• FAIR Plan enrollment has surged 152% since 2022, with total exposure reaching $750 billion, making it a mainstream — and sometimes only — option for California property owners.
• As a named-perils policy, the FAIR Plan excludes key exposures such as water damage and the weight of ice or snow/snow even with endorsements, leaving clients financially exposed to major losses.
• Amwins' new FAIR Plan Wrap, developed with Vivere, closes these gaps with AI-driven underwriting that delivers quotes in minutes, giving brokers a fast, scalable way to offer complete protection.

California's property insurance market has changed dramatically over the past several years. As more carriers reduce capacity or exit high-risk areas, brokers increasingly find themselves placing clients into the California FAIR Plan. That shift creates new responsibilities and new opportunities.

What’s changed

Reliance on the FAIR Plan has surged as California's insurance market has been reshaped by wildfire losses, regulatory challenges and carrier pullbacks.

In September 2022, the FAIR Plan had 271,327 policies in force. By March 2026, that number had swelled to 684,388. As of March 2026, the FAIR Plan’s total exposure is $750 billion, reflecting a 242% increase since September 2022. In the highest risk zip codes, approximately 41% of residential structures are covered by a FAIR Plan policy, compared to just 4% in other lower-risk areas.

In the past four years, the FAIR Plan has become a more mainstream option. And for many Californians, it’s the only option.

Understanding the coverage gaps

As more clients land on the FAIR Plan, brokers who understand the Plan’s limitations and know how to address them are better positioned to protect their clients and their practice.

The California FAIR Plan can be a lifeline for many homeowners, real estate investors and businesses. When other insurers refuse to cover a property, the FAIR Plan can provide a way to meet minimal requirements; however, it is not designed to fully replace standard market protection.

As a named perils policy, the California FAIR Plan falls short of the coverage provided under a standard property insurance policy. Even after adding all the available endorsements, significant peril gaps remain, including damage caused by water or the weight of ice and snow. Events like these can generate devastating uninsured repair costs and prolonged business disruption. Many property owners are often financially unprepared to absorb the loss.

Recognizing the benefits of wrap coverage

A wrap policy is designed to help fill in key coverage gaps in a FAIR Plan policy and can offer a complete solution not just for homeowners, but for commercial property exposures as well (e.g., retail, office, hospitality, habitational, etc.).

A wrap policy helps ensure that clients have meaningful protection in place to meet lender requirements that the FAIR Plan alone may not satisfy. And in a market where clients may be confused and looking for guidance, brokers who can offer a complete solution stand out. Wrap coverage is a tangible way to help demonstrate value that goes beyond placing a policy.

A new solution

Amwins has partnered with Vivere, a specialty insurance underwriting platform backed by "A" rated paper, to offer an exclusive California FAIR Plan Wrap product for both residential and commercial properties that leverages speed and scale.

Powered by AI-driven underwriting, the platform delivers quotes in minutes and enables brokers to quote their entire FAIR Plan book at once. This streamlined process eliminates long turnaround times and the need for individual submissions – giving you access to a faster, more efficient way to close critical coverage gaps while creating new opportunities to better protect your clients.

We help you win

While the FAIR Plan is often a necessary starting point, it’s rarely a complete solution. With this new Wrap plan, Amwins and Vivere are addressing the real coverage gaps insureds are facing, combining broad protection, strong paper and a streamlined placement process to help our partners deliver quality solutions with confidence.

Contact your Amwins broker today to learn more.

• Rachael Dougherty, Chief Underwriting Officer – Specialty Property, Vivere
• Jessica Zuiker, CPCU, ARe, VP and Amwins’ Assistant National Property Practice Leader