As secondary perils reshape the insurance landscape, Orion180 equips independent agents with the adaptable solutions and underwriting precision needed to secure coverage in a tightening market. While the industry’s technical focus was once dominated by Primary Perils like hurricanes and earthquakes, we are now navigating an era where Secondary Perils—hail, severe storms, and wildfires—demand equal attention. According to the latest Swiss Re Institute Sigma Report, these high-frequency events accounted for a record 92% of the $107 billion in global insured natural catastrophe losses last year. For independent agents, this shift means the standard risks in your book now require a higher level of technical precision and placement versatility.
The Midwest: Precision Underwriting in Hail Alley
The spring of 2026 has already put the Midwest to the test. Severe convective storms across the region continue to produce large hail and significant structural damage. Nationally, hail now accounts for as much as 80% of all severe storm claims, with catastrophe modelers warning that a single massive event in a dense urban corridor could generate up to $30 billion in insured losses.
While some carriers react to these high-frequency perils with broad-brush moratoriums, Orion180 offers a more tactical approach to help you keep your business moving:
- Parcel-level precision: In certain territories, Orion180 doesn’t exit entire ZIP codes based on a bad forecast. Our product utilizes property-specific geocoding to replace generic territory ratings with precision pricing that reflects the true risk of the individual home.
- Roof accommodations: In select markets, we offer adaptable roof coverage eligibility for well-maintained homes, with underwriting based on roof condition, age, and material rather than broad blanket exclusions.
- Broad appetite: We maintain a wide underwriting lane for properties built as far back as 1900. By focusing on the integrity of the structure rather than the year it was built, we help secure coverage for responsible homeowners in established neighborhoods.
The Southern Front: Resilience in the Expanding WUI
As of May 2026, 1.84 million acres have already burned across the U.S.—194% of the ten-year average for this time of year. With wildland fire activity accelerating rapidly and above-normal fire potential forecasted for areas like Arizona, Alabama, and Florida, agents are facing a flight from the market in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI).
Orion180 is leaning into this challenge with a focus on environmental resilience:
- Stability: Despite the volatility, AM Best has maintained a Stable outlook for the U.S. homeowners segment in 2026. We echo this perspective on stability by offering a robust product that provides the regulatory certainty and standard coverage clients need.
- Rewarding mitigation: In certain territories, our underwriting framework recognizes homeowners who invest in science-based mitigation—like fire-resistant materials or defensible space.
- Comprehensive wind/hail options: Critically, in certain fire-prone territories that also face wind threats, our product provides clear, reliable wind and hail coverage options. This ensures your clients aren't left with dangerous gaps in their protection during the peak of the storm season.
Power in Modularity
We know in a tightening market, pricing can be the breaking point. Our product isn’t just a policy; it’s a modular strategic tool designed to help you solve for both protection and budget.
- Customizable coverage choices: You can choose to tailor or exclude non-essential coverages—such as Other Structures (Coverage B) or Loss of Use (Coverage D)—to focus on the dwelling itself.
- Mortgage-compliant versatility:To help you place harder-to-insure risks while meeting specific lender requirements, our product allows for adaptability in certain territories that keeps clients mortgage-compliant.
- Decision velocity via MY180: We’ve built the MY180 portal to match the speed of the market. We aim to support our agents with a workflow that moves from quote to bind in minutes, so you can provide immediate answers to your clients when the weather turns.
Stability is Your Competitive Edge
The Secondary Peril surge is a defining story of the last couple of years, but it doesn’t have to be a story of lost commissions. By partnering with a carrier that treats weather data as a competitive weapon and offers a truly versatile product, you can turn a volatile forecast into a moment of strength for your agency.
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