We have three reportable segments, which consist of our investment function, our commercial lines of insurance and our personal lines of insurance. Using independent agents, our insurance subsidiaries market commercial lines of insurance to small and medium-sized businesses and personal lines of insurance to individuals.
Our chief operating decision maker is our Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer evaluates the performance of the commercial lines and personal lines primarily based upon our insurance subsidiaries’ underwriting results as determined under statutory accounting principles (“SAP”). This segmentation is consistent with the segmentation we utilize to manage our business. We make resource allocation decisions based upon historical underwriting results as well as perceived opportunities for future profitable growth within each segment.
We operate only in the United States, and no single customer or agent provides 10 percent or more of our revenues.
Financial data by segment is as follows:
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 | |
| | | Investments | | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| Revenues: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | — | | | $ | 140,289 | | | $ | 89,533 | | | $ | 229,822 | |
| Net investment income | | | 13,943 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 13,943 | |
| Investment gains | | | 1,272 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 1,272 | |
| Total segment revenues | | | 15,215 | | | | 140,289 | | | | 89,533 | | | | 245,037 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 882 | |
| Total revenues | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 245,919 | |
| Segment expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net losses and loss expenses | | | — | | | | 83,730 | | | | 58,905 | | | | 142,635 | |
| Other underwriting expenses | | | — | | | | 47,653 | | | | 25,857 | | | | 73,510 | |
| Policyholder dividends | | | — | | | | 731 | | | | — | | | | 731 | |
| Total segment expenses | | | — | | | | 132,114 | | | | 84,762 | | | | 216,876 | |
| SAP underwriting income | | | — | | | | 8,175 | | | | 4,771 | | | | 12,946 | |
| GAAP adjustments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (3,476 | ) |
| GAAP underwriting income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 9,470 | |
| Net investment income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 13,943 | |
| Investment gains | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,272 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 365 | |
| Income before income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 25,050 | |
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Investments | | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| Revenues: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | — | | | $ | 136,401 | | | $ | 101,556 | | | $ | 237,957 | |
| Net investment income | | | 10,827 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 10,827 | |
| Investment gains | | | 1,875 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 1,875 | |
| Total segment revenues | | | 12,702 | | | | 136,401 | | | | 101,556 | | | | 250,659 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,078 | |
| Total revenues | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 251,737 | |
| Segment expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net losses and loss expenses | | | — | | | | 71,488 | | | | 75,747 | | | | 147,235 | |
| Other underwriting expenses | | | — | | | | 46,471 | | | | 32,699 | | | | 79,170 | |
| Policyholder dividends | | | — | | | | 1,007 | | | | — | | | | 1,007 | |
| Total segment expenses | | | — | | | | 118,966 | | | | 108,446 | | | | 227,412 | |
| SAP underwriting income (loss) | | | — | | | | 17,435 | | | | (6,890 | ) | | | 10,545 | |
| GAAP adjustments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (2,047 | ) |
| GAAP underwriting income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8,498 | |
| Net investment income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10,827 | |
| Investment gains | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,875 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (789 | ) |
| Income before income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 20,411 | |
| | | Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 | |
| | | Investments | | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| Revenues: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | — | | | $ | 415,032 | | | $ | 279,267 | | | $ | 694,299 | |
| Net investment income | | | 38,466 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 38,466 | |
| Investment gains | | | 2,345 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 2,345 | |
| Total segment revenues | | | 40,811 | | | | 415,032 | | | | 279,267 | | | | 735,110 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2,762 | |
| Total revenues | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 737,872 | |
| Segment expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net losses and loss expenses | | | — | | | | 256,569 | | | | 169,603 | | | | 426,172 | |
| Other underwriting expenses | | | — | | | | 153,141 | | | | 78,260 | | | | 231,401 | |
| Policyholder dividends | | | — | | | | 2,309 | | | | — | | | | 2,309 | |
| Total segment expenses | | | — | | | | 412,019 | | | | 247,863 | | | | 659,882 | |
| SAP underwriting income | | | — | | | | 3,013 | | | | 31,404 | | | | 34,417 | |
| GAAP adjustments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (76 | ) |
| GAAP underwriting income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 34,341 | |
| Net investment income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 38,466 | |
| Investment gains | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2,345 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1,483 | |
| Income before income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 76,635 | |
| | | Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Investments | | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| Revenues: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | — | | | $ | 402,982 | | | $ | 297,035 | | | $ | 700,017 | |
| Net investment income | | | 32,868 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 32,868 | |
| Investment gains | | | 4,726 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 4,726 | |
| Total segment revenues | | | 37,594 | | | | 402,982 | | | | 297,035 | | | | 737,611 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2,040 | |
| Total revenues | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 739,651 | |
| Segment expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Net losses and loss expenses | | | — | | | | 253,968 | | | | 212,332 | | | | 466,300 | |
| Other underwriting expenses | | | — | | | | 148,021 | | | | 92,530 | | | | 240,551 | |
| Policyholder dividends | | | — | | | | 3,248 | | | | — | | | | 3,248 | |
| Total segment expenses | | | — | | | | 405,237 | | | | 304,862 | | | | 710,099 | |
| SAP underwriting loss | | | — | | | | (2,255 | ) | | | (7,827 | ) | | | (10,082 | ) |
| GAAP adjustments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6,106 | |
| GAAP underwriting loss | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (3,976 | ) |
| Net investment income | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 32,868 | |
| Investment gains | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4,726 | |
| Other | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (946 | ) |
| Income before income tax expense | | | | | | | | | | | | | | $ | 32,672 | |
Lines of Credit
In August 2020, we entered into a credit agreement with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company (“M&T”) that related to a $20.0 million unsecured demand line of credit. The line of credit has no expiration date, no annual fees and no covenants. At September 30, 2025, we had no outstanding borrowings from M&T and had the ability to borrow up to $20.0 million at an interest rate equal to the then-current Term SOFR rate plus 2.11%.
Atlantic States is a member of the FHLB of Pittsburgh. Through its membership, Atlantic States has the ability to issue debt to the FHLB of Pittsburgh in exchange for cash advances. Atlantic States has a fixed-rate cash advance of $35.0 million that was outstanding at September 30, 2025. The cash advance carries a fixed interest rate of 3.806% and is due in September 2026. The table below presents the amount of FHLB of Pittsburgh stock Atlantic States purchased, collateral pledged and assets related to Atlantic States’ membership in the FHLB of Pittsburgh at September 30, 2025.
FHLB of Pittsburgh stock purchased and owned | | $ | 1,615,400 | |
| Collateral pledged, at par (carrying value $41,498,061) | | | 43,565,579 | |
| Borrowing capacity currently available | | | 4,334,579 | |
| 8 - | Share–Based Compensation |
We measure all share-based payments to employees, including grants of stock options, and use a fair-value-based method for the recording of related compensation expense in our results of operations. In determining the expense we record for stock options granted to directors and employees of our subsidiaries and affiliates, we estimate the fair value of each option award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The significant assumptions we utilize in applying the Black-Scholes option pricing model are the risk-free interest rate, the expected term, the dividend yield and the expected volatility.
We recorded compensation expense related to our stock compensation plans of $296,162 and $209,496 for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, with a corresponding income tax benefit of $62,194 and $43,994, respectively. We recorded compensation expense related to our stock compensation plans of $893,154 and $773,834 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively, with a corresponding income tax benefit of $187,562 and $162,505, respectively. At September 30, 2025, we had $1.0 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to nonvested share-based compensation granted under our stock compensation plans that we expect to recognize over a weighted average period of approximately 1.4 years.
We received cash from option exercises under our stock compensation plans during the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 of $2.1 million and $3.7 million, respectively. We received cash from option exercises under our stock compensation plans during the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024 of $14.2 million and $4.0 million, respectively. We realized actual tax benefits for the tax deductions related to those option exercises of $132,692 and $35,339 for the three months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We realized actual tax benefits for the tax deductions related to those option exercises of $909,949 and $37,058 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
| 9 - | Fair Value Measurements |
We account for financial assets using a framework that establishes a hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of the inputs, or assumptions, we use in the determination of fair value, and we classify financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value in one of the following three categories:
Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities;
Level 2 – directly or indirectly observable inputs other than Level 1 quoted prices; and
Level 3 – unobservable inputs not corroborated by market data.
For investments that have quoted market prices in active markets, we use the quoted market price as fair value and include these investments in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify publicly-traded equity securities as Level 1. When quoted market prices in active markets are not available, we base fair values on quoted market prices of comparable instruments or price estimates we obtain from independent pricing services and include these investments in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. We classify our fixed maturity investments and non-publicly traded equity securities as Level 2. Our fixed maturity investments consist of U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies, obligations of states and political subdivisions, corporate securities and mortgage-backed securities.
We present our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of a security may differ from the amount that could be realized if we sold the security in a forced transaction. In addition, the valuation of fixed maturity investments is more subjective when markets are less liquid, increasing the potential that the estimated fair value does not reflect the price at which an actual transaction would occur. We utilize nationally recognized independent pricing services to estimate fair values or obtain market quotations for substantially all of our fixed maturity and equity investments. We generally obtain two prices per security. These pricing services utilize market quotations for fixed maturity and equity securities that have quoted prices in active markets. For fixed maturity securities that generally do not trade on a daily basis, the pricing services prepare estimates of fair value measurements based predominantly on observable market inputs. The pricing services do not use broker quotes in determining the fair values of our investments. Our investment personnel review the estimates of fair value the pricing services provide to verify that the estimates we obtain from the pricing services are representative of fair values based upon our investment personnel’s general knowledge of the market, their research findings related to unusual fluctuations in value and their comparison of such values to execution prices for similar securities. Our investment personnel monitor the market and are familiar with current trading ranges for similar securities and the pricing of specific investments. Our investment personnel review all pricing estimates that we receive from the pricing services against their expectations with respect to pricing based on fair market curves, security ratings, coupon rates, security types and recent trading activity. Our investment personnel periodically review documentation with respect to the pricing services’ pricing methodology that they obtain to determine if the primary pricing sources, market inputs and pricing frequency for various security types are reasonable. At September 30, 2025, we received two estimates per security from the pricing services, and we priced substantially all of our Level 1 and Level 2 investments using those prices. In our review of the estimates the pricing services provided at September 30, 2025, we did not identify any material discrepancies, and we did not make any adjustments to the estimates the pricing services provided.
We present our cash and short-term investments at estimated fair value. We classify these items as Level 1.
The carrying values we report in our balance sheet for premium receivables, reinsurance receivables related to paid losses and loss expenses and reinsurance balances payable approximate their fair values. The carrying amounts we report in our balance sheets for our borrowings under lines of credit approximate their fair values. We classify these items as Level 3.
We evaluate our assets and liabilities to determine the appropriate level at which to classify them for each reporting period. Based on our review of the methodology and summary of inputs the pricing services use, we have concluded that our Level 1 and Level 2 investments were classified properly at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024.
The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at September 30, 2025:
| | | Fair Value Measurements Using | |
| | | Fair Value | | | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | | | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | | | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |
| | | | | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies | | $ | 52,925 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 52,925 | | | $ | — | |
| Obligations of states and political subdivisions | | | 42,415 | | | | — | | | | 42,415 | | | | — | |
| Corporate securities | | | 143,875 | | | | — | | | | 143,875 | | | | — | |
| Mortgage-backed securities | | | 403,443 | | | | — | | | | 403,443 | | | | — | |
| Equity securities | | | 43,637 | | | | 41,527 | | | | 2,110 | | | | — | |
| Total investments in the fair value hierarchy | | $ | 686,295 | | | $ | 41,527 | | | $ | 644,768 | | | $ | — | |
The following table presents our fair value measurements for our investments in available-for-sale fixed maturity and equity securities at December 31, 2024:
| | | Fair Value Measurements Using | |
| | | Fair Value | | | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) | | | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) | | | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) | |
| | | | | | (in thousands) | | | | |
| U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of U.S. government corporations and agencies | | $ | 83,793 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 83,793 | | | $ | — | |
| Obligations of states and political subdivisions | | | 37,404 | | | | — | | | | 37,404 | | | | — | |
| Corporate securities | | | 202,932 | | | | — | | | | 202,932 | | | | — | |
| Mortgage-backed securities | | | 293,763 | | | | — | | | | 293,763 | | | | — | |
| Equity securities | | | 36,808 | | | | 34,708 | | | | 2,100 | | | | — | |
| Totals | | $ | 654,700 | | | $ | 34,708 | | | $ | 619,992 | | | $ | — | |
At September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, we had no material unrecognized tax benefits or accrued interest and penalties. In 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) began a federal income tax audit of our consolidated tax returns for tax years 2016 to 2018. No material issues have been raised and no adjustments have been proposed as a result of this ongoing audit. We provide a valuation allowance when we believe it is more likely than not that we will not realize some portion of our tax assets. We established a valuation allowance of $7.6 million for our net state operating loss carryforward, which will expire between 2025 and 2044. We have determined that we are not required to establish a valuation allowance for our other deferred tax assets of $33.5 million and $37.5 million at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, because it is more likely than not that we will realize these deferred tax assets through reversals of existing temporary differences, future taxable income and the implementation of tax planning strategies.
On July 4, 2025, a budget reconciliation package referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (the “OBBBA”) was enacted. We do not expect the tax provisions included within the OBBBA to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
| 11 - | Liabilities for Losses and Loss Expenses |
The establishment of appropriate liabilities for losses and loss expenses is an inherently uncertain process, and we can provide no assurance that our insurance subsidiaries’ ultimate liabilities for losses and loss expenses will not exceed their loss and loss expense reserves and have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. 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. 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’ estimate of their liabilities for losses and loss expenses generally reflect actual payments and their evaluation of information received subsequent to the prior reporting period.
We summarize activity in our insurance subsidiaries’ liabilities for losses and loss expenses as follows:
| | | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |
| | | 2025 | | | 2024 | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Balance at January 1 | | $ | 1,120,985 | | | $ | 1,126,157 | |
| Less reinsurance recoverable | | | (416,621 | ) | | | (437,014 | ) |
| Net balance at January 1 | | | 704,364 | | | | 689,143 | |
| Incurred related to: | | | | | | | | |
| Current year | | | 438,161 | | | | 478,050 | |
| Prior years | | | (12,495 | ) | | | (15,367 | ) |
| Total incurred | | | 425,666 | | | | 462,683 | |
| Paid related to: | | | | | | | | |
| Current year | | | 203,886 | | | | 223,719 | |
| Prior years | | | 211,098 | | | | 222,165 | |
| Total paid | | | 414,984 | | | | 445,884 | |
| Net balance at end of period | | | 715,046 | | | | 705,942 | |
| Plus reinsurance recoverable | | | 399,256 | | | | 428,910 | |
| Balance at end of period | | $ | 1,114,302 | | | $ | 1,134,852 | |
Our insurance subsidiaries recognized a decrease in their liabilities for losses and loss expenses of prior years of $12.5 million and $15.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, 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 1.8% of the December 31, 2024 net carried reserves and resulted from lower-than-expected loss emergence or severity primarily in the commercial multi-peril, commercial automobile, personal automobile, and homeowners lines of business, offset partially by unfavorable development in other commercial lines of business that we attribute to higher-than-anticipated case reserve development. The majority of the 2025 development related to decreases in the liabilities for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States and The Peninsula Insurance Company. The 2024 development represented 2.2% of the December 31, 2023 net carried reserves and resulted from lower-than-expected loss emergence or severity primarily in the commercial multi-peril, commercial automobile, personal automobile and other lines of business. The majority of the 2024 development related to decreases in the liabilities for losses and loss expenses of prior years for Atlantic States.
Short-duration contracts are contracts for which our insurance subsidiaries receive premiums that they recognize as revenue over the period of the contract in proportion to the amount of insurance protection our insurance subsidiaries provide. Our insurance subsidiaries consider the policies they issue to be short-duration contracts. We consider the material lines of business of our insurance subsidiaries to be personal automobile, homeowners, commercial automobile, commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation.
Our insurance subsidiaries determine incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) reserves by subtracting the cumulative loss and loss expense amounts our insurance subsidiaries have paid and the case reserves our insurance subsidiaries have established at the balance sheet date from their actuaries’ estimate of the ultimate cost of losses and loss expenses. Accordingly, the IBNR reserves of our insurance subsidiaries include their actuaries’ projections of the cost of unreported claims as well as their actuaries’ projected development of case reserves on known claims and reopened claims. Our insurance subsidiaries’ methodology for estimating IBNR reserves has been in place for many years, and their actuaries made no significant changes to that methodology during the nine months ended September 30, 2025.
The actuaries for our insurance subsidiaries generally prepare an initial estimate for ultimate losses and loss expenses for the current accident year by multiplying earned premium by an “a priori,” or expected, loss ratio for each line of business our insurance subsidiaries write. Expected loss ratios represent the actuaries’ expectation of losses at the time our insurance subsidiaries price and write their policies and before the emergence of any actual claims experience. The actuaries determine an expected loss ratio by analyzing historical experience and adjusting for loss cost trends, loss frequency and severity trends, premium rate level changes, reported and paid loss emergence patterns and other known or observed factors.
The actuaries use a variety of actuarial methods to estimate the ultimate cost of losses and loss expenses. These methods include paid loss development, incurred loss development and the Bornhuetter-Ferguson method from which the actuaries select loss development factor assumptions. The actuaries base their selection of a point estimate on a judgmental weighting of the estimates each of these methods produce.
The actuaries consider loss frequency and severity trends when they develop expected loss ratios and point estimates. Loss frequency is a measure of the number of claims per unit of insured exposure, and loss severity is a measure of the average size of claims. Factors that affect loss frequency include changes in weather patterns and economic activity. Factors that affect loss severity include changes in policy limits, reinsurance retentions, inflation rates and judicial interpretations.
Our insurance subsidiaries create a claim file when they receive notice of an actual demand for payment, an event that may lead to a demand for payment or when they otherwise determine that a demand for payment could potentially lead to a future demand for payment on another coverage under the same policy or another policy they have issued. In recent years, our insurance subsidiaries have noted an increase in the period of time between the occurrence of a casualty loss event and the date at which they receive notice of a liability claim. Changes in the length of time between the loss occurrence date and the claim reporting date affect the actuaries’ ability to predict loss frequency accurately and the amount of IBNR reserves our insurance subsidiaries require.
Our insurance subsidiaries generally create a claim file for a policy at the claimant level by type of coverage and generally recognize one count for each claim event. In certain lines of business where it is common for multiple parties to claim damages arising from a single claim event, our insurance subsidiaries recognize one count for each claimant involved in the event. Atlantic States recognizes one count for each claim event, or claimant involved in a multiple-party claim event, related to losses Atlantic States assumes through its participation in its pooling agreement with Donegal Mutual. Our insurance subsidiaries accumulate the claim counts and report them by line of business.
| 12 - | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses |
We make estimates with respect to the potential impairment of financial instruments and recognize expected credit losses as an allowance rather than impairments as credit losses are incurred. We have established allowances for expected credit losses with respect to held-to-maturity debt securities and reinsurance receivable.
Held-to-Maturity Fixed-Maturity Securities
For held-to-maturity debt securities, we make estimates concerning expected credit losses at an aggregated level rather than monitoring individual debt securities for credit losses. We establish an allowance for expected credit losses based on an ongoing review of securities held, historical loss data, changes in issuer credit standing and other relevant factors. We utilize a probability-of-default methodology, which reflects current and forecasted economic conditions, to estimate the allowance for expected credit losses and recognize changes to the allowance in our results of operations.
The following table presents the balances for fixed maturities classified as held-to-maturity, net of the allowance for expected credit losses, at September 30, 2025 and 2024 and changes in the allowance for expected credit losses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.
| | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 | | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Held-to-Maturity, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Held-to-Maturity, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Balance at beginning of period | | $ | 737,356 | | | $ | 1,374 | | | $ | 690,580 | | | $ | 1,354 | |
| Current period change for expected credit losses | | | | | | | (101 | ) | | | | | | | 129 | |
| Balance at end of period | | $ | 761,409 | | | $ | 1,273 | | | $ | 694,663 | | | $ | 1,483 | |
| | | At and For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 | | | At and For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Held-to-Maturity, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Held-to-Maturity, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Balance at beginning of period | | $ | 705,714 | | | $ | 1,388 | | | $ | 679,497 | | | $ | 1,326 | |
| Current period change for expected credit losses | | | | | | | (115 | ) | | | | | | | 157 | |
| Balance at end of period | | $ | 761,409 | | | $ | 1,273 | | | $ | 694,663 | | | $ | 1,483 | |
Reinsurance Receivable
For reinsurance receivable, we establish an allowance for expected credit losses based upon our ongoing review of amounts outstanding, historical loss data, changes in reinsurer credit standing and other relevant factors. We utilize a probability-of-default methodology, which reflects current and forecasted economic conditions, to estimate the allowance for expected credit losses and recognize changes to the allowance in our results of operations.
The following table presents the balances for reinsurance receivable, net of the allowance for expected credit losses, at September 30, 2025 and 2024, and the changes in the allowance for expected credit losses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024.
| | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 | | | At and For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Reinsurance Receivable, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Reinsurance Receivable, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Balance at beginning of period | | $ | 411,125 | | | $ | 332 | | | $ | 440,858 | | | $ | 932 | |
| Current period change for expected credit losses | | | | | | | 9 | | | | | | | | 11 | |
| Balance at end of period | | $ | 403,764 | | | $ | 341 | | | $ | 434,078 | | | $ | 943 | |
| | | At and For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 | | | At and For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Reinsurance Receivable, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance
for Expected Credit Losses | | | Reinsurance Receivable, Net of Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | | | Allowance for Expected Credit Losses | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Balance at beginning of period | | $ | 420,742 | | | $ | 391 | | | $ | 441,431 | | | $ | 1,394 | |
| Current period change for expected credit losses | | | | | | | (50 | ) | | | | | | | (451 | ) |
| Balance at end of period | | $ | 403,764 | | | $ | 341 | | | $ | 434,078 | | | $ | 943 | |
| 13 - | Impact of New Accounting Standards |
In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance to enhance the transparency and usefulness of income tax disclosures. The guidance requires disclosure of specific categories in the rate reconciliation table and additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold of equal to or greater than 5 percent of the amount computed by multiplying pretax income or loss by the applicable statutory income tax rate. The guidance also requires disaggregated disclosure of the amount of income taxes paid for federal, state and foreign taxes. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2024. The adoption of this guidance will not have an impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In November 2024, the FASB issued guidance requiring disaggregated disclosure of income statement expenses in the notes to financial statements. The guidance requires disclosure of certain expenses, including employee compensation, depreciation and selling expenses. The guidance will not impact current income statement expense captions that industry-specific guidance requires. The guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026. The adoption of this guidance will not have an impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
| Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. |
We recommend that you read the following information in conjunction with the historical financial information and the footnotes to that financial information we include in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We also recommend you read Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024.
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 United States generally accepted accounting principles (“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 liabilities of our insurance subsidiaries for property and casualty insurance 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.
Liabilities 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.
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 subsequent 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 give rise to greater uncertainty as to the pattern of future loss settlements. Related 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, increasing plaintiff attorney utilization of litigation financing and its impact on litigation strategies 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 September 30, 2025. At September 30, 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 $7.2 million.
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.
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 loss 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.
Our insurance subsidiaries’ liabilities for losses and loss expenses by major line of business at September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024 consisted of the following:
| | | September 30, 2025 | | | December 31, 2024 | |
| | | (in thousands) | |
| Commercial lines: | | | | | | |
| Automobile | | $ | 179,202 | | | $ | 180,757 | |
| Workers’ compensation | | | 133,135 | | | | 129,406 | |
| Commercial multi-peril | | | 217,279 | | | | 208,676 | |
| Other | | | 48,863 | | | | 39,336 | |
| Total commercial lines | | | 578,479 | | | | 558,175 | |
| Personal lines: | | | | | | | | |
| Automobile | | | 107,266 | | | | 116,693 | |
| Homeowners | | | 26,666 | | | | 26,591 | |
| Other | | | 2,635 | | | | 2,905 | |
| Total personal lines | | | 136,567 | | | | 146,189 | |
| Total commercial and personal lines | | | 715,046 | | | | 704,364 | |
| Plus reinsurance recoverable | | | 399,256 | | | | 416,621 | |
| Total liabilities for losses and loss expenses | | $ | 1,114,302 | | | $ | 1,120,985 | |
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 the loss and loss expense reserves of our insurance subsidiaries. We established the range of reasonably likely changes based on a review of changes in accident-year development by line of business and applied those changes to our insurance subsidiaries’ loss and loss expense reserves as a whole. The range we selected does not necessarily indicate what could be the potential best or worst case or the most likely scenario. The following table sets forth the estimated 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 considered in establishing the loss and loss expense reserves of our insurance subsidiaries:
Percentage Change in Loss and Loss Expense Reserves Net of Reinsurance | | Adjusted Loss and Loss Expense Reserves Net of Reinsurance at September 30, 2025 | | Percentage Change in Stockholders’ Equity at September 30, 2025(1) | | Adjusted Loss and Loss Expense Reserves Net of Reinsurance at December 31, 2024 | | Percentage Change in Stockholders’ Equity at December 31, 2024(1) |
| (dollars in thousands) |
| (10.0)% | | $643,541 | | 9.0% | | $633,928 | | 10.2% |
| (7.5) | | 661,418 | | 6.8 | | 651,537 | | 7.6 |
| (5.0) | | 679,294 | | 4.5 | | 669,146 | | 5.1 |
| (2.5) | | 697,170 | | 2.3 | | 686,755 | | 2.5 |
| Base | | 715,046 | | — | | 704,364 | | — |
| 2.5 | | 732,922 | | (2.3) | | 721,973 | | (2.5) |
| 5.0 | | 750,798 | | (4.5) | | 739,582 | | (5.1) |
| 7.5 | | 768,674 | | (6.8) | | 757,191 | | (7.6) |
| 10.0 | | 786,551 | | (9.0) | | 774,800 | | (10.2) |
| (1) | Net of income tax effect. |
Non-GAAP Information
We prepare our consolidated financial statements on the basis of GAAP. Our insurance subsidiaries also prepare financial statements based on statutory accounting principles state insurance regulators prescribe or permit (“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, so investors should exercise caution when comparing our non-GAAP financial measures to the non-GAAP financial measures other companies use.
Because our insurance subsidiaries do not prepare GAAP financial statements, we evaluate the performance of our personal lines and commercial lines segments utilizing SAP financial measures that reflect the growth trends and underwriting results of our insurance subsidiaries. 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 tables provide reconciliations of our net premiums earned to our net premiums written for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 | |
| | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | 140,289 | | | $ | 89,533 | | | $ | 229,822 | |
| Change in net unearned premiums | | | (9,905 | ) | | | (302 | ) | | | (10,207 | ) |
| Net premiums written | | $ | 130,384 | | | $ | 89,231 | | | $ | 219,615 | |
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | 136,401 | | | $ | 101,556 | | | $ | 237,957 | |
| Change in net unearned premiums | | | (10,300 | ) | | | 4,551 | | | | (5,749 | ) |
| Net premiums written | | $ | 126,101 | | | $ | 106,107 | | | $ | 232,208 | |
| | | Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 | |
| | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | 415,032 | | | $ | 279,267 | | | $ | 694,299 | |
| Change in net unearned premiums | | | 20,884 | | | | (14,662 | ) | | | 6,222 | |
| Net premiums written | | $ | 435,916 | | | $ | 264,605 | | | $ | 700,521 | |
| | | Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 | |
| | | Commercial Lines | | | Personal Lines | | | Total | |
| (in thousands) | | | | | | | | | |
| Net premiums earned | | $ | 402,982 | | | $ | 297,035 | | | $ | 700,017 | |
| Change in net unearned premiums | | | 20,861 | | | | 9,961 | | | | 30,822 | |
| Net premiums written | | $ | 423,843 | | | $ | 306,996 | | | $ | 730,839 | |
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:
| • | the statutory loss ratio, which is the ratio of calendar-year net incurred losses and loss expenses to net premiums earned; |
| • | the statutory expense ratio, which is the ratio of expenses incurred for net commissions, premium taxes and underwriting expenses to net premiums written; and |
| • | the statutory dividend ratio, which is the ratio of dividends to holders of workers’ compensation policies to net premiums earned. |
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.
Combined Ratios
The following table presents comparative details with respect to our GAAP and statutory combined ratios for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024:
| | | Three Months Ended September 30, | | | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |
| | | 2025 | | | 2024 | | | 2025 | | | 2024 | |
| GAAP Combined Ratios (Total Lines) | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Loss ratio - core losses | | | 51.1 | % | | | 50.1 | % | | | 51.8 | % | | | 54.5 | % |
| Loss ratio - weather-related losses | | | 6.2 | | | | 10.3 | | | | 7.0 | | | | 8.6 | |
| Loss ratio - large fire losses | | | 4.4 | | | | 3.7 | | | | 4.3 | | | | 5.2 | |
| Loss ratio - net prior-year reserve development | | | 0.4 | | | | (2.6 | ) | | | (1.8 | ) | | | (2.2 | ) |
| Loss ratio | | | 62.1 | | | | 61.5 | | | | 61.3 | | | | 66.1 | |
| Expense ratio | | | 33.5 | | | | 34.5 | | | | 33.4 | | | | 34.0 | |
| Dividend ratio | | | 0.3 | | | | 0.4 | | | | 0.4 | | | | 0.5 | |
| Combined ratio | | | 95.9 | % | | | 96.4 | % | | | 95.1 | % | | | 100.6 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Statutory Combined Ratios | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Commercial lines: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Automobile | | | 100.9 | % | | | 101.5 | % | | | 96.7 | % | | | 98.2 | % |
| Workers’ compensation | | | 103.9 | | | | 84.7 | | | | 108.7 | | | | 104.1 | |
| Commercial multi-peril | | | 91.6 | | | | 88.4 | | | | 93.1 | | | | 100.4 | |
| Other | | | 87.5 | | | | 59.4 | | | | 96.2 | | | | 78.4 | |
| Total commercial lines | | | 96.6 | | | | 89.8 | | | | 97.3 | | | | 98.6 | |
| Personal lines: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Automobile | | | 91.2 | | | | 97.8 | | | | 85.1 | | | | 97.8 | |
| Homeowners | | | 102.1 | | | | 116.8 | | | | 100.0 | | | | 107.5 | |
| Other | | | 52.8 | | | | 102.2 | | | | 54.9 | | | | 97.2 | |
| Total personal lines | | | 94.1 | | | | 104.7 | | | | 89.6 | | | | 101.2 | |
| Total commercial and personal lines | | | 95.5 | % | | | 96.0 | % | | | 94.4 | % | | | 99.7 | % |
Results of Operations - Three Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
Net Premiums Earned. Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums earned for the third quarter of 2025 were $229.8 million, a decrease of $8.2 million, or 3.4%, compared to $238.0 million for the third quarter of 2024, primarily reflecting planned attrition and lower new business writings, offset partially by solid premium retention and renewal premium increases.
Net Premiums Written. Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums written for the third quarter of 2025 were $219.6 million, a decrease of $12.6 million, or 5.4%, from the $232.2 million of net premiums written for the third quarter of 2024. Commercial lines net premiums written increased $4.3 million, or 3.4%, for the third quarter of 2025 compared to the third quarter of 2024. Personal lines net premiums written decreased $16.9 million, or 15.9%, for the third quarter of 2025 compared to the third quarter of 2024. We attribute the increase in commercial lines net premiums written primarily to solid retention and a continuation of renewal premium increases in lines other than workers’ compensation, offset partially by lower new business writings. We attribute the decrease in personal lines net premiums written primarily to lower new business writings and non-renewal actions, offset partially by renewal premium rate increases and solid retention.
Investment Income. Our net investment income was $13.9 million for the third quarter of 2025, an increase of $3.1 million, or 28.8%, compared to $10.8 million for the third quarter of 2024. We attribute the increase primarily to an increase in the average investment yield relative to the third quarter of 2024.
Net Investment Gains. Net investment gains for the third quarter of 2025 were $1.3 million, compared to $1.9 million for the third quarter of 2024. The net investment gains for the third quarter of 2025 were primarily related to unrealized gains in the fair value of equity securities held at September 30, 2025, offset partially by net realized investment losses on the strategic sales of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities. The net investment gains for the third quarter of 2024 were primarily related to unrealized gains in the fair value of equity securities held at September 30, 2024. We did not recognize any impairment losses for individual securities in our investment portfolio during the third quarter of 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 62.1% for the third quarter of 2025, a slight increase from our insurance subsidiaries’ loss ratio of 61.5% for the third quarter of 2024. The core loss ratio, which excludes weather-related losses, large fire losses and net development of reserves for losses incurred in prior accident years, was 51.1% for the third quarter of 2025, an increase from the core loss ratio of 50.1% for the third quarter of 2024. For the commercial lines segment, the core loss ratio of 54.0% for the third quarter of 2025 increased from 48.5% for the third quarter of 2024. For the personal lines segment, the core loss ratio of 46.6% for the third quarter of 2025 decreased from 52.5% for the third quarter of 2024. We attribute the increase in the commercial lines core loss ratio primarily to an increase in the severity of casualty losses. We attribute the decrease in the personal lines core loss ratio primarily to the favorable impact of premium rate increases on net premiums earned for the personal lines segment. Weather-related losses were $14.3 million, or 6.2 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the third quarter of 2025, compared to $24.4 million, or 10.3 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the third quarter of 2024. The impact of weather-related loss activity to the loss ratio for the third quarter of 2025 was lower than our previous five-year average of third quarter weather-related losses and represented the lowest of any third quarter in the past 20 years. Large fire losses, which we define as individual fire losses in excess of $50,000, for the third quarter of 2025 were $10.0 million, or 4.4 percentage points of the loss ratio, compared to $8.8 million, or 3.7 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the third quarter of 2024. Our insurance subsidiaries’ commercial lines loss ratio was 59.6% for the third quarter of 2025, compared to 52.1% for the third quarter of 2024, primarily due to increases in the workers’ compensation and commercial multi-peril loss ratios. The personal lines loss ratio of our insurance subsidiaries decreased to 66.0% for the third quarter of 2025, compared to 74.2% for the third quarter of 2024. We attribute this decrease primarily to a decrease in the homeowners and personal automobile loss ratios. Our insurance subsidiaries experienced net unfavorable loss reserve development for the third quarter of 2025 of $1.0 million that increased the loss ratio by 0.4 percentage points, compared to $6.2 million of net favorable loss reserve development that decreased the loss ratio for the third quarter of 2024 by 2.6 percentage points. Our insurance subsidiaries experienced unfavorable development primarily in the personal automobile and other commercial lines of business for the third quarter of 2025 that we primarily attribute to higher-than-anticipated case reserve development, offset partially by favorable development in the commercial multi-peril and workers’ compensation lines of business.
Underwriting Expenses. The expense ratio for an insurance company is the ratio of policy acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses to premiums earned. The expense ratio of our insurance subsidiaries was 33.5% for the third quarter of 2025, compared to 34.5% for the third quarter of 2024. The decrease in the expense ratio primarily reflected the favorable impact of ongoing expense management initiatives and lower underwriting-based incentive costs for agents and employees. The impact of underwriting-based incentive costs for the third quarter of 2024 was somewhat elevated due to the substantial improvement in underwriting results for that period compared to the first half of 2024. The impact from allocated costs from Donegal Mutual to our insurance subsidiaries related to the ongoing systems modernization project peaked at approximately 1.3 percentage points of the expense ratio for the full year of 2024, and we expect that impact to subside gradually over the next several years. Allocated costs related to that project represented approximately 1.2 percentage points of the expense ratio for the third quarter of 2025.
Combined Ratio. The combined ratio represents the sum of the loss ratio, the expense ratio and the dividend ratio, which is the ratio of policyholder dividends incurred to premiums earned. Our insurance subsidiaries’ combined ratios were 95.9% and 96.4% for the third quarter of 2025 and 2024, respectively. We attribute the decrease in the combined ratio primarily to a decrease in the expense ratio for the third quarter of 2025 compared to the third quarter of 2024.
Income Tax Expense. We recorded income tax expense of $5.0 million for the third quarter of 2025, representing an effective tax rate of 19.8%. We recorded income tax expense of $3.7 million for the third quarter of 2024, representing an effective tax rate of 17.9%. The income tax expense for the third quarter of 2025 and 2024 represented estimates based on our projected annual taxable income and effective tax rates.
Net Income and Net Income Per Share. Our net income for the third quarter of 2025 was $20.1 million, or $.55 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis and $.51 per share of Class B common stock, compared to $16.8 million, or $.51 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis and $.46 per share of Class B common stock, for the third quarter of 2024. We had 31.0 million and 28.2 million Class A shares outstanding at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had 5.6 million Class B shares outstanding at the end of both periods.
Results of Operations - Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Net Premiums Earned. Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums earned for the first nine months of 2025 were $694.3 million, a decrease of $5.7 million, or 0.8%, compared to $700.0 million for the first nine months of 2024, primarily reflecting lower new business writings and non-renewal actions, offset partially by solid premium retention and renewal premium increases.
Net Premiums Written. Our insurance subsidiaries’ net premiums written for the first nine months of 2025 were $700.5 million, a decrease of $30.3 million, or 4.1%, from the $730.8 million of net premiums written for the first nine months of 2024. Commercial lines net premiums written increased $12.1 million, or 2.8%, for the first nine months of 2025 compared to the first nine months of 2024. Personal lines net premiums written decreased $42.4 million, or 13.8%, for the first nine months of 2025 compared to the first nine months of 2024. We attribute the increase in commercial lines net premiums written primarily to solid retention and a continuation of renewal premium increases in lines other than workers’ compensation, offset partially by lower new business writings. We attribute the decrease in personal lines net premiums written primarily to lower new business writings and non-renewal actions, offset partially by renewal premium rate increases and solid retention.
Investment Income. Our net investment income was $38.5 million for the first nine months of 2025, an increase of $5.6 million, or 17.0%, compared to $32.9 million for the first nine months of 2024. We attribute the increase primarily to an increase in the average investment yield relative to the first nine months of 2024.
Net Investment Gains. Net investment gains for the first nine months of 2025 were $2.3 million, compared to $4.7 million for the first nine months of 2024. The net investment gains for the first nine months of 2025 primarily related to unrealized gains in the fair value of equity securities held at September 30, 2025, offset partially by net realized investment losses on the sale of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities. The net investment gains for the first nine months of 2024 primarily related to unrealized gains in the fair value of our equity securities portfolio at September 30, 2024. We did not recognize any impairment losses for individual securities in our investment portfolio during the first nine months of 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 the first nine months of 2025, a decrease from our insurance subsidiaries’ loss ratio of 66.1% for the first nine months of 2024. The core loss ratio, which excludes weather-related losses, large fire losses and net development of reserves for losses incurred in prior accident years, was 51.8% for the first nine months of 2025, compared to 54.5% for the first nine months of 2024. For the commercial lines segment, the core loss ratio of 55.6% for the first nine months of 2025 increased modestly from 54.1% for the first nine months of 2024. For the personal lines segment, the core loss ratio of 46.2% for the first nine months of 2025 decreased from 55.2% for the first nine months of 2024. We attribute the decrease in the personal lines core loss ratio primarily to the favorable impact of premium rate increases on net premiums earned for the personal lines segment. Weather-related losses were $48.7 million, or 7.0 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the first nine months of 2025, compared to $60.0 million, or 8.6 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the first nine months of 2024. Large fire losses for the first nine months of 2025 were $29.8 million, or 4.3 percentage points of the loss ratio, compared to $36.2 million, or 5.2 percentage points of the loss ratio, for the first nine months of 2024. Our insurance subsidiaries’ commercial lines loss ratio was 61.7% for the first nine months of 2025, compared to 62.6% for the first nine months of 2024, primarily due to a decrease in the commercial multi-peril loss ratio. The personal lines loss ratio of our insurance subsidiaries decreased to 60.7% for the first nine months of 2025, compared to 70.8% for the first nine months of 2024. We attribute this decrease primarily to decreases in the personal automobile and homeowners loss ratios. Our insurance subsidiaries experienced net favorable loss reserve development for the first nine months of 2025 of approximately $12.5 million that decreased the loss ratio by 1.8 percentage points, compared to $15.4 million that decreased the loss ratio for the first nine months of 2024 by 2.2 percentage points. Our insurance subsidiaries experienced favorable development primarily in the commercial multi-peril, commercial automobile, personal automobile, and homeowners lines of business for the first nine months of 2025, offset partially by unfavorable development in other commercial lines of business that we attribute to higher-than-anticipated case reserve development.
Underwriting Expenses. The expense ratio for an insurance company is the ratio of policy acquisition costs and other underwriting expenses to premiums earned. The expense ratio of our insurance subsidiaries was 33.4% for the first nine months of 2025, compared to 34.0% for the first nine months of 2024. The decrease in the expense ratio primarily reflected impacts of expense management initiatives, offset partially by higher underwriting-based incentive costs for agents and employees. The impact from allocated costs from Donegal Mutual to our insurance subsidiaries related to the ongoing systems modernization project peaked at approximately 1.3 percentage points of the expense ratio for the full year of 2024, and we expect the full year 2025 expense ratio impact will be approximately 1.2 percentage points.
Combined Ratio. The combined ratio represents the sum of the loss ratio, the expense ratio and the dividend ratio, which is the ratio of policyholder dividends incurred to premiums earned. Our insurance subsidiaries’ combined ratios were 95.1% and 100.6% for the first nine months of 2025 and 2024, respectively. We attribute the decrease in the combined ratio primarily to a decrease in the loss ratio for the first nine months of 2025 compared to the first nine months of 2024.
Income Tax Expense. We recorded income tax expense of $14.5 million for the first nine months of 2025, representing an effective tax rate of 18.9%. We recorded income tax expense of $5.8 million for the first nine months of 2024, representing an effective tax rate of 17.8%. The income tax expense for the first nine months of 2025 and 2024 represented estimates based on our projected annual taxable income and effective tax rates.
Net Income and Net Income Per Share. Our net income for the first nine months of 2025 was $62.2 million, or $1.72 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis and $1.58 per share of Class B common stock, compared to $26.9 million, or $.81 per share of Class A common stock on a diluted basis and $.74 per share of Class B common stock, for the first nine months of 2024. We had 31.0 million and 28.2 million Class A shares outstanding at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had 5.6 million Class B shares outstanding at the end of both periods.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity is a measure of an entity’s ability to secure enough cash to meet its contractual obligations and operating needs as such obligations and needs arise. Our major sources of funds from operations are the net cash flows we generate from our insurance subsidiaries’ underwriting results, investment income and maturing investments.
We have historically generated sufficient net positive cash flow to fund our commitments and add to our investment portfolio, thereby increasing future investment returns. The impact of the pooling agreement between Donegal Mutual and Atlantic States has historically been cash-flow positive because of the consistent underwriting profitability of the underwriting pool. Because we settle the pool monthly, our cash flows are substantially similar to the cash flows that would result from the underwriting of direct business. We maintain a high degree of liquidity in our investment portfolio in the form of marketable fixed maturities, equity securities and short-term investments. We structure our fixed-maturity investment portfolio following a “laddering” approach, so that projected cash flows from investment income and principal maturities are evenly distributed from a timing perspective. This laddering approach provides an additional measure of liquidity to meet our obligations and the obligations of our insurance subsidiaries should an unexpected variation occur in the future. Net cash flows provided by operating activities in the first nine months of 2025 and 2024 were $60.2 million and $39.2 million, respectively.
At September 30, 2025, we had no outstanding borrowings under our line of credit with M&T and had the ability to borrow up to $20.0 million at an interest rate equal to the then-current Term SOFR rate plus 2.11%. At September 30, 2025, Atlantic States had a $35.0 million outstanding advance with the FHLB of Pittsburgh that carries a fixed interest rate of 3.806% and is due in September 2026. We discuss in Note 7 – Borrowings our estimate of the timing of the amounts payable for the borrowings under our lines of credit based on their contractual maturities.
We estimate the timing of claim payments associated with the liabilities for losses and loss expenses of our insurance subsidiaries based on historical experience and expectations of future payment patterns. Amounts Atlantic States assumes pursuant to the pooling agreement with Donegal Mutual represent a substantial portion of our insurance subsidiaries’ gross liabilities for losses and loss expenses, and amounts Atlantic States cedes pursuant to the pooling agreement represent a substantial portion of our insurance subsidiaries’ reinsurance recoverable on unpaid losses and loss expenses. We include cash settlement of Atlantic States’ assumed liabilities from the pool in monthly settlements of pooled activity, as we net amounts ceded to and assumed from the pool. Although Donegal Mutual and we do not anticipate any changes in the pool participation levels in the foreseeable future, any such change would be prospective in nature and therefore would not impact the timing of expected payments by Atlantic States for its percentage share of pooled losses occurring in periods prior to the effective date of such change.
On July 18, 2013, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program pursuant to which we have the authority to purchase up to 500,000 shares of our Class A common stock at prices prevailing from time to time in the open market subject to the provisions of applicable rules 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 the nine months ended September 30, 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 September 30, 2025.
On October 16, 2025, our board of directors declared quarterly cash dividends of $.1825 per share of our Class A common stock and $.165 per share of our Class B common stock, payable on November 17, 2025 to our stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 3, 2025. There are no restrictions on our payment of dividends to our stockholders, although there are restrictions under applicable state laws on the payment of dividends from our insurance subsidiaries to us, which is a significant source of cash for payment of stockholder dividends by us. Our insurance subsidiaries are required by law to maintain minimum surplus on a statutory basis and are subject to regulations under which their payment of dividends from statutory surplus is restricted and may require prior approval of their domiciliary insurance regulatory authorities. Our insurance subsidiaries are also subject to risk based capital (“RBC”) requirements. The amount of statutory capital and surplus necessary for our insurance subsidiaries to satisfy regulatory requirements, including the RBC requirements, was not significant in relation to our insurance subsidiaries’ statutory capital and surplus at December 31, 2024. Our insurance subsidiaries paid $10.0 million in dividends to us during the first nine months of 2025. Amounts remaining available for distribution to us as dividends from our insurance subsidiaries without prior approval of their domiciliary insurance regulatory authorities in 2025 are $30.7 million from Atlantic States, $7.8 million from MICO and $4.7 million from Peninsula, or a total of approximately $43.3 million.
At September 30, 2025, we had no material commitments for capital expenditures.
Equity Price Risk
Our portfolio of marketable equity securities, which we carry on our consolidated balance sheets at estimated fair value, has exposure to the risk of loss resulting from an adverse change in prices. We manage this risk by having our investment personnel perform an analysis of prospective investments and regular reviews of our portfolio of equity securities.
Credit Risk
Our portfolio of fixed-maturity securities and, to a lesser extent, our portfolio of short-term investments is subject to credit risk, which we define as the potential loss in market value resulting from adverse changes in the borrower’s ability to repay its debt. We manage this risk by having our investment personnel perform an analysis of prospective investments and regular reviews of our portfolio of fixed-maturity securities. We also limit the percentage and amount of our total investment portfolio that we invest in the securities of any one issuer.
Our insurance subsidiaries provide property and casualty insurance coverages through independent insurance agencies. We bill the majority of this business directly to the insured, although we bill a portion of our commercial business through licensed insurance agents to whom our insurance subsidiaries extend credit in the normal course of business.
Because the pooling agreement does not relieve Atlantic States of primary liability as the originating insurer, Atlantic States is subject to a concentration of credit risk arising from the business it cedes to Donegal Mutual. Our insurance subsidiaries maintain reinsurance agreements with Donegal Mutual and with a number of other major unaffiliated authorized reinsurers.
| Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. |
Our market risk generally represents the risk of gain or loss that may result from the potential change in the fair value of the securities we hold in our investment portfolio as a result of fluctuations in prices and interest rates and, to a lesser extent, our debt obligations. We manage our interest rate risk by maintaining an appropriate relationship between the average duration of our investment portfolio and the approximate duration of our liabilities, i.e., policy claims of our insurance subsidiaries and our debt obligations.
There have been no material changes to our quantitative or qualitative market risk exposure from December 31, 2024 through September 30, 2025.
| Item 4. | Controls and Procedures. |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, at September 30, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in recording, processing, summarizing and reporting, on a timely basis, information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act, and our disclosure controls and procedures were also effective to ensure that information we disclose in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to affect materially, our internal control over financial reporting.
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
We base all statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that are not historic facts on our current expectations. Such statements are forward-looking in nature (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) and necessarily involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements we make may be identified by our use of words such as “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate” and similar expressions. Our actual results could vary materially from our forward-looking statements. The factors that could cause our actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements we have previously made include, but are not limited to, adverse litigation and other trends that could increase our loss costs (including labor shortages, escalating medical, automobile and property repair costs, including due to tariffs and increasing plaintiff attorney utilization of litigation financing), adverse and catastrophic weather events (including from changing climate conditions), our ability to maintain profitable operations (including our ability to underwrite risks effectively and charge adequate premium rates), the adequacy of the loss and loss expense reserves of our insurance subsidiaries, the availability and successful operation of the information technology systems our insurance subsidiaries utilize, the successful development of new information technology systems to allow our insurance subsidiaries to compete effectively, business and economic conditions in the areas in which we and our insurance subsidiaries operate, interest rates, competition from various insurance and other financial businesses, terrorism, the availability and cost of reinsurance, legal and judicial developments (including those related to COVID-19 business interruption coverage exclusions), changes in regulatory requirements, our ability to attract and retain independent insurance agents, changes in our A.M. Best rating and the other risks that we describe from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update such statements or to announce publicly the results of any revisions that we may make to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.
Part II. Other Information
| Item 1. | Legal Proceedings. |
None.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition, and, therefore, the value of our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, are subject to a number of risks. For a description of certain risks, we refer to “Risk Factors” in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K that we filed with the SEC on March 10, 2025. There have been no material changes in the risk factors we disclosed in that Form 10-K Report during the nine months ended September 30, 2025.
| Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds. |
| Period | | (a) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased | | (b) Average Price Paid per Share (or Unit) | | (c) Total Number of Shares (or Units) Purchased as
Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs | | (d) Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs |
| Month #1 July 1-31, 2025 | | Class A – None Class B – None | | Class A – None Class B – None | | Class A – None Class B – None | | (1) |
| | | | | | | | | |
Month #2 August 1-31, 2025 | | Class A – 59,356 Class B – None | | Class A – $17.61 Class B – None | | Class A – 59,356 Class B – None | | (1) |
| | | | | | | | | |
Month #3 September 1-30, 2025 | | Class A – 153,602 Class B – None | | Class A – $19.01 Class B – None | | Class A – 153,602 Class B – None | | (1) |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Total | | Class A – 212,958 Class B – None | | Class A – $18.62 Class B – None | | Class A – 212,958 Class B – None | | |
| | (1) | Donegal Mutual purchased these shares pursuant to its announcement on April 29, 2022 that it will, at its discretion, purchase shares of our Class A common stock and 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 announcement did not stipulate a maximum number of shares that may be purchased under this program. |
| Item 3. | Defaults upon Senior Securities. |
None.
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosure. |
Not Applicable.
| Item 5. | Other Information. |
None.
| Exhibit No. | | Description | | Reference |
| | | | | |
| Other Exhibits | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | Certification of Chief Executive Officer. | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| | Certification of Chief Financial Officer. | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| | Statement of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Title 18 of the United States Code. | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| | Statement of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 of Title 18 of the United States Code. | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.INS | | XBRL Instance Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.SCH | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.PRE | | XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.CAL | | XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.LAB | | XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 101.DEF | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | | Filed herewith |
| | | | | |
| Exhibit 104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) | | Filed herewith |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| | DONEGAL GROUP INC. |
| | | |
| November 3, 2025 | By: | /s/ Kevin G. Burke |
| | | Kevin G. Burke, President and Chief Executive Officer |
| November 3, 2025 | By: | /s/ Jeffrey D. Miller |
| | | Jeffrey D. Miller, Executive Vice President |
| | | and Chief Financial Officer |
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