Leatherstocking Cooperative Insurance Company
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Personal lines appetite is New York only, with a focus on property risks written through independent agents. Current product overview (October 2025) sets key eligibility and valuation parameters for all personal and commercial property. Preferred / target personal lines risks - Homeowners: Primary residence only, including 1–3 family with up to 3 units rented. Clean loss history is preferred and qualifies for a Claim‑Free Renewal Credit. Incidental business or farming exposures can be acceptable subject to underwriter review and approval. - Tenant Homeowners: Written on ML‑4 tenant form with minimum personal property limit of $6,000. - Landlords: 1–4 family rental dwellings are eligible; properties with more than 4 units should be written in commercial lines. Can offer liability limits up to $2M and can accommodate multiple rental locations on one policy with underwriter involvement. A 5% tenant‑insurance credit is available when tenants carry insurance. - Mobile Homeowners & Seasonal Mobile Homes: Mobile homes are acceptable; units 1990 or older are restricted to Form 1 only with ACV loss settlement. Replacement Cost Endorsement may be added for homes 15 years old or newer. Claim‑Free Renewal Credit is also available here. - Seasonal Residences: Standalone seasonal home policies are acceptable (no supporting primary-home account required). Short‑term rentals are allowed but must be cleared with underwriting. For Coverage A limits over $300,000, Form 1 is required unless there is an approved low‑temperature alarm installed (documentation required) and underwriter sign‑off. - Dwelling Fire: Used for unique or non‑packageable risks, including vacant, under‑renovation, or new builds, and standalone barns or condos. Both RC and ACV options are available, allowing flexibility by risk profile. - Dwelling Fire Mobile Homes: Includes rented mobile homes and travel trailers on a dwelling fire basis. Geographic notes - Long Island Homeowners (Suffolk & Nassau Counties): Restricted to primary 1–2 family residences only. Properties located within 1 mile of the coast (including inlets) are prohibited. Risks with prior losses are prohibited. Coverage A limit is capped at $1,000,000 on Long Island. - Building valuation guidance: For personal and commercial property, target replacement cost valuation is generally $170–$250 per square foot, with Long Island higher at $200–$300 per square foot. Replacement Cost requires at least 80% of full value; ACV policies normally have 0% coinsurance, but Enhanced and Classic BOPs require 50% for ACV. General underwriting / eligibility - Policyholder restrictions: Applicants with a history of fraud, bribery, foreclosure, bankruptcy, judgment, or litigation are ineligible. Risks with prior losses, building or code violations, or declined coverage should be referred to underwriting for review and cannot be auto‑bound. - Large accounts: Any risk with Total Insured Value (TIV) over $2,000,000 must be submitted to reinsurers for approval and cannot be bound until approval is obtained. Submission / producer notes - Incidental business or farm exposures on homeowners, short‑term rentals, landlord portfolios on one policy, contractor classes under Fire & Liability, and any risk outside the standard guidelines (e.g., prior losses, high TIV, unusual structures) should be sent to an underwriter before binding coverage. - Long Island homes, properties near any coastline, and accounts approaching the $2M TIV threshold require strict adherence to valuation and distance‑to‑shore rules; do not bind if they fall into prohibited categories. - Claims handling is via the main company site with online loss notice available to both agents and insureds; agents are expected to file a completed loss notice, and using the online loss notice satisfies the company’s requirement for a formal loss notice. Overall operational takeaway: Focus personal lines submissions on well‑valued New York primary residences, standard rentals, mobile and seasonal homes, and dwelling fire risks with good loss history, appropriate construction values, no disqualifying financial/legal history, and, for Long Island, strict compliance with distance‑from‑coast and loss‑free requirements.