US Coastal Insurance (Cabrillo Coastal) homeowners insurance

Overview

US Coastal is the name on two small property insurers built for homes near the water: US Coastal Insurance Company, domiciled in New York and writing in the Northeast, and US Coastal Property & Casualty Insurance Company, domiciled in Florida and also writing in Alabama, Mississippi and, under the name Pacific Coastal Property & Casualty, in California. Neither runs its own sales or service operation. Both are administered by Cabrillo Coastal General Insurance Agency, a Florida-based managing general agent that handles underwriting, billing and agent appointments, and claims go to its sister company, Harbor Claims, LLC. Policies are sold through independent agents appointed by Cabrillo Coastal.

The two companies make up the Cabrillo Holding Group, which ranked #95 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $188.4 million (0.10% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data. NAIC data also show a 2025 homeowners loss ratio of about 27% for the group (direct losses incurred against premiums earned), well below the 55.1% direct loss ratio for the homeowners line nationally in the same NAIC report.

A homeowner is likely to see the name in one of three situations: a home near the coast in New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island placed by an independent agent, a Florida policy that arrived as a Citizens takeout, or a California policy that wraps around a FAIR Plan.

History

US Coastal Insurance Company was set up, in its own words, to provide a homeowners product "for people who live along the coast," by founders with more than 150 years of combined experience in the homeowners business. US Coastal Property & Casualty was established in Florida in 2016 and has used Cabrillo Coastal and Harbor Claims for policy service and claims since it began.

Cabrillo Coastal administers more than the US Coastal companies. In Florida it also writes for Safe Harbor Insurance Company, part of the separate Ocean Harbor group, and for Orange Insurance Exchange, and in several states it places some homes with a surplus lines carrier rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best that it does not name on its state pages. Harbor Claims handles claims for Safe Harbor, both US Coastal companies and Orange Insurance Exchange, among others. So a Cabrillo-produced policy may carry any of several insurer names, each with its own rating and its own capital.

In Florida, the state Office of Insurance Regulation approved US Coastal P&C on October 31, 2023 to take policies out of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, with policies assumed in January 2024 (see depopulation and takeout offers from state insurers of last resort). In California, Cabrillo Coastal operates as Pacific Coastal General Insurance Agency.

Homeowners coverage

The core product is an HO-3 open-perils homeowners policy. US Coastal Insurance Company offers it in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, along with a DP-3 dwelling fire policy for seasonal, second or rental homes in all three states and an HO-6 condo policy in New Jersey. US Coastal P&C sells the HO-3 in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and California, HO-6 condo policies in Florida and California, DP-3 dwelling policies in Florida and Mississippi, and a manufactured homeowners (MHO-3) policy in Florida, which Cabrillo points out covers more than the basic MDP-1 manufactured home form common in the Florida market. In Texas, Cabrillo's state page offers only commercial property for condominium associations through US Coastal P&C, not homeowners policies.

California is the most distinctive piece. Alongside a standard HO-3 and HO-6, Pacific Coastal sells HO-3 and HO-6 policies with a Difference in conditions (DIC) policy endorsement, designed to sit on top of a California FAIR Plan policy and add the water damage, theft, liability and other coverages the FAIR Plan does not provide. If your home is on the FAIR Plan for fire, this is the piece that turns it back into something close to a full homeowners policy; see The California FAIR Plan explained.

Cabrillo's state pages mention optional coverages such as scheduled jewelry and protection for rental condos, but do not publish a full endorsement list. On a coastal policy, read the declarations page for the hurricane or named-storm deductible and any wind exclusion before you compare prices.

Discounts and savings

In Florida, premium discounts are available for hurricane loss mitigation on HO-3, DP-3 and HO-6 policies with wind coverage; a wind mitigation inspection documenting roof shape, roof-deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections and opening protection is the usual way to qualify. Other credits are not published, so ask the agent.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Today the group writes in New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island through US Coastal Insurance Company, and in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and California through US Coastal P&C, with condo association property in Texas. Cabrillo's map lists Delaware, North Carolina and South Carolina too, but there it offers other insurers' policies (Safe Harbor or the surplus lines carrier), not US Coastal.

The two moves that matter most for homeowners are the January 2024 Citizens takeout in Florida and the group's presence in California, where many insurers have limited new business and FAIR Plan wrap-around policies are in demand.

Claims

Claims for both companies are reported to Harbor Claims 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 866-482-5246, online through Cabrillo Coastal's claim page, or through your agent. Cabrillo says an adjuster will contact you within 24 hours and most claims settle in less than 30 days. Harbor Claims says it handled more than 8,000 claims after Hurricane Ian made landfall on September 28, 2022 and closed 93.6% by year-end after an in-person adjuster visit, and that it handled thousands more after Idalia, Helene and Milton, with a network of more than 200 adjusters. Photograph the damage, make temporary repairs such as tarping, keep receipts, and do not make permanent repairs before the adjuster inspects.

Ratings and reputation

• Demotech: both US Coastal Insurance Company and US Coastal P&C hold a Financial Stability Rating of A (Exceptional), affirmed September 14, 2026. Demotech puts each company's reinsurance utilization at 60% to 70% of premium.
• KBRA: BBB+ (stable) for US Coastal P&C and BBB (stable) for US Coastal Insurance Company, as shown on the companies' websites in October 2026.
• Not rated by AM Best.

A Demotech A meets Fannie Mae's insurer rating requirement for a mortgaged home (see demotech rating and Demotech ratings and Florida's insurers).

Who it suits

US Coastal suits homeowners near the coast in the Northeast, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, and California homeowners who need a policy to pair with the FAIR Plan, when their independent agent has a Cabrillo Coastal appointment. It suits less well buyers who want to deal directly with an insurer, an AM Best-rated company, or a published list of discounts and endorsements.

• Strengths: a coastal specialist in several hard markets; Demotech A ratings affirmed September 2026 and KBRA ratings of BBB and BBB+; FAIR Plan wrap-around (DIC) policies in California; 24/7 claims through Harbor Claims, which reports fast closure after Hurricane Ian.
• Weaknesses: small, privately held carriers that rely heavily on reinsurance; not rated by AM Best; service and claims run through an MGA and claims affiliate rather than the insurer itself; Cabrillo sells several insurers' policies, so check which company is on your declarations page.

How to contact US Coastal Insurance (Cabrillo Coastal)