Kin is now a licensed direct lender for home equity loans in Florida

CHICAGO — Aug. 7, 2026 — Kin, the direct-to-consumer digital home insurance and financing company, announced today that it is now a licensed lender¹ for its home equity line of credit (HELOC) in Florida. The change replaces the broker-referral model Kin used when it entered home financing in October 2025, giving the company direct control over pricing and the borrowing experience for Florida homeowners.

Homeowners who apply for a HELOC through a traditional bank or credit union typically wait 30 to 45 days for a decision, in a process that often requires an in-person visit. Kin replaces that manual review with automated underwriting based on a soft credit check, which has no effect on their credit score³, so eligible homeowners can receive an approval decision in as few as five minutes.²

“Becoming a licensed lender lets us build the entire HELOC experience end-to-end, from application to funding," said Kin Chief Product Officer Douglas Everson. “It's part of a broader shift for Kin — from being an insurance company to being the place homeowners come to protect, finance and manage their homes."

Kin’s Florida HELOC includes:

• A 100% online application — homeowners link their bank accounts and Kin’s automated underwriting handles the rest.

• Funding up to $750,000, with the option to redraw up to 100% of the line as it is repaid.⁴

• Approval in as few as five minutes and funding in as few as five days.²

• Remote online notarization for counties that permit the recording of e-signatures.

• A direct debt payoff feature that lets borrowers pay off credit card debt directly within the loan process.

“For a lot of homeowners, credit card debt is the thing keeping them up at night, even though the equity to pay it off may already be sitting in their home,” Everson said. “Building a payoff option directly into the loan flow helps someone take care of that in one sitting, instead of juggling separate accounts and extra paperwork.”

For homeowners who locked in a low mortgage rate in recent years, a HELOC offers a way to put that equity to work without touching the original loan. Homeowners can use it to pay down higher-interest credit card debt, cover a home repair, or fund a renovation that’s been on hold — all while keeping their existing mortgage rate in place.

Since launching its direct-to-consumer HELOC in Florida, Kin has already seen results that match that promise: one customer was approved within minutes, reviewed their loan offers and signed in less than 36 hours, then received funding in less than five days. That kind of turnaround is increasingly setting the bar across the industry, and it matters: homeowners want a straightforward way to put their equity to work, and speed is a meaningful part of getting it right.

Kin is pursuing lending licenses in additional states, following the same state-by-state approach it has used to expand its home insurance business.

Florida homeowners can check their rate or learn more about Kin’s HELOC at kin.com/heloc.

About Kin

Kin provides solutions to homeowners to help them save money, simplify tasks, and protect their most valuable assets. Kin Insurance, Inc. offers direct-to-consumer digital home and auto insurance and, through its wholly-owned affiliate Kin Financing, LLC, a mortgage broker and lender, offers home finance services.  The company focuses on supporting underserved homeowners in states with high catastrophic risk. Kin provides more convenient and affordable home and auto insurance coverage by eliminating the need for external agents and analyzing thousands of data points to provide transparent, accurate pricing. Kin complements this with home financing with Kin-exclusive rates to help homeowners secure a better mortgage rate, refinance, or tap into their equity. Kin’s AI-native technology platform delivers a seamless customer experience, customized options, and fast, high-quality service. To learn more, visit kin.com.

1. Financial services are offered by Kin Financing, LLC, 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 910, Chicago, IL 60654 | NMLS #2725728. 

2. Approval may be granted in five minutes but is ultimately subject to verification of income and employment, as well as verification that your property is in at least average condition with a property condition report. Five business day funding timeline assumes closing the loan with our remote online notary. Funding timelines may be longer for loans secured by properties located in counties that do not permit recording of e-signatures or that otherwise require an in-person closing, or that require a waiting period prior to closing.

3. To check the rates and terms you qualify for, we will conduct a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you continue and submit an application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit.

4. The Kin Home Equity Line is an open-end product where the full loan amount (minus the origination fee) will be 100% drawn at the time of origination. The initial amount funded at origination will be based on a fixed rate; however, this product contains an additional draw feature. As the borrower repays the balance on the line, the borrower may make additional draws during the draw period. If the borrower elects to make an additional draw, the interest rate for that draw will be set as of the date of the draw and will be based on an Index, which is the Prime Rate published in the Wall Street Journal for the calendar month preceding the date of the additional draw, plus a fixed margin. Accordingly, the fixed rate for any additional draw may be higher than the fixed rate for the initial draw.

Kin’s HELOC is available only in Florida.