Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog

A self-insured retention is a dollar amount specified in the insurance policy that an insured must pay toward a claim before insurance coverage begins to apply to pay for remaining covered amounts. While ordinarily straightforward, insurers may sometimes argue otherwise. In a recent summary judgment ruling in The Archdiocese of New York, et al. v. Century Indem. Company, et al., No. 652825/2023 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Sept. 8, 2025), based on the plain language of the insurance policies, a New York state trial court rejected an insurer attempt to treat a self-insured retention as reducing the amount covered under the policies.