United Insurance Holdings Corp. Previews Q1-2021 Estimated Catastrophe Losses and Reserve Charge From Surge in Florida Homeowners Litigation 

United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: UIHC) (UPC Insurance or the Company), a property and casualty insurance holding company, today announced estimated current year catastrophe losses incurred during the first quarter ending March 31, 2021 of approximately $24 million before income taxes (approximately $19 million after tax), net of expected reinsurance recoveries. The Company’s first quarter catastrophe losses included claims from Winter Storm Uri, seven additional PCS catastrophe events and two non-PCS catastrophe events.

UPC Insurance also experienced a significant increase in litigated claims volume from Florida homeowners’ during the first quarter compared to prior periods, which led to actual loss reserve development exceeding our expectations across most accident years. As a result of higher-than-expected frequency of litigation in Florida, the Company intends to strengthen its reserves for unpaid loss and loss adjustment expenses on prior accident years by $30 million (approximately $24 million after tax) for the quarter ending March 31, 2021.

“We anticipated the unfavorable trend of litigated homeowners claims in Florida continuing in 2021, but the actual number of new lawsuits filed during the first quarter was extremely disappointing and requires us to re-estimate our ultimate loss liabilities due to the overall increase in loss severity,” said Brad Martz, President & CFO of UPC Insurance.

About UPC Insurance

Founded in 1999, UPC Insurance is an insurance holding company that sources, writes and services personal and commercial residential property and casualty insurance policies using a group of wholly owned insurance subsidiaries and one majority owned insurance subsidiary through a variety of distribution channels. The Company currently writes policies in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas. From its headquarters in St. Petersburg, UPC Insurance's team of dedicated professionals manages a completely integrated insurance company, including sales, underwriting, customer service and claims.

Forward-Looking Statements

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