The National Security Group, Inc. Releases Update on 2020 Hurricane Losses

The National Security Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSEC) releases preliminary estimates of insured catastrophe losses from Hurricanes Sally and Delta along with updated estimates of catastrophe losses from Hurricane Laura incurred by property and casualty subsidiary National Security Fire & Casualty.

Hurricane Sally

On September 16, 2020, Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores, Alabama as a category 2 storm. Hurricane Sally had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph at landfall and was the eighth tropical cyclone, in the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, to impact the continental U.S.

Our pre-tax loss due to Hurricane Sally is expected to be $2,000,000, net of recoveries under our catastrophe aggregate reinsurance. Net of tax, Hurricane Sally will reduce our 2020 earnings by $1,580,000 and will reduce earnings per share by $0.62. The impact of Hurricane Sally will be reflected in our third quarter financial results. To date, we have had approximately 600 claims reported from Hurricane Sally with approximately 90% of total claims from this event incurred by our Alabama policyholders.

Based on our analysis of historical reporting patterns, preliminary post event model estimates and assessment of claims to date, we estimate our ultimate gross losses from Hurricane Sally to be in the range of $3,000,000 to $3,500,000. While we expect to recover $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 under our catastrophe aggregate reinsurance, based on our estimate of gross losses, we do not expect losses from Hurricane Sally to impact our primary catastrophe reinsurance coverage which is triggered once gross losses exceed $4 million from a single catastrophe event. This first layer of catastrophe reinsurance was reinstated for a second event following losses from Hurricane Laura.

Hurricane Laura - Revision to the Range of Estimated Gross Losses

We are revising our estimate of gross losses due to Hurricane Laura. This revision to gross losses (before reinsurance) is being made following more detailed analysis of reported claims and is primarily due to much higher damage severity to risks, particularly mobile homes, located in areas exposed to Hurricane Laura's category 3 and 4 winds. To date, Hurricane Laura has produced 781 claims with incurred losses exceeding $15,000,000. Approximately 90% of these claims have been reported by our Louisiana policyholders. As disclosed in our previous press release regarding Hurricane Laura, our pre-tax loss net reinsurance recoveries, is expected to be $2,250,000. Net of tax, Hurricane Laura will reduce our 2020 earnings by $1,778,000 and will reduce earnings per share by $0.70. The impact of Hurricane Laura will be reflected in our third quarter financial results.