Investments | 5. Investments The gross unrealized gains and losses on investments in fixed maturity securities, including redeemable preferred stocks that have characteristics of fixed maturities, short term investments, equity securities, including interests in mutual funds, and other invested assets were as follows for the periods indicated. As of March 31, 2024 Cost or Allowance for Gross Unrealized Estimated Amortized Expected Credit Fair Cost Losses Gains Losses Value U.S. Treasury securities $ 2,420 $ — $ 4 $ (122) $ 2,302 Obligations of states and political subdivisions 38,576 — 202 (2,393) 36,385 Residential mortgage-backed securities (1) 266,625 — 982 (25,445) 242,162 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 150,621 — 180 (14,240) 136,561 Other asset-backed securities 59,192 — 145 (2,488) 56,849 Corporate and other securities 601,682 (1,349) 2,783 (33,819) 569,297 Subtotal, fixed maturity securities 1,119,116 (1,349) 4,296 (78,507) 1,043,556 Equity securities (2) 192,721 — 30,729 (6,852) 216,598 Other invested assets (4) 138,270 — — — 138,270 Totals $ 1,450,107 $ (1,349) $ 35,025 $ (85,359) $ 1,398,424 As of December 31, 2023 Cost or Allowance for Gross Unrealized Estimated Amortized Expected Credit Fair Cost Losses Gains Losses Value U.S. Treasury securities $ 2,420 $ — $ 15 $ (115) $ 2,320 Obligations of states and political subdivisions 38,682 — 262 (2,421) 36,523 Residential mortgage-backed securities (1) 267,271 — 1,945 (21,979) 247,237 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 153,923 — 200 (14,273) 139,850 Other asset-backed securities 64,043 — 217 (2,927) 61,333 Corporate and other securities 594,343 (1,208) 3,785 (32,038) 564,882 Subtotal, fixed maturity securities 1,120,682 (1,208) 6,424 (73,753) 1,052,145 Equity securities (2) 221,809 — 25,707 (9,494) 238,022 Other invested assets (4) 133,946 — — — 133,946 Totals $ 1,476,437 $ (1,208) $ 32,131 $ (83,247) $ 1,424,113 (1) Residential mortgage-backed securities consists primarily of obligations of U.S. Government agencies including collateralized mortgage obligations issued, guaranteed and/or insured by the following issuers: Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) and the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB). (2) Equity securities include common stock, preferred stock, mutual funds and interests in mutual funds held to fund the Company’s executive deferred compensation plan. (3) The Company’s investment portfolio included 855 and 861 securities in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. (4) Other invested assets are accounted for under the equity method which approximated fair value . The amortized cost and the estimated fair value of fixed maturity securities, by maturity, are shown below for the period indicated. Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities because borrowers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties. As of March 31, 2024 Amortized Estimated Cost Fair Value Due in one year or less $ 34,690 $ 34,363 Due after one year through five years 339,423 323,113 Due after five years through ten years 244,223 227,648 Due after ten years through twenty years 24,092 22,573 Due after twenty years 250 288 Asset-backed securities 476,438 435,571 Totals $ 1,119,116 $ 1,043,556 The gross realized gains and losses on sales of investments were as follows for the periods indicated. Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 Gross realized gains Fixed maturity securities $ 230 $ 539 Equity securities 3,137 1,523 Gross realized losses Fixed maturity securities (363) (622) Equity securities (2,512) (707) Net realized gains on investments $ 492 $ 733 In the normal course of business, the Company enters into transactions involving various types of financial instruments, including investments in fixed maturities and equity securities. Investment transactions have credit exposure to the extent that a counter party may default on an obligation to the Company. Credit risk is a consequence of carrying, trading and investing in securities. To manage credit risk, the Company focuses on higher quality fixed income securities, reviews the credit strength of all companies in which it invests, limits its exposure in any one investment and monitors the portfolio quality, taking into account credit ratings assigned by recognized statistical rating organizations. The following tables as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 present the gross unrealized losses included in the Company’s investment portfolio and the fair value of those securities aggregated by investment category. The tables also present the length of time that they have been in a continuous unrealized loss position. As of March 31, 2024 Less than 12 Months 12 Months or More Total Estimated Unrealized Estimated Unrealized Estimated Unrealized Fair Value Losses Fair Value Losses Fair Value Losses U.S. Treasury securities $ — $ — $ 1,700 $ 122 $ 1,700 $ 122 Obligations of states and political subdivisions 3,443 10 29,243 2,383 32,686 2,393 Residential mortgage-backed securities 25,451 299 179,261 25,146 204,712 25,445 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 3,693 122 127,598 14,118 131,291 14,240 Other asset-backed securities 23,328 209 24,231 2,279 47,559 2,488 Corporate and other securities 60,976 1,712 361,771 32,107 422,747 33,819 Subtotal, fixed maturity securities 116,891 2,352 723,804 76,155 840,695 78,507 Equity securities 24,912 2,095 27,805 4,757 52,717 6,852 Total temporarily impaired securities $ 141,803 $ 4,447 $ 751,609 $ 80,912 $ 893,412 $ 85,359 As of December 31, 2023 Less than 12 Months 12 Months or More Total Estimated Unrealized Estimated Unrealized Estimated Unrealized Fair Value Losses Fair Value Losses Fair Value Losses U.S. Treasury securities $ — $ — $ 1,708 $ 115 $ 1,708 $ 115 Obligations of states and political subdivisions 403 17 28,893 2,404 29,296 2,421 Residential mortgage-backed securities 11,248 167 182,794 21,812 194,042 21,979 Commercial mortgage-backed securities 4,067 108 130,493 14,165 134,560 14,273 Other asset-backed securities 5,973 224 46,600 2,703 52,573 2,927 Corporate and other securities 39,453 1,338 369,163 30,700 408,616 32,038 Subtotal, fixed maturity securities 61,144 1,854 759,651 71,899 820,795 73,753 Equity securities 34,272 3,079 45,797 6,415 80,069 9,494 Total temporarily impaired securities $ 95,416 $ 4,933 $ 805,448 $ 78,314 $ 900,864 $ 83,247 Impairments For fixed maturities that the Company does not intend to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company would not be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the Company separates the expected credit loss component of the impairment from the amount related to all other factors. The expected credit loss component is recognized as an allowance for expected credit losses. The allowance is adjusted for any additional credit losses and subsequent recoveries, which are booked in income as either credit loss expense or credit loss benefit, respectively. Upon recognizing a credit loss, the cost basis is not adjusted. The impairment related to all other factors (non-credit factors) is reported in other comprehensive income. For fixed maturities where the Company records a credit loss, a determination is made as to the cause of the impairment and whether the Company expects a recovery in the value. For fixed maturities where the Company expects a recovery in value, the constant effective yield method is utilized, and the investment is amortized to par. For fixed maturity investments the Company intends to sell or for which it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell before an anticipated recovery in value, the full amount of the impairment is included in credit loss expense. The new cost basis of the investment is the previous amortized cost basis less the impairment recognized in credit loss expense. The new cost basis is not adjusted for any subsequent recoveries in fair value. The Company uses a systematic methodology to evaluate declines in fair values below cost or amortized cost of our investments. Some of the factors considered in assessing impairment of fixed maturities due to credit losses include the extent to which the fair value is less than amortized cost, the financial condition of and the near and long-term prospects of the issuer, whether the debtor is current on its contractually obligated interest and principal payments, changes to the rating of the security by a rating agency, the historical volatility of the fair value of the security and whether it is more like than not that the Company will be required to sell the investment prior to an anticipated recovery in value. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company concluded that $1,349 and $1,208 , respectively, of unrealized losses were due to credit factors and were recorded as an allowance for expected credit losses expense. The Company concluded that outside of the securities that were recognized as credit impaired, the unrealized losses recorded on the fixed maturity portfolio at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 resulted from fluctuations in market interest rates and other temporary market conditions as opposed to fundamental changes in the credit quality of the issuers of such securities. Based upon the analysis performed, the Company’s decision to hold these securities, the Company’s current level of liquidity and our history of positive operating cash flows, management believes it is more likely than not that it will not be required to sell any of its securities before the anticipated recovery in the fair value to its amortized cost basis. The following table represents a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the allowance for expected credit losses on fixed maturities classified as available for sale. Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 Beginning of period $ 1,208 $ 678 Credit losses on securities with no previously recorded credit losses — 354 Net increases (decreases) in allowance on previously impaired securities 141 568 Reduction due to sales — — Writeoffs charged against allowance — — Recoveries of amounts previously written off — — Ending balance of period $ 1,349 $ 1,600 The Company holds no subprime mortgage debt securities. All of the Company’s holdings in mortgage-backed securities are either U.S. Government or Agency guaranteed or are rated investment grade by either Moody’s or Standard & Poor’s. Net Investment Income The components of net investment income were as follows: Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 Interest on fixed maturity securities $ 12,948 $ 11,744 Dividends on equity securities 1,667 1,610 Equity in earnings of other invested assets 1,407 1,086 Interest on other assets 82 31 Total investment income 16,104 14,471 Investment expenses 873 817 Net investment income $ 15,231 $ 13,654 Fair Value of Financial Instruments ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure unavailable (“unobservable inputs”). The fair value hierarchy in ASC 820 prioritizes fair value measurements into three levels based on the nature of the inputs as follows: Level 1 — Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities; Level 2 — Valuations based on observable inputs that do not meet the criteria for Level 1, including quoted prices in inactive markets and quoted prices in active markets for similar, but not identical instruments; and Level 3 — Valuations based on unobservable inputs. Fair values for the Company’s fixed maturity securities are based on prices provided by its custodian bank and its investment managers. Both the Company’s custodian bank and investment managers use a variety of independent, nationally recognized pricing services to determine market valuations. If the pricing service cannot provide fair value determinations, the Company obtains non-binding price quotes from broker-dealers. A minimum of two quoted prices is obtained for the majority of the Company’s available-for-sale fixed maturity securities in its investment portfolio. The Company uses a third-party pricing service as its primary provider of quoted prices from third-party pricing services and broker-dealers. To provide reasonable assurance of the validity of each price or quote, a secondary third-party pricing service or broker-dealer quote is obtained from the Company’s custodian or investment managers. An examination of the pricing data is then performed for each security. If the variance between the primary and secondary price quotes for a security is within an accepted tolerance level, the quoted price obtained from the Company’s primary source is used for the security. If the variance between the primary and secondary price quotes exceeds an accepted tolerance level, the Company obtains a quote from an alternative source, if possible, and documents and resolves any differences between the pricing sources. In addition, the Company may request that its investment managers and its traders provide input as to which vendor is providing prices that its traders believe are reflective of fair value for the security. Following this process, the Company may decide to value the security in its financial statements using the secondary or alternative source if it believes that pricing is more reflective of the security’s value than the primary pricing provided by its custodian bank. The Company analyzes market valuations received to verify reasonableness, to understand the key assumptions used and their sources, and to determine an appropriate ASC 820 fair value hierarchy level based upon trading activity and the observability of market inputs. Based on this evaluation and investment class analysis, each price is classified into Level 1, 2 or 3. Fair values of instruments are based on (i) quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1), (ii) quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in active markets (Level 2) or (iii) valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable in the marketplace (Level 3). The Company’s Level 1 securities consist of equity securities whose values are based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. The Company’s Level 2 securities are comprised of available-for-sale fixed maturity securities whose fair value was determined using observable market inputs. The Company’s Level 3 security consists of an investment in the FHLB-Boston related to Safety Insurance Company’s membership stock, which is not redeemable in a short-term time frame. Fair values for securities for which quoted market prices were unavailable were estimated based upon reference to observable inputs such as benchmark interest rates, market comparables, and other relevant inputs. Investments valued using these inputs include U.S. Treasury securities, obligations of states and political subdivisions, corporate and other securities, commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities, and other asset-backed securities. Inputs into the fair value application that are utilized by asset class include but are not limited to: ● Obligations of states and political subdivisions ● Corporate and other securities ● Residential mortgage-backed securities U.S. agency pass-throughs, collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”), non U.S. agency CMOs ● Commercial mortgage-backed securities ● Other asset-backed securities ● Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston In order to ensure the fair value determination is representative of an exit price (consistent with ASC 820), the Company’s procedures for validating quotes or prices obtained from third parties include, but are not limited to, obtaining a minimum of two price quotes for each fixed maturity security if possible, as discussed above, the periodic testing of sales activity to determine if there are any significant differences between the market price used to value the security as of the balance sheet date and the sales price of the security for sales that occurred around the balance sheet date, and the periodic review of reports provided by its external investment manager regarding those securities with ratings changes and securities placed on its “Watch List.” In addition, valuation techniques utilized by pricing services and prices obtained from external sources are reviewed by the Company’s external investment manager, whose investment professionals are familiar with the securities being priced and the markets in which they trade, to ensure the fair value determination is representative of an exit price (consistent with ASC 820). All unadjusted estimates of fair value for our fixed maturities priced by the pricing services as described above are included in the amounts disclosed in Level 2. With the exception of the FHLB-Boston security, which is categorized as a Level 3 security, the Company’s entire portfolio was priced based upon quoted market prices or other observable inputs as of March 31, 2024. There were no significant changes to the valuation process during the three months ended March 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, no quotes or prices obtained were adjusted by management. All broker quotes obtained were non-binding. At March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, investments in fixed maturities classified as available-for-sale had a fair value which equaled carrying value of $1,043,556 and $1,052,145, respectively. The carrying values of cash and cash equivalents and investment income accrued approximated fair value. The following tables summarize the Company’s total fair value measurements for investments for the periods indicated. As of March 31, 2024 Total Level 1 Inputs Level 2 Inputs Level 3 Inputs U.S. Treasury securities $ 2,302 $ — $ 2,302 $ — Obligations of states and political subdivisions 36,385 — 36,385 — Residential mortgage-backed securities 242,160 — 242,160 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 136,561 — 136,561 — Other asset-backed securities 56,850 — 56,850 — Corporate and other securities 569,298 — 569,298 — Equity securities 183,882 181,796 — 2,086 Total investment securities $ 1,227,438 $ 181,796 $ 1,043,556 $ 2,086 As of December 31, 2023 Total Level 1 Inputs Level 2 Inputs Level 3 Inputs U.S. Treasury securities $ 2,320 $ — $ 2,320 $ — Obligations of states and political subdivisions 36,523 — 36,523 — Residential mortgage-backed securities 247,237 — 247,237 — Commercial mortgage-backed securities 139,850 — 139,850 — Other asset-backed securities 61,333 — 61,333 — Corporate and other securities 564,882 — 564,882 — Equity securities 204,849 202,763 — 2,086 Total investment securities $ 1,256,994 $ 202,763 $ 1,052,145 $ 2,086 As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were approximately $32,716 and $33,173 , respectively, in a real estate investment trust (“REIT”). The REIT is excluded from the fair value hierarchy because the fair value is recorded using the net asset value per share practical expedient. The net asset value per share of this REIT is derived from member ownership in the capital venture to which a proportionate share of independently appraised net assets is attributed. The fair value was determined using the trust’s net asset value obtained from its financial statements. The Company is required to submit a request There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s Level 3 fair value securities for the periods indicated. Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 Level 3 Level 3 Fair Value Fair Value Securities Securities Balance at beginning of period $ 2,086 $ 2,255 Net gains and losses included in earnings — — Net gains included in other comprehensive income — — Purchases — 680 Sales — — Transfers into Level 3 — — Transfers out of Level 3 — — Balance at end of period $ 2,086 $ 2,935 Amount of total losses included in earnings attributable to the change in unrealized losses related to assets still held at end of period $ — $ — Transfers in and out of Level 3 are attributable to changes in the ability to observe significant inputs in determining fair value exit pricing. As noted in the table above, |