Root, Inc. (ROOT) FY 2024 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Overview
Root is a technology insurance company founded on the idea that car insurance rates should be based primarily on driving behaviors, not demographics. We are revolutionizing the archaic car insurance industry using mobile technology and data science to offer drivers fair, personalized rates.
We believe the Root advantage is derived from our unique ability to efficiently and effectively bind auto insurance policies quickly, through direct and partnership channels, aided by segmenting individual risk to price better drivers more fairly. Our customer experience is built for ease of use and a product offering made possible with our full-stack insurance structure. These are all uniquely integrated into a single cloud-based technology platform that captures the entire insurance value chain—from customer acquisition to underwriting to claims administration to ongoing customer engagement.
To scale the business, we aim to drive new customer growth and optimize unit economics by capitalizing on our two distribution channels: direct and partnership. The direct channel efficiently drives volume for high intent customers, meeting customers in platforms that they use extensively such as search engines or select marketplace platforms while actively shopping for insurance. The data science model seeks to optimize bidding strategies that fine tunes our prices to strike a balance between offering a competitive price and achieving target unit economics. The partnership channel provides differentiated access to high intent customers, primarily in the automotive, financial services, and independent agent sectors. We build upon or within the mobile and web customer experiences of distribution partners to reach a captive customer base with an embedded solution, which can even remove the need for the customer to ever visit a Root website to purchase and bind a policy.
We use technology to drive efficiency across all functions, including distribution, underwriting, policy administration and claims in particular. We believe our data- and technology-driven approach to pricing and underwriting allows for rapid response to macroeconomic trends through quick, appropriate rate actions. Through continued development of machine-learning loss models, which allow us to respond more quickly to changes in the market, we expect improvement in pricing segmentation. We believe this allows us to operate with a cost-to-acquire and cost-to-serve advantage. We believe that through prudent investment in and diversification of our distribution channels, including leveraging proprietary data science and technology and a focus on partnerships with automotive, financial services, and independent agents, will position us for sustainable, long-term and profitable growth.
As a full-stack insurance company, we currently employ a “capital-efficient” model, which utilizes a variety of reinsurance structures. These include excess of loss and quota share reinsurance. Excess of loss provides us with volatility protection against a portion of large individual losses or an aggregation of losses from catastrophes. Quota share provides, among other advantages, regulatory surplus relief for growing companies. We primarily utilize reinsurance to mitigate impact of large losses or tail events. We continuously evaluate our utilization of third-party reinsurance in order to operate a capital-efficient business model. As our gross loss ratios have stabilized we strategically reduced the utilization of external quota share to balance the cost of reinsurance with capital-efficiency. Over the long-term, we expect to maintain the flexibility to modify our reinsurance program.
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Key Factors and Trends Affecting our Operating Performance
Our financial condition and results of operations have been, and will continue to be, affected by a number of factors, including the following:
Our Ability to Manage and Price Risk
We leverage technology to help manage risk. For instance, we leverage machine learning to “clean” behavioral data obtained through a customer’s mobile device, and we use advanced statistical methods to model that data into usable behavior scores. We leverage intelligent chat functions and various forms of machine learning and advanced automation to help power our claims function. Technology is a key differentiator in managing risk across our key functions. Our success depends on our ability to adequately and competitively price risk.
Our Ability to Attract New Customers
Our long-term growth will depend, in large part, on our continued ability to attract new customers to our platform. We intend to continue to drive new customer growth by leveraging our differentiated consumer experience, our partnership channel, direct performance marketing driven by dynamic data science models, machine learning loss models and our telematics-based pricing models. Additionally, our proprietary dataset will continue to scale as we grow, enabling us to enhance our predictive models to further improve pricing and attract potential new customers. We will also continue to target attractive potential customer segments through diverse distribution strategy, which includes direct and partnership channels. Our ability to attract new customers will depend on a number of factors, including the pricing of our products, offerings of our competitors, success of our partnership channel and the effectiveness of our marketing efforts, and our ability to expand into new markets. Our ability to attract and retain customers depends on maintaining and strengthening our brand by providing superior customer experiences and competitive pricing. In particular, we are challenged by traditional insurers who have more diverse product offerings and longer established operating histories. These competitors can mimic certain aspects of our digital platform and offerings, and as they have more types of insurance products, can offer customers the ability to “bundle” multiple coverage types together, which may be attractive to many customers.
Our Ability to Retain Customers
Our ability to derive significant lifetime value from our customer relationships depends, in part, on our ability to retain our customers over time. Strong retention allows us to build a recurring revenue base, generating additional premiums term over term without material incremental marketing and underwriting costs. As we broadly retain customers and our book of business evolves to be more weighted towards renewals versus new business, as is the case with our mature competitors, we will benefit from the inherently lower loss ratios that characterize renewed premiums. Our ability to retain customers will depend on a number of factors, including our customers’ satisfaction with our products, offerings of our competitors and pricing of products.
Our Ability to be Licensed in All States in the U.S.
Our long-term growth opportunity will benefit from our ability to provide insurance across more states in the U.S. Today, we are currently licensed in 50 states (48 states for personal auto) and the District of Columbia and operate in 35 of those states. Our state expansion has unlocked a large total addressable market for sustained growth, made our direct targeted marketing more efficient and created an opportunity to build a national brand, supporting our marketing holistically.
Our Ability to Expand Premiums Through Cross-Selling and Fee Income Per Policy
We are in the early stages of cross-selling non-auto products across our customer base. Cross-sales of renters policies will allow us to generate additional premiums without material incremental marketing spend, and ultimately higher revenue per customer. We have also observed that bundling products with auto insurance improves retention as the relationship with our customer expands. Our success in expanding revenues through cross-sales and greater fee income per policy depends on our marketing efforts with new products, continuous state expansion of these offerings and the pricing of our bundled products and continuing to refine the fee schedules in our policyholder
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contracts to be more consistent with industry norms. The success of our renters insurance offering is also subject to our ability to develop underwriting capabilities to adequately price renters risk.
Recent Developments Affecting Comparability
General Macroeconomic Factors
Economic instability has led to acute inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, changes in interest rates and changes in equity markets. There remains uncertainty around the future of inflation; elevated levels of inflation for an extended period could cause claims and claim expenses to increase, impact the performance of our investment portfolio, increase nonpayment cancellations or have other adverse effects, including variability in the competitive environment. We have also seen an increase in vehicle repair and medical costs. These cost increases have resulted in greater claims severity. We continue to file in multiple states to establish rates that more closely follow the evolving loss cost trends. Fluctuations in interest rates could impact our cost of capital and may limit our ability to raise additional capital.
Comprehensive Reinsurance
We have significantly reduced the utilization of reinsurance through a strategic reduction of external quota share. The changes to the reinsurance program aim to deliver improved economics. Our diversified approach to reinsurance allows us to optimize capital requirements while remaining flexible in response to changes in market conditions or changes specific to our own business. We may choose to amend, commute, and/or non-renew certain third-party reinsurance arrangements in the future, which may result in us retaining more or less of our business. To the extent we retain a larger share of our book of business, our capital requirements may increase.
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Key Performance Indicators
We regularly review a number of metrics, including the following key performance indicators, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends in our business, prepare financial projections and make strategic decisions. We believe these non-GAAP and operational measures are useful in evaluating our performance, in addition to our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP. See the section titled “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional information regarding our use of direct contribution and adjusted EBITDA and their reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures.
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions, except Premiums per policy) | ||||||||||
| Policies in force | 414,862 | 341,764 | 220,354 | |||||||
| Premiums per policy | $ | 1,584 | $ | 1,423 | $ | 1,220 | ||||
| Premiums in force | $ | 1,314.3 | $ | 972.7 | $ | 537.7 | ||||
| Gross premiums written | $ | 1,301.1 | $ | 783.1 | $ | 600.0 | ||||
| Gross premiums earned | $ | 1,231.0 | $ | 635.8 | $ | 643.6 | ||||
| Gross profit (loss) | $ | 337.1 | $ | 76.1 | $ | (32.2) | ||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 30.9 | $ | (147.4) | $ | (297.7) | ||||
| Direct contribution | $ | 394.0 | $ | 150.7 | $ | 27.6 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 111.9 | $ | (42.9) | $ | (185.9) | ||||
| Net loss and LAE ratio | 68.5 | % | 82.8 | % | 122.8 | % | ||||
| Net expense ratio | 27.9 | % | 50.4 | % | 72.2 | % | ||||
| Net combined ratio | 96.4 | % | 133.2 | % | 195.0 | % | ||||
| Gross loss ratio | 58.9 | % | 65.2 | % | 82.1 | % | ||||
| Gross LAE ratio | 8.6 | % | 9.6 | % | 10.3 | % | ||||
| Gross expense ratio | 27.2 | % | 41.6 | % | 45.4 | % | ||||
| Gross combined ratio | 94.7 | % | 116.4 | % | 137.8 | % | ||||
| Gross accident period loss ratio | 59.9 | % | 64.0 | % | 80.3 | % |
Policies in Force
We define policies in force as the number of current and active auto insurance policyholders underwritten by us as of the period end date. We view policies in force as an important metric to assess our financial performance because policy growth and retention drives our revenue growth, expands brand awareness, deepens our market penetration, and generates additional data to continue to improve the functioning of our platform.
Premiums per Policy
We define premiums per policy as the ratio of gross premiums written on auto insurance policies in force at the end of the period divided by policies in force. We view premiums per policy as an important metric since the higher the premiums per policy the greater the amount of earned premium we expect from each policy.
Premiums in Force
We define premiums in force as premiums per policy multiplied by policies in force multiplied by two. We view premiums in force as an estimate of annualized run rate of gross premiums written as of a given period. Since our auto policies are six-month policies, we multiply this figure by two in order to determine an annualized amount of premiums in force. We view this as an important metric because it is an indicator of the size of our portfolio of policies as well as an indicator of expected earned premium over the coming 12 months. Premiums in force is not a forecast of future revenue nor is it a reliable indicator of revenue expected to be earned in any given period. We believe that our calculation of premiums in force is useful to investors and analysts because it captures the impact of
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fluctuations in customers and premiums per policy at the end of each reported period, without adjusting for known or projected policy updates, cancellations and non-renewals.
Gross Premiums Written
We define gross premiums written, as the total amount of gross premium on policies that were bound during the period less the prorated impact of policy cancellations. Gross premiums written includes direct premiums and assumed premiums. We view gross premiums written as an important metric because it is the metric that most closely correlates with changes in gross premiums earned. We use gross premiums written, which excludes the impact of premiums ceded to reinsurers, to manage our business because we believe that it reflects the business volume and direct economic benefit generated by our customer acquisition activities, which along with our underlying underwriting and claims operations (gross loss ratio and gross LAE) are the key drivers of our future profit opportunities. Additionally, premiums ceded to reinsurers can change significantly based on the type and mix of reinsurance structures we use, and, as such, we have the optionality to fully retain the premiums from customers acquired in the future.
Gross Premiums Earned
We define gross premiums earned as the amount of gross premium that was earned during the period. Premiums are earned over the period in which insurance protection is provided, which is typically six months. Gross premiums earned includes direct premiums and assumed premiums. We view gross premiums earned as an important metric as it allows us to evaluate our premium levels prior to the impacts of reinsurance. It is the primary driver of our consolidated GAAP revenues. As with gross premiums written, we use gross premiums earned, which excludes the impact of premiums ceded to reinsurers to manage our business, because we believe that it reflects the business volume and direct economic benefit generated by our customer acquisition activities, which along with our underlying underwriting and claims operations (gross loss ratio and gross LAE) are the key drivers of our future profit opportunities.
Gross Profit (Loss)
We define gross profit (loss) as total revenue minus net loss and LAE and other insurance expense (benefit). We view gross profit (loss) as an important metric because we believe it is informative of the financial performance of our core insurance business.
Direct Contribution
We define direct contribution, a non-GAAP financial measure, as gross profit (loss) excluding net investment income, net realized gains on investments, acquisition costs which include report costs and refunds related to these expenses and commission expenses related to our partnership channel, fixed costs which include certain warrant compensation expense related to policies originating through the integrated automobile insurance solution for Carvana’s online buying platform, overhead allocated based on headcount, or Overhead, and salaries, health benefits, bonuses, employee retirement plan-related expenses and employee share-based compensation expense, or Personnel Costs, licenses, professional fees and other expenses. Further, impacts related to reinsurance are excluded, these consist of ceded premiums earned, ceded loss and LAE, and net ceding commission and other. Net ceding commission and other is comprised of ceding commission received in connection with reinsurance ceded, partially offset by amortization of excess ceding commission, and other impacts of reinsurance ceded which are included in other insurance expense (benefit). After these adjustments, the resulting calculation is inclusive of only those gross variable costs of revenue incurred on the successful acquisition of business. We view direct contribution as an important metric because we believe it measures profitability of our total policy portfolio prior to the impact of reinsurance.
See the section titled “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of total revenue to direct contribution.
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Adjusted EBITDA
We define adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, as net income (loss) excluding interest expense, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, loss on extinguishment of debt, warrant compensation expense, restructuring charges, write-off of prepaid marketing expenses, legal fees and other items that do not reflect our ongoing operating performance. After these adjustments, the resulting calculation represents expenses directly attributable to our operating performance. We use adjusted EBITDA as an internal performance measure in the management of our operations because we believe it provides management and other users of our financial information useful insight into our results of operations and underlying business performance. Adjusted EBITDA should not be viewed as a substitute for net income (loss) calculated in accordance with GAAP, and other companies may define adjusted EBITDA differently.
See the section titled “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA.
Net Loss and LAE Ratio
We define net loss and LAE ratio expressed as a percentage, as the ratio of net loss and LAE to net premiums earned. We view net loss and LAE ratio as an important metric because it allows us to evaluate loss trends as a percentage of net premiums and believe it is useful for investors to evaluate those separately from other operating expenses.
Net Expense Ratio
We define net expense ratio expressed as a percentage, as the ratio of all operating expenses less loss and LAE and less fee income to net premiums earned. We view net expense ratio as important because it allows us to analyze our expense and acquisition trends, net of fee income, and allows investors to evaluate these expenses exclusive of our loss and LAE.
Net Combined Ratio
We define net combined ratio expressed as a percentage, as the sum of net loss and LAE ratio and net expense ratio. We view net combined ratio as important because it allows us to analyze our underwriting result trends and is a key indicator of overall profitability and health of the overall business. We believe it is useful to investors to evaluate these components separately and in the aggregate when reviewing our underwriting performance. A net combined ratio under 100% indicates an underwriting profit, while a net combined ratio greater than 100% indicates an underwriting loss.
Gross Loss Ratio
We define gross loss ratio expressed as a percentage, as the ratio of gross losses to gross premiums earned. Gross loss ratio excludes LAE. We view gross loss ratio as an important metric because it allows us to evaluate incurred losses and LAE separately prior to the impact of reinsurance.
Gross LAE Ratio
We define gross LAE ratio expressed as a percentage, as the ratio of gross LAE to gross premiums earned. We view gross LAE ratio as an important metric because it allows us to evaluate incurred losses and LAE separately prior to the impact of reinsurance.
Gross Expense Ratio
We define gross expense ratio expressed as a percentage as the ratio of gross operating expenses less loss and LAE and less fee income to gross premiums earned. We view gross expense ratio as important because it allows us to analyze the underlying expense base of the business and establish expense targets, prior to the impact of reinsurance. We believe gross expense ratio is useful for investors to further evaluate business health and performance, prior to the impact of reinsurance.
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Gross Combined Ratio
We define gross combined ratio expressed as a percentage as the sum of the gross loss ratio, gross LAE ratio and gross expense ratio. We view gross combined ratio as important because it allows us to evaluate financial performance and establish targets that we believe more closely reflect the underlying performance and profitability of the business prior to reinsurance. Further, we believe it is useful for investors to evaluate these components separately and in the aggregate when reviewing our gross underwriting performance. A gross combined ratio under 100% indicates an underwriting profit while a gross combined ratio greater than 100% indicates an underwriting loss, prior to the impact of reinsurance.
Gross Accident Period Loss Ratio
Gross accident period loss ratio, expressed as a percentage, represents all losses and claims expected to arise from insured events that occurred during the applicable period regardless of when they are reported and finally settled divided by gross premiums earned for the same period. Changes to our loss reserves are the primary driver of the difference between our gross accident period loss ratio and gross loss ratio. We believe that gross accident period loss ratio is useful in evaluating expected losses prior to the impact of reinsurance.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
We generate revenue from net premiums earned, net investment income, net realized gains on investments, fee income and other income.
Net Premiums Earned
Premiums written are deferred and earned pro rata over the policy period. Net premiums earned represents the earned portion of our gross premiums written, less the earned portion that is ceded to third-party reinsurers under our reinsurance agreements.
Net Investment Income
Net investment income represents interest earned from our cash and cash equivalents, fixed maturities, and short-term investments less investment expenses. Net investment income also includes impairments related to low income housing tax credits investments in limited liability entities to offset certain state premium taxes. These tax credits are recognized when utilized. Net investment income is directly correlated with the overall size of our cash and investment portfolio, market level of interest rates and changes in the fair value of our private equity investments. Net investment income will vary with the size and composition of our investment portfolio, market returns and the investment strategy.
Net Realized Gains on Investments
Net realized gains on investments represents the difference between the amount received by us on the sale of an investment as compared to the investment’s amortized cost basis.
Fee Income
Fee income consists primarily of the flat fee we charge for installment payments which relates to the additional administrative costs associated with processing more frequent billings. These fees are recognized in the period in which we process the installment. We also charge policy fees, which are typically nonrefundable fees that are intended to reimburse a portion of the costs incurred to underwrite the policy. These fees are recognized ratably over the policy coverage period. Fee income also includes late payment fees that are collected from our policyholders. These fees are recognized in the period in which we process the late payment.
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Other Income
Other income is primarily comprised of revenue earned from distributing website and mobile application policy inquiry leads in geographies where we do not have a presence, recognized when we generate the lead.
Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of loss and LAE, sales and marketing, other insurance expense (benefit), technology and development, and general and administrative expenses.
Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses
Loss and LAE include the costs incurred for claims, payments made and estimated future payments to be made to or on behalf of our policyholders, including expenses needed to adjust or settle claims, net of amounts ceded to reinsurers. Loss and LAE include an amount determined using adjuster determined case-base estimates for reported claims and actuarial determined unpaid claim estimates using past experience and historical emergence patterns for unreported losses and LAE. These reserves are a liability established to cover the estimated ultimate cost to settle insured losses. The unpaid loss estimates consider loss trends, mix of business, and other risk factors impacting claims settlement. The method used to estimate unpaid LAE liability is based on claims transaction data, including the relative cost of adjusting and settling a range of claim types from express material damage claims to more complex injury cases.
Loss and LAE are net of amounts ceded to reinsurers. We enter into reinsurance contracts to limit our exposure to potential losses as well as to provide additional capacity to write more business. These expenses are a function of the size and term of the insurance policies we write and the loss experience associated with the underlying risks. This includes an allowance for credit losses based on the probability of default and expected loss given default of a reinsurer. Loss and LAE may be paid out over a period of years.
Various other expenses incurred during claims processing are considered LAE. These amounts include Personnel Costs for claims-related employees; vendor expenses; software expense; internally developed software amortization; and Overhead.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing includes both acquisition and fixed expenses. We view direct performance marketing, experimental marketing, channel media, advertising and referral fees as acquisition expenses. We view sponsorship, certain non-commission expenses related to the partnership channel, Personnel Costs and Overhead related to our brand strategy, creative and business development activities, and certain data science activities as fixed costs. We incur sales and marketing expenses for all product offerings. Sales and marketing are expensed as incurred.
We plan to continue investing in and diversifying our marketing channels to attract and acquire new customers, increase our brand awareness, and expand our product offerings within certain markets. We expect that our sales and marketing will vary based upon the competitive environment and other investments in acquisition. Over the long-term we expect it will decrease as a percentage of revenue as the proportion of renewals to our total business increases.
Other Insurance Expense (Benefit)
Other insurance expense (benefit) includes expenses primarily related to insurance and underwriting operations of the business, it is comprised of acquisition, variable and fixed expenses. We view report costs and refunds related to these expenses and commission expenses related to our partnership channel as acquisition costs. We view premium taxes, credit card and policy processing expenses and premium write-offs as variable costs. We view insurance license expenses, certain warrant compensation expense related to policies originating through the integrated automobile insurance solution for Carvana’s online buying platform, low income housing tax credits which offset certain state premium taxes, Personnel Costs and Overhead related to actuarial and certain data science activities as fixed costs.
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We amortize a portion of our deferred policy acquisition costs including certain commissions related to our partnership channel, premium taxes, and report costs related to the successful acquisition of a policy. Tax credits are recognized when utilized. Other insurance expense (benefit) is expensed as incurred, except for costs related to deferred policy acquisition costs that are capitalized and subsequently amortized over the same period in which the related premiums are earned. Certain warrant compensation expense is recognized on a pro-rata basis considering progress toward achieving milestones for policies originated through the Integrated Platform as defined under the Carvana commercial agreement.
These expenses are recognized net of ceding commissions earned from our quota share reinsurance agreements. The ceding commission provides for reimbursement of both direct and other periodic acquisition costs, including certain underwriting and marketing costs, and is presented as a reduction of other insurance expense (benefit).
Technology and Development
Technology and development are fixed expenses that consist of software development costs related to our mobile app and homegrown information technology systems; third-party services related to infrastructure support; Personnel Costs and Overhead for engineering, product, technology, and certain data science activities; and amortization of internally developed software. Technology and development is expensed as incurred, except for development and testing costs related to internally developed software that are capitalized and subsequently amortized over the expected useful life. Over time, we expect technology and development to decrease as a percentage of revenue.
General and Administrative
General and administrative are fixed expenses that primarily relate to external professional service expenses; Personnel Costs and Overhead for corporate functions; and depreciation expense for computers, furniture and other fixed assets; and restructuring costs which include employee costs, real estate exit costs and other costs. General and administrative expenses are expensed as incurred. We expect general and administrative expenses to decrease as a percentage of total revenue over time.
Non-Operating Expenses
Interest Expense
Interest expense is not an operating expense; therefore, we include these expenses below operating expenses. Interest expense primarily relates to interest incurred on our long-term debt, certain fees that are expensed as incurred and amortization of discount and debt issuance costs. In addition, changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities that are associated with our long-term debt are recorded as interest expense.
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
Loss on extinguishment of debt is not an operating expense; therefore, we include these expenses below operating expenses. Loss on extinguishment of debt primarily relates to the difference between the reacquisition price of the debt and the net carrying amount of the extinguished debt. Upon extinguishment of debt, the remaining unamortized discount and debt issuance costs are recognized as expense.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
The following table presents our results of operations for the periods indicated:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||||||
| Net premiums earned | $ | 1,070.9 | $ | 399.9 | $ | 671.0 | 167.8 | % | ||||||
| Net investment income | 35.9 | 30.2 | 5.7 | 18.9 | % | |||||||||
| Fee income | 66.0 | 23.4 | 42.6 | 182.1 | % | |||||||||
| Other income | 3.7 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 146.7 | % | |||||||||
| Total revenues | 1,176.5 | 455.0 | 721.5 | 158.6 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Loss and loss adjustment expenses | 733.0 | 331.3 | 401.7 | 121.2 | % | |||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 135.8 | 49.3 | 86.5 | 175.5 | % | |||||||||
| Other insurance expense | 106.4 | 47.6 | 58.8 | 123.5 | % | |||||||||
| Technology and development | 53.3 | 44.8 | 8.5 | 19.0 | % | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 69.5 | 83.3 | (13.8) | (16.6) | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 1,098.0 | 556.3 | 541.7 | 97.4 | % | |||||||||
| Operating income (loss) | 78.5 | (101.3) | 179.8 | 177.5 | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (42.2) | (46.1) | 3.9 | (8.5) | % | |||||||||
| Loss on extinguishment of debt | (5.4) | — | (5.4) | 100.0 | % | |||||||||
| Income (loss) before income tax expense | 30.9 | (147.4) | 178.3 | 121.0 | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | — | % | |||||||||
| Net income (loss) | 30.9 | (147.4) | 178.3 | 121.0 | % | |||||||||
| Other comprehensive income: | ||||||||||||||
| Changes in net unrealized gains on investments | 0.2 | 3.3 | (3.1) | (93.9) | % | |||||||||
| Comprehensive income (loss) | $ | 31.1 | $ | (144.1) | $ | 175.2 | 121.6 | % |
Revenue
Net Premiums Earned
Net premiums earned increased due to an increase in policies in force as a result of increased direct performance marketing spend, continued growth in our partnership channel, reduced external quota share cessions of gross premiums earned to reinsurers between periods and greater premium per policy resulting from rate actions.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we ceded approximately 13.0% and 37.1% of our gross premiums earned, respectively. The change in cessions between periods was primarily driven by a strategic reduction of quota share reinsurance and commutations of certain reinsurance agreements in 2023.
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The following table presents gross premiums written, ceded premiums written, net premiums written, gross premiums earned, ceded premiums earned and net premiums earned for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Gross premiums written | $ | 1,301.1 | $ | 783.1 | $ | 518.0 | 66.1 | % | ||||||
| Ceded premiums written | (137.0) | (209.9) | 72.9 | (34.7) | % | |||||||||
| Net premiums written | 1,164.1 | 573.2 | 590.9 | 103.1 | % | |||||||||
| Gross premiums earned | 1,231.0 | 635.8 | 595.2 | 93.6 | % | |||||||||
| Ceded premiums earned | (160.1) | (235.9) | 75.8 | (32.1) | % | |||||||||
| Net premiums earned | $ | 1,070.9 | $ | 399.9 | $ | 671.0 | 167.8 | % |
Gross premiums written increased due to growth in new writings as a result of increased direct performance marketing spend and continued growth in our partnership channel compared to 2023. The increase in gross premiums earned was primarily due to greater policies in force and an 11.3% increase in premium per policy primarily attributable to rate actions.
Net Investment Income
Net investment income increased due to a $7.3 million increase in interest and dividends received primarily due to a higher average cash balance and a larger investment portfolio. This was partially offset by a $2.2 million increase in impairment related to low income housing tax credit utilization.
Fee Income
Fee income increased due to a $24.4 million increase in policy fees and a $15.4 million increase in installment fees due to increased policies in force.
Operating Expenses
Loss and Loss Adjustment Expenses
Loss and LAE increased due to additional losses incurred on increased gross premiums earned volume and reduced cessions of losses to reinsurers driven by a strategic reduction of quota share reinsurance and commutations of certain reinsurance agreements.
Gross accident period loss ratios decreased to 59.9% for the year ended December 31, 2024, from 64.0% for 2023. The change in the ratios was driven by growth in average premium per policy primarily attributable to rate actions. This was partially offset by business tenure mix and higher loss costs as a result of increased severity per claim due to higher vehicle repair and medical costs. We experienced a 5% increase in severity per claim and a 4% decrease in claim frequency for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 2023 across our bodily injury, collision, and property damage coverages. The claim frequency estimates are tenure mix adjusted.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing increased due to greater acquisition expense as we invested in growing our business to drive accretive growth and deeper market penetration in the states in which we operate. This resulted in a $76.7 million increase in direct performance marketing spend. We also experienced a $6.7 million increase in experimental marketing spend as part of our efforts to diversify our distribution channels.
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Other Insurance Expense
Other insurance expense increased from growth of our earned premium and policies in force, this resulted in greater variable expense including premium write-offs of $21.6 million, premium taxes of $11.9 million and policy processing fees of $6.1 million. We also saw a $28.9 million decrease in net ceding commission contra-expense as a result of a decline in ceded premiums written, largely attributable to a strategic reduction of quota share reinsurance initiated in 2023 and continued in 2024. Our acquisition expenses increased due to greater commissions paid related to the continued growth in our partnership channel, including amortization of deferred policy acquisition costs, of $15.8 million. While acquisition expenses increased overall, report costs decreased $3.5 million primarily driven by enhanced efficiency and reduced costs for reports related to new business. Additionally, we recorded a $10.9 million sales tax refund related to multiple prior years. Fixed expenses decreased due to a reduction of $13.4 million in Carvana warrant expense, as all short-term warrant expense has been recognized upon vesting. Additionally, we recorded an additional $2.5 million of low income housing tax credit utilization that reduces premium taxes.
Technology and Development
Technology and development increased due to a $5.0 million increase in Personnel Costs. We also experienced a $2.1 million increase in amortization primarily driven by accelerated amortization of internally developed software and a $1.5 million increase in software development expense as we continue to invest in developing and improving our technology platforms and infrastructure.
General and Administrative
General and administrative decreased due to a $5.9 million decrease in corporate insurance due to maturation as a public company and a $5.7 million decrease in legal and professional fees, of which $2.7 million relates to the 2022 misappropriation of funds by a former senior marketing employee.
Non-Operating Expenses
Loss on Extinguishment of Debt
Loss on extinguishment of debt was due to unamortized discount and debt issuance costs being expensed as a result of extinguishing the Term Loan.
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Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
The following table presents our results of operations for the periods indicated:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||||||
| Revenue: | ||||||||||||||
| Net premiums earned | $ | 399.9 | $ | 285.9 | $ | 114.0 | 39.9 | % | ||||||
| Net investment income | 30.2 | 6.2 | 24.0 | 387.1 | % | |||||||||
| Net realized gains on investments | — | 0.5 | (0.5) | (100.0) | % | |||||||||
| Fee income | 23.4 | 16.5 | 6.9 | 41.8 | % | |||||||||
| Other income | 1.5 | 1.7 | (0.2) | (11.8) | % | |||||||||
| Total revenue | 455.0 | 310.8 | 144.2 | 46.4 | % | |||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||||||
| Loss and loss adjustment expenses | 331.3 | 351.0 | (19.7) | (5.6) | % | |||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 49.3 | 48.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | % | |||||||||
| Other insurance expense (benefit) | 47.6 | (8.0) | 55.6 | 695.0 | % | |||||||||
| Technology and development | 44.8 | 55.5 | (10.7) | (19.3) | % | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 83.3 | 127.4 | (44.1) | (34.6) | % | |||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 556.3 | 573.9 | (17.6) | (3.1) | % | |||||||||
| Operating loss | (101.3) | (263.1) | 161.8 | (61.5) | % | |||||||||
| Interest expense | (46.1) | (34.6) | (11.5) | 33.2 | % | |||||||||
| Loss before income tax expense | (147.4) | (297.7) | 150.3 | (50.5) | % | |||||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | — | % | |||||||||
| Net loss | (147.4) | (297.7) | 150.3 | (50.5) | % | |||||||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||||||||||
| Changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on investments | 3.3 | (6.2) | 9.5 | 153.2 | % | |||||||||
| Comprehensive loss | $ | (144.1) | $ | (303.9) | $ | 159.8 | (52.6) | % |
The December 31, 2023 and 2022 results of operations discussion can be found in Part II, Item 7, “Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The non-GAAP financial measures below have not been calculated in accordance with GAAP and should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results. In addition, direct contribution and adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as indicators of our operating performance, liquidity or cash flows generated by operating, investing and financing activities, as there may be significant factors or trends that they fail to address. We caution investors that non-GAAP financial information, by its nature, departs from traditional accounting conventions. Therefore, its use can make it difficult to compare our current results with our results from other reporting periods and with the results of other companies.
Our management uses these non-GAAP financial measures, in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, as an integral part of managing our business and to, among other things: (1) monitor and evaluate the performance of our business operations and financial performance; (2) facilitate internal comparisons of the historical operating performance of our business operations; (3) facilitate external comparisons of the results of our overall business to the historical operating performance of other companies that may have different capital structures and debt levels; (4) review and assess the operating performance of our management team, including when determining incentive
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compensation; (5) analyze and evaluate financial and strategic planning decisions regarding future operating investments; and (6) plan for and prepare future annual operating budgets and determine appropriate levels of operating investments.
Direct Contribution
For the definition of direct contribution and why management believes this measure provides useful information to investors, see “—Key Performance Indicators.”
The following table provides a reconciliation of total revenue to direct contribution for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 1,176.5 | $ | 455.0 | $ | 310.8 | ||||
| Loss and loss adjustment expenses | (733.0) | (331.3) | (351.0) | |||||||
| Other insurance (expense) benefit | (106.4) | (47.6) | 8.0 | |||||||
| Gross profit (loss) | 337.1 | 76.1 | (32.2) | |||||||
| Net investment income | (35.9) | (30.2) | (6.2) | |||||||
| Net realized gains on investments | — | — | (0.5) | |||||||
| Adjustments from other insurance (expense) benefit(1) | 66.5 | 76.3 | 38.4 | |||||||
| Ceded premiums earned | 160.1 | 235.9 | 357.7 | |||||||
| Ceded loss and loss adjustment expenses | (97.7) | (144.5) | (243.7) | |||||||
| Net ceding commission and other(2) | (36.1) | (62.9) | (85.9) | |||||||
| Direct contribution | $ | 394.0 | $ | 150.7 | $ | 27.6 |
______________
(1) Adjustments from other insurance (expense) benefit consists of acquisition costs including report costs and refunds related to these expenses and commission expenses related to our partnership channel of $49.7 million, $50.8 million and $18.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Fixed expenses including certain warrant compensation expense related to policies originating through the integrated automobile insurance solution for Carvana’s online buying platform, Personnel Costs, Overhead, licenses, professional fees and other of $16.8 million, $25.5 million and $19.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(2) Net ceding commission and other is comprised of ceding commissions received in connection with reinsurance ceded, partially offset by amortization of excess ceding commission and other impacts of reinsurance ceded.
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Adjusted EBITDA
For the definition of adjusted EBITDA and why management believes this measure provides useful information to investors, see “—Key Performance Indicators.”
The following table provides a reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 30.9 | $ | (147.4) | $ | (297.7) | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||
| Interest expense | 39.7 | 43.2 | 31.9 | |||||||
| Income tax expense | — | — | — | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 14.5 | 12.2 | 12.1 | |||||||
| Share-based compensation | 18.5 | 16.9 | 25.2 | |||||||
| Loss on extinguishment of debt | 5.4 | — | — | |||||||
| Warrant compensation expense | 3.8 | 17.4 | 14.5 | |||||||
| Restructuring costs(1) | 0.2 | 11.2 | 18.6 | |||||||
| Write-offs and other (2) | (1.1) | 3.6 | 9.5 | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 111.9 | $ | (42.9) | $ | (185.9) |
______________
(1) Restructuring costs consist of employee costs, real estate exit costs, and other. This includes zero, $0.4 million and $5.3 million of share-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. This also includes $0.4 million, $0.4 million and $1.7 million of depreciation and amortization for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. For further information on restructuring costs, see Note 10, “Restructuring Costs,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
(2) Write-offs and other primarily reflects legal costs, write-off prepaid marketing expense and other items that do not reflect our ongoing operating performance. This includes write-off of prepaid marketing expenses of $10.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Legal and other fees net of recoveries related to the 2022 misappropriation of funds by a former senior marketing employee of $(1.1) million, $3.2 million and $(0.7) million for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
General
Since inception, we have financed operations primarily through sales of insurance policies and the net proceeds we have received from our issuance of stock and debt and from sales of investments. Cash generated from operations is highly dependent on being able to efficiently acquire and maintain customers while pricing our insurance products appropriately. We are continuously evaluating alternatives for efficiently funding our ongoing operations and reducing our cost of capital. We expect, from time to time, to engage in a variety of financing transactions for such purposes, including the issuance of stock and debt.
Certain events may impact our liquidity such as the economic instability resulting in acute inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, changes in interest rates, new or increased tariffs, changes in equity markets and our utilization of reinsurance. There remains uncertainty around the future of inflation; elevated levels of inflation for an extended period could cause claims and claim expenses to increase, impact the performance of our investment portfolio or have other adverse effects. Fluctuations in interest rates could impact our cost of capital and may limit our ability to raise additional capital. We utilize reinsurance arrangements to grow our business in a capital-efficient manner and mitigate risk. Over time, our strategy continues to evolve and we may choose to amend, commute, and/or non-renew certain third-party reinsurance agreements, which may result in us retaining more or less of our
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business in the future. To the extent we retain a larger share of our book of business, our capital requirements may increase.
Regulatory Considerations
We are organized as a holding company, but our primary operations are conducted by our wholly-owned insurance subsidiaries, Root Insurance Company and Root Property & Casualty Insurance Company, both Ohio-domiciled insurance companies and Root Florida Insurance Company, a Florida-domiciled insurance company. The payment of dividends by our insurance subsidiaries is subject to restrictions set forth in the insurance laws and regulations of the State of Ohio and Florida. To date, our domestic insurance subsidiaries have not paid any dividends, and as of December 31, 2024, they were not permitted to pay any dividends without approval of the applicable superintendent, commissioner and/or director.
If our insurance subsidiaries’ business grows, the amount of capital we are required to maintain to satisfy our risk-based capital requirements may increase significantly. To comply with these regulations, we may be required to maintain capital in the insurance subsidiaries that we would otherwise invest in our growth and operations. As of December 31, 2024, our insurance subsidiaries maintained a risk-based capital level that is in excess of an amount that would require any corrective actions on our part.
Our wholly-owned, Cayman Islands-based reinsurance subsidiary, Root Reinsurance Company, Ltd., or Root Re, maintains a Class B(iii) insurer license under Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, or CIMA. At December 31, 2024, Root Re was subject to compliance with certain capital levels and a net premiums earned to capital ratio of 15:1, which we maintained as of December 31, 2024. The capital ratio can fluctuate at Root Re’s election, subject to regulatory approval. Root Re’s primary sources of funds are capital contributions from the holding company, assumed insurance premiums and net investment income. These funds are primarily used to pay claims and operating expenses and to purchase investments. Root Re must notify CIMA before it can pay any dividend to the holding company.
Financing Arrangements
On January 26, 2022, we closed on a $300.0 million five-year term loan, or Term Loan. In October 2024, we entered into the second amendment to the Term Loan, or Amended Term Loan, that resulted in extinguishment of $237.1 million of the Term Loan, modification of $62.9 million of the Term Loan, and new borrowings of $137.1 million from new BlackRock participation. The resulting principal amount under the Amended Term Loan is $200.0 million and has a maturity date of October 29, 2030. Interest is payable quarterly and is determined on a floating interest rate calculated on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, with a 1.0% floor, plus an applicable margin ranging from 5.25% to 6.00%, based upon the debt-to-capital ratio, payable quarterly.
Liquidity
As of December 31, 2024, we had $599.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, of which $333.0 million was held outside of regulated insurance entities. We also had $306.8 million in marketable securities.
Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of bank deposits and money market funds. Our marketable securities primarily consist of U.S. Treasury securities and agencies, municipal securities, corporate debt securities, and asset-backed securities.
We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to support short-term working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future thereafter.
Our long-term capital requirements depend on many factors, including our insurance premium growth rate, rate adequacy, level of marketing spend, renewal activity, the timing and the amount of cash received from customers, the performance of our products, including the success of our partnership channel, loss cost trends, the timing and extent of spending to support development efforts, the introduction of new and enhanced products, the continuing market adoption of offerings on our platform, operating costs, and the ongoing uncertainty in global markets.
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Under the Amended Term Loan, our debt covenants require cash and cash equivalents held in entities other than our insurance subsidiaries to be at least $50.0 million at all times. We continue to have the same available capital under the Amended Term Loan as we did in the Term Loan.
Through prudent deployment of capital we believe we have sufficient resources, and access to additional debt and equity capital, to adequately meet our obligations as they come due.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our cash flow data for the periods presented:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| (in millions) | ||||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ | 195.7 | $ | (33.6) | $ | (210.6) | ||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (154.4) | (45.7) | (16.6) | |||||||
| Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (120.7) | (4.1) | 283.3 |
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $195.7 million compared to $33.6 million of net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023. The change in operating activities was due to higher net income between periods, an increase in the net loss and LAE reserves as a result of growth in policies in force and timing of premium receipts and reinsurance payments. This was partially offset by change in premiums not yet earned due to growth, timing of reinsurance receipts and the impact of commuting certain agreements with reinsurers in 2023.
Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $154.4 million, compared to $45.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in cash used in investing activities was primarily due to purchases of investments which was partially offset by proceeds from maturities, calls and pay downs of investments.
Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $120.7 million, compared to $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in cash used in financing activities was primarily due to a partial repayment of the extinguished Term Loan and tax withholding obligations arising from the vesting of equity awards. This was partially offset by net proceeds from the Amended Term Loan.
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2023 and 2022
The December 31, 2023 and 2022 net cash discussion can be found in Part II, Item 7, “Liquidity and Capital Resources,” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Material Cash Requirements from Contractual and Other Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, our material cash requirements from known contractual and other obligations consisted of purchase commitments, as discussed in Note 13, “Commitments and Contingencies,” operating leases, as discussed in Note 8, “Leases,” and an Amended Term Loan, as discussed in Note 7, “Long-Term Debt,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. We believe we have sufficient resources, and access to additional debt and equity capital, to adequately meet our obligations as they come due.
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Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires our management to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. We evaluate our significant estimates on an ongoing basis, including, but not limited to, estimates related to reserves for loss and LAE, valuation allowance on our deferred tax assets, and the amount of reinsurance recoverable and receivable from reinsurance contracts. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
We believe that the accounting estimates described below involve a significant degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, we believe these are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations. For further information, see Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Loss and LAE Reserves
The evaluation and estimation of ultimate losses and LAE requires considerable judgment in understanding how claims mature, how claims differ between lines of business, and how changes in the business impact claims settlement over time. Loss reserves represent a liability estimate at a given point in time based on many input variables including historical and statistical information, inflation, contract interpretation, weather catastrophe impacts, regulatory environment, and economic conditions. While we consider many inputs into the loss reserve valuation process, as well as several actuarial methodologies, there is no single method for determining the exact ultimate claims liability. In many cases, we use multiple estimation methods based on the particular facts and circumstances of the claims and liabilities being evaluated, resulting in a range of reasonable estimates for reserves for losses and LAE. We do not discount reserves.
Our actuarial reserving team performs monthly reviews of the claims experience and loss emergence to support our estimation of ultimate losses and LAE. A few considerations and assumptions in estimating ultimate claim liabilities includes relative case reserve adequacy over time, claims cycle time, claims settlement practices, exposure growth, actuarial projections, current economic conditions, driving patterns observed from telematics, weather catastrophes, and claim litigation. Our loss reserves can be grouped by claim type, where amounts related to material damage of vehicles and property tend to settle within six to 12 months, while claims that involve injuries or personal liability have a much longer time period between the occurrence of a loss and the settlement of the claim. In general, the longer the time span between the incidence of a loss and the settlement of the claim, the more the ultimate settlement amount can vary.
Because actual experience can differ from key assumptions used in establishing reserves, there is potential for significant variation in the development of loss reserves. There is considerable uncertainty associated with the actuarial estimates, and therefore the actual losses and LAE paid in the future may differ materially from the reserves we have recorded. Our loss estimates are continually reviewed by management and adjusted as necessary; with adjustments included in the period determined.
The key assumptions that materially affect the estimate of the reserves for loss and LAE are as follows:
•Many of the actuarial estimation methods assume that the speed of claim payments and claim closures, also known as cycle time, remains relatively consistent over time. While fluctuations and improvements in cycle time are expected as we grow, these timing changes can be difficult to discern from normal process risk variability in the data.
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•For actuarial methods that rely on case reserve data, there is an implicit assumption that the adequacy of case reserve estimates stays relatively constant over time. For example, if the held case reserves represent the 50th percentile outcome for each claim, then any changes to this case reserve level, either higher or lower, would impact the ultimate loss estimates.
•Actuarial methods that rely on exposure bases, such as premiums or car years, perform better when the mix of business is relatively stable over time. Business growth can change the mix of business across several dimensions: new business versus renewal, geography profile, and underwriting profile. As such, prior estimates of claim frequency, claim severity, or loss ratio may not be as predictive of future results when the mix of business changes.
•Broader macro-level economics can have a material impact on loss reserve estimates, such as a rapid change in miles driven, unanticipated inflation, regulatory restrictions, and legal developments as they relate to contract and coverage interpretation and enforceability.
Due to the inherent uncertainty in determining our ultimate cost of settling claims, we evaluate what the potential impact on consolidated results of operations, financial position, and liquidity would be based on a hypothetical 5% and 10% increase or decrease in key assumptions described above. The loss reserve range estimated below represents a range of reasonably likely reserves, not a range of all possible outcomes. Therefore, the ultimate losses could reach levels outside the range provided. Given the growth in exposures from inception in 2015, we believe evaluating sensitivity based on a hypothetical increase or decrease of 5% and 10% reflects management’s best estimate and provides a scenario impact on the reserve ranges due to variability in key assumptions. The following table summarizes this sensitivity analysis:
| Scenarios for Changes in Loss Reserves for all Accident Years | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (10)% | (5)% | —% | 5% | 10% | ||||||||||||||
| Bodily injury liability | $ | 158.6 | $ | 167.4 | $ | 176.2 | $ | 185.0 | $ | 193.8 | ||||||||
| Uninsured and underinsured bodily injury | 26.6 | 28.0 | 29.5 | 31.0 | 32.5 | |||||||||||||
| Property damage | 52.0 | 54.9 | 57.8 | 60.7 | 63.6 | |||||||||||||
| All other coverages | 37.4 | 37.4 | 37.4 | 37.4 | 37.4 | |||||||||||||
| Total loss reserves—net of reinsurance | $ | 274.6 | $ | 287.7 | $ | 300.9 | $ | 314.1 | $ | 327.3 |
Our loss and LAE reserves are recorded net of external reinsurance and net of amounts expected to be received from salvage (the amount recovered from the damaged property after we pay for a total loss) and subrogation (the right to recover payments from third parties).
Reinsurance Recoverable and Receivable
We also estimate the amount of reinsurance recoverable and receivable from reinsurance contracts. Reinsurance assets include reinsurance recoverable and receivable on unpaid loss and LAE reserves, which are estimated as part of our loss reserving process and are subject to similar judgments and uncertainties. Estimating these amounts involves significant judgment, with key considerations including:
•paid and unpaid amounts recoverable;
•any balances in dispute or subject to legal collection;
•the financial well-being of a reinsurer; and
•the likelihood of collection of the reinsurance recovery considering factors such as, amounts outstanding and length of collection periods.
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Recoverability of Net Deferred Tax Assets
We calculate the tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 740, Income Taxes, or ASC 740. The application of ASC 740 requires a company to evaluate the recoverability of deferred tax assets and to establish a valuation allowance if necessary to reduce the carrying value of the deferred tax asset to an amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Considerable judgment is required in determining whether a valuation allowance is necessary and, if so, the amount of such valuation allowance. In evaluating the need for a valuation allowance we consider many factors, including: (1) the nature of the deferred tax assets and liabilities; (2) whether they are ordinary or capital; (3) the timing of expected reversal; (4) taxable income in prior carry back years as well as projected taxable earnings exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carry forwards; (5) the length of time that carryovers can be used; (6) unique tax rules that would impact the utilization of the deferred tax assets; and (7) any tax planning strategies that we would employ to avoid a tax benefit expiring unused.
We may be unable to fully use our net operating losses, or NOLs, if at all. Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” (generally defined as a greater than 50% change, by value, in the corporation’s equity ownership by certain shareholders or groups of shareholders over a rolling three-year period), the corporation’s ability to use its pre-ownership change NOLs to offset its post-ownership change income may be limited. The limitation may be such that it prevents the Company from fully utilizing its NOLs existing at the time of the ownership change prior to their expiration, which could also result in a substantial reduction in the deferred tax asset. We currently carry a valuation allowance against our entire net deferred tax asset. As such, any reduction in the deferred tax asset would also result in an offsetting reduction in the valuation allowance.