and
loss expense reserves and have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, we cannot predict the timing, frequency and extent of adjustments to our insurance subsidiaries’ estimated future liabilities,
because the historical conditions and events that serve as a basis for our insurance subsidiaries’ estimates of ultimate claim costs may change. As is the case for substantially all property and casualty insurance companies, our insurance
subsidiaries have found it necessary in the past to increase their estimated future liabilities for losses and loss expenses in certain periods and, in other periods, their estimated future liabilities for losses and loss expenses have exceeded
their actual liabilities for losses and loss expenses. Changes in our insurance subsidiaries’ estimates of their liability for losses and loss expenses generally reflect actual payments and their evaluation of information received subsequent to the
prior reporting period.
Our insurance subsidiaries recognized a decrease in their liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years of $10.3 million, $15.0 million and $16.7 million in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our insurance
subsidiaries made no significant changes in their reserving philosophy or claims management personnel, and they have made no significant offsetting changes in estimates that increased or decreased their loss and loss expense reserves in those
years. The 2025 development represented 1.5% of the December 31, 2024 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from lower-than-expected loss emergence in all lines of business except other commercial lines (which is primarily commercial umbrella
liability) for accident years prior to 2025. The majority of the 2025 development related to decreases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Southern and Peninsula. The 2024 development represented 2.2% of the December
31, 2023 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from lower-than-expected loss emergence in the commercial multi-peril, personal automobile and homeowner lines of business, offset partially by higher-than-expected loss emergence in the workers’
compensation and commercial automobile lines of business, for accident years prior to 2024. The majority of the 2024 development related to decreases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and MICO. The
2023 development represented 2.5% of the December 31, 2022 net carried reserves and resulted primarily from lower-than-expected loss emergence in the personal automobile and commercial automobile lines of business for accident years prior to 2023.
The majority of the 2023 development related to decreases in the liability for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and MICO.
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Excluding the impact of severe weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic, our insurance subsidiaries have noted stable amounts in the number of claims incurred and the number of claims outstanding at period ends
relative to their premium base in recent years across most of their lines of business. However, the amount of the average claim outstanding has increased gradually over the past several years due to various factors such as increased property and
automobile repair and replacement costs, rising medical loss costs and increased litigation trends and lengthening of repair completion times for property and automobile claims. We have also experienced a general slowing of settlement rates in
litigated claims. Our insurance subsidiaries could have to make further adjustments to their estimates in the future. However, on the basis of our insurance subsidiaries’ internal procedures, which analyze, among other things, their prior
assumptions, their experience with similar cases and historical trends such as reserving patterns, loss payments, pending levels of unpaid claims and product mix, as well as court decisions, economic conditions and public attitudes, we believe that
our insurance subsidiaries have made adequate provision for their liability for losses and loss expenses.
Atlantic States’ participation in the underwriting pool with Donegal Mutual exposes Atlantic States to adverse loss development on the business that Donegal Mutual contributes to the underwriting pool. However, pooled
business represents the predominant percentage of the net underwriting activity of both companies, and Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States share proportionately any adverse risk development relating to the pooled business. The business in the
underwriting pool is homogeneous and each company has a pro-rata share of the entire underwriting pool. Since the predominant percentage of the business of Atlantic States and Donegal Mutual is pooled and the results shared by each company
according to its participation level under the terms of the pooling agreement, the intent of the underwriting pool is to produce a more uniform and stable underwriting result from year to year for each company than either would experience
individually and to spread the risk of loss between the companies.
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Our insurance subsidiaries’ liability for losses and loss expenses by major line of business at December 31, 2025 and 2024 consisted of the following:
(in thousands)
Commercial lines:
Personal lines:
We have evaluated the effect on our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves and our stockholders’ equity in the event of reasonably likely changes in the variables we consider in establishing loss and
loss expense reserves. We established the range of reasonably likely changes based on a review of changes in accident year development by line of business and applied it to our insurance subsidiaries’ loss reserves as a whole. The selected range
does not necessarily indicate what could be the potential best or worst case or the most-likely scenario. The following table sets forth the effect on our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves and our stockholders’ equity in the
event of reasonably likely changes in the variables considered in establishing loss and loss expense reserves:
(dollars in thousands)
(1) Net of income tax effect.
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Our insurance subsidiaries base their reserves for unpaid losses and loss expenses on current trends in loss and loss expense development and reflect their best estimates for future amounts needed to pay losses and
loss expenses with respect to incurred events currently known to them plus incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. Our insurance subsidiaries develop their reserve estimates based on an assessment of known facts and circumstances, review of
historical loss settlement patterns, estimates of trends in claims severity, frequency, legal and regulatory changes and other assumptions. Our insurance subsidiaries consistently apply actuarial loss reserving techniques and assumptions, which
rely on historical information as adjusted to reflect current conditions, including consideration of recent case reserve activity. Our insurance subsidiaries use the point estimate their actuaries select. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the
actuaries developed a range from a low of $666.6 million to a high of $746.1 million and selected a point estimate of $705.2 million. The actuaries’ range of estimates for commercial lines in 2025 was $543.0 million to $607.8 million, and the
actuaries selected a point estimate of $574.4 million. The actuaries’ range of estimates for personal lines in 2025 was $123.5 million to $138.3 million, and the actuaries selected a point estimate of $130.8 million. For the year ended December 31,
2024, the actuaries developed a range from a low of $672.1 million to a high of $740.4 million and selected a point estimate of $704.4 million. The actuaries’ range of estimates for commercial lines in 2024 was $533.0 million to $587.5 million, and
the actuaries selected a point estimate of $558.2 million. The actuaries’ range of estimates for personal lines in 2024 was $139.1 million to $153.0 million, and the actuaries selected a point estimate of $146.2 million.
Our insurance subsidiaries seek to enhance their underwriting results by carefully selecting the product lines they underwrite. For personal lines products, our insurance subsidiaries insure standard and preferred
risks in private passenger automobile and homeowners lines. For commercial lines products, the commercial risks that our insurance subsidiaries primarily insure are business offices, wholesalers, service providers, contractors, artisans and light
manufacturing operations. Our insurance subsidiaries have limited exposure to asbestos and other environmental liabilities. Through the consistent application of this disciplined underwriting philosophy, our insurance subsidiaries have avoided many
of the “long-tail” issues other insurance companies have faced. We consider workers’ compensation to be a “long-tail” line of business, in that workers’ compensation claims tend to be settled over a longer time frame than those in the other lines
of business of our insurance subsidiaries.
The following table presents 2025 and 2024 claim count and payment amount information for workers’ compensation. Workers’ compensation losses primarily consist of indemnity and medical costs for injured workers.
For the Year Ended December 31,
Number of claims pending, beginning of period 2,832 3,144
Number of claims settled or dismissed 4,762 5,378
Number of claims pending, end of period 2,478 2,832
Management Evaluation of Operating Results
We believe that our focused business strategy has positioned us well for 2026 and beyond. Because our insurance subsidiaries do not prepare GAAP financial statements, we evaluate the performance of our commercial lines
and personal lines segments utilizing statutory accounting practices (“SAP”), which include financial measures that reflect the growth trends and underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries.
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We use the following financial data to monitor and evaluate our operating results:
Year Ended December 31,
Net premiums written:
Commercial lines:
Personal lines:
Components of combined ratio:
Revenues:
Net premiums earned:
Year Ended December 31,
Components of net income:
Underwriting income (loss):
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Non-GAAP Information
We prepare our consolidated financial statements on the basis of GAAP. Our insurance subsidiaries prepare financial statements based on SAP. SAP financial measures are considered non-GAAP financial measures under
applicable SEC rules because the SAP financial measures include or exclude certain items that the most comparable GAAP financial measures do not ordinarily include or exclude. Our calculation of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from similar
measures other companies use. As a result, investors should exercise caution when comparing our non-GAAP financial measures to the non-GAAP financial measures other companies use. The SAP financial measures we utilize are net premiums written and
statutory combined ratio.
Net Premiums Written
We define net premiums written as the amount of full-term premiums our insurance subsidiaries record for policies effective within a given period less premiums our insurance subsidiaries cede to reinsurers. Net
premiums earned is the most comparable GAAP financial measure to net premiums written. Net premiums earned represent the sum of the amount of net premiums written and the change in net unearned premiums during a given period. Our insurance
subsidiaries earn premiums and recognize them as revenue over the terms of their policies, which are one year or less in duration. Therefore, increases or decreases in net premiums earned generally reflect increases or decreases in net premiums
written in the preceding 12-month period compared to the comparable period one year earlier.
The following table provides a reconciliation of our net premiums earned to our net premiums written for 2025:
(in thousands) Commercial Lines Personal Lines Total
The following table provides a reconciliation of our net premiums earned to our net premiums written for 2024:
(in thousands) Commercial Lines Personal Lines Total
The following table provides a reconciliation of our net premiums earned to our net premiums written for 2023:
(in thousands) Commercial Lines Personal Lines Total
Statutory Combined Ratio
The combined ratio is a standard measurement of underwriting profitability for an insurance company. The combined ratio does not reflect investment income, net investment gains or losses, federal income taxes or other
non-operating income or expense. A combined ratio of less than 100% generally indicates underwriting profitability.
The statutory combined ratio is a non-GAAP financial measure that is based upon amounts determined under SAP. We calculate our statutory combined ratio as the sum of:
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The calculation of our statutory combined ratio differs from the calculation of our GAAP combined ratio. In calculating our GAAP combined ratio, we do not deduct installment payment fees from incurred expenses, and we
base the expense ratio on net premiums earned instead of net premiums written. Differences between our GAAP loss ratio and our statutory loss ratio result from anticipating salvage and subrogation recoveries for our GAAP loss ratio but not for our
statutory loss ratio.
The following table presents comparative details with respect to our GAAP and statutory combined ratios for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
Year Ended December 31,
GAAP Combined Ratios (Total Lines)
Loss ratio - weather-related losses 6.2 7.2 8.3
Loss ratio - large fire losses 4.8 4.9 5.2
Loss ratio - net prior-year reserve development -1.1 -1.6 -1.9
Statutory Combined Ratios
Commercial lines:
Personal lines:
Total commercial and personal lines 95.0 98.3 104.2
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Results of Operations
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2025 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
Net Premiums Earned
Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums earned decreased to $921.2million for 2025, a decrease of $15.5 million, or 1.7%, compared to 2024, primarily reflecting lower new
business writings, offset partially by solid premium retention and renewal premium increases. Our insurance subsidiaries earn premiums and recognize them as income over the terms of the policies they issue. Such terms are generally one year or less
in duration. Therefore, increases or decreases in net premiums earned generally reflect increases or decreases in net premiums written in the preceding twelve-month period compared to the same period one year earlier.
Net Premiums Written
Our insurance subsidiaries’ 2025 net premiums written decreased 4.0% to $904.8 million, compared to $942.3 million for 2024. Commercial lines net premiums written increased $16.0 million, or 2.9%, for 2025 compared to
2024. We attribute the increase in commercial lines net premiums written primarily to solid premium retention and a continuation of renewal premium increases in lines other than workers’ compensation, offset partially by lower new business
writings. Personal lines net premiums written decreased $53.5 million, or 13.6%, for 2025 compared to 2024. We attribute the decrease in personal lines net premiums written primarily to planned attrition due to lower new business writings and
strategic non-renewal actions, offset partially by a continuation of renewal premium rate increases and solid retention.
Investment Income
For 2025, our net investment income increased 17.2% to $52.6 million, compared to $44.9 million for 2024, due primarily to higher average invested assets and an increase in the average investment yield compared to the
prior year.
Net Investment Gains
Our net investment gains for 2025 were $619,342, compared to $5.0 million for 2024. The net investment gains for 2025 and 2024 were primarily related to increases in the market value of the equity securities held at
the end of the respective periods, with the increase in 2025 offset largely by net realized investment losses on the strategic sales of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities. We did not recognize any impairment losses during 2025 or 2024.
Losses and Loss Expenses
Our insurance subsidiaries’ loss ratio, which is the ratio of incurred losses and loss expenses to premiums earned, was 61.3% for 2025, compared to 64.5% for 2024. Our insurance subsidiaries’ commercial lines loss
ratio increased slightly to 62.1% for 2025, compared to 62.0% for 2024. The commercial multi-peril loss ratio decreased to 56.4% for 2025, compared to 57.5% for 2024. The commercial automobile loss ratio decreased to 63.5% for 2025, compared to
68.5% for 2024. The workers’ compensation loss ratio decreased to 67.4% for 2025, compared to 67.7% for 2024. The personal lines loss ratio decreased to 60.0% for 2025, compared to 68.0% for 2024, due primarily to the continued benefit of earned
premium rate increases and lower weather-related losses. The personal automobile loss ratio decreased to 57.7% for 2025, compared to 68.5% for 2024. The homeowners loss ratio decreased to 66.0% for 2025, compared to 66.7% for 2024. Our insurance
subsidiaries experienced favorable loss reserve development of approximately $10.3 million, or 1.1percentage points of the loss ratio, during 2025 in their reserves for prior accident years, compared to
approximately $15.0 million, or 1.6 percentage points of the loss ratio, during 2024. The favorable loss reserve development in 2025 resulted primarily from lower-than-expected loss emergence in the commercial multi-peril, personal automobile,
commercial automobile, homeowners, other personal lines and workers’ compensation lines of business, offset partially by unfavorable development in the other commercial lines of business (which is primarily umbrella liability). Weather-related
losses of $56.9 million, or 6.2 percentage points of the loss ratio, for 2025 decreased from $67.7 million, or 7.2 percentage points of the loss ratio, for 2024, with the decrease primarily impacting the commercial multi-peril and homeowners lines
of business. Large fire losses, which we define as individual fire losses in excess of $50,000, were $43.9 million, or 4.8 percentage points of the loss ratio, for 2025, compared to $45.8 million, or 4.9 percentage points of the loss ratio, for
2024.
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Underwriting Expenses
Our insurance subsidiaries’ expense ratio, which is the ratio of policy acquisition and other underwriting expenses to premiums earned, was 33.8% for 2025, compared to 33.7% for 2024. The impact from costs that Donegal
Mutual Insurance Company allocated to our insurance subsidiaries related to its systems modernization project represented approximately 1.2 percentage points of the expense ratio for 2025.
Policyholder Dividends
Our insurance subsidiaries pay policyholder dividends primarily on workers’ compensation policies on a sliding scale based on the profitability of a given policy.
Combined Ratio
Our insurance subsidiaries’ combined ratio was 95.4% and 98.6% for 2025 and 2024, respectively. The combined ratio represents the sum of the loss ratio, the expense ratio and the dividend ratio, which is the ratio of
workers’ compensation policy dividends incurred to premiums earned. We attribute the decrease in our combined ratio primarily to the decrease in the loss ratio.
Interest Expense
Our interest expense for 2025 increased to $1.4 million, compared to $946,020 for 2024. We attribute the increase to higher interest rates on borrowings under our lines of credit during 2025 compared to 2024.
Income Taxes
Our income tax expense was $18.3 million for 2025, compared to $11.5 million for 2024. Our effective tax rate for 2025 and 2024 was 18.7% and 18.4%, respectively.
Net Income and Earnings Per Share
Our net income for 2025 was $79.3 million, or $2.18 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis and $2.01 per share of Class B common stock, compared to $50.9 million, or $1.53 per share of Class A common
stock on a diluted basis and $1.38 per share of Class B common stock, for 2024. We had 31.4 million and 30.0 million Class A shares outstanding at December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had 5.6 million Class B shares outstanding for both
periods. There are no outstanding securities that dilute our shares of Class B common stock.
Book Value Per Share
Our stockholders’ equity increased by $94.6 million during 2025, primarily due to our net income, after-tax unrealized gains within our available-for-sale fixed-maturity portfolio and other increases, offset partially
by the cash dividends we declared during the year, resulting in an increase in our book value per share to $17.33 at December 31, 2025, compared to $15.36 a year earlier.
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YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
Net Premiums Earned
Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums earned increased to $936.7 million for 2024, an increase of $54.6 million, or 6.2%, compared to 2023, primarily reflecting solid
premium retention and renewal premium increases. Our insurance subsidiaries earn premiums and recognize them as income over the terms of the policies they issue. Such terms are generally one year or less in duration. Therefore, increases or
decreases in net premiums earned generally reflect increases or decreases in net premiums written in the preceding twelve-month period compared to the same period one year earlier.
Net Premiums Written