In this discussion, "Safety" refers to Safety Insurance Group, Inc. and "our Company," "we," "us" and "our" refer to Safety Insurance Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. Our subsidiaries consist of Safety Insurance Company ("Safety Insurance"), Safety Indemnity Insurance Company ("Safety Indemnity"), Safety Property and Casualty Insurance Company ("Safety P&C"), Whiteshirts Asset Management Corporation ("WAMC"), and Whiteshirts Management Corporation, which is WAMC's holding company.
We are a leading provider of private passenger automobile insurance in Massachusetts. In addition to private passenger automobile insurance (which represented 65.9% of our direct written premiums in 2012), we offer a portfolio of other insurance products, including commercial automobile (11.0% of 2012 direct written premiums), homeowners (18.9% of 2012 direct written premiums), dwelling fire, umbrella and business owner policies (totaling 4.2% of 2012 direct written premiums). Operating exclusively in Massachusetts and New Hampshire through our insurance company subsidiaries, Safety Insurance, Safety Indemnity, and Safety P&C (together referred to as the "Insurance Subsidiaries"), we have established strong relationships with independent insurance agents, who numbered 879 in 1,023 locations throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire during 2012. We have used these relationships and our extensive knowledge of the Massachusetts market to become the third largest private passenger automobile and the third largest commercial automobile insurance carrier in Massachusetts, capturing an approximate 11.0% and 12.4% share, respectively, of the Massachusetts private passenger and commercial automobile markets in 2012, according to the Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers ("CAR") Cession Volume Analysis Report of February 26, 2013, based on automobile exposures. These statistics total, for each vehicle insured, the number of months during the year insurance for that vehicle is in effect, to arrive at an aggregate number of car-months for each insurer; this aggregate number, divided by 12, equals the insurer's number of car-years, a measure we refer to in this report as automobile exposures.
We did not have any recoveries from our primary catastrophe reinsurance treaties during the three-year period ended December 31, 2012 because there was no individual catastrophe for which our losses exceeded our retention under the treaties.
The following tables present the point estimation of the recorded reserves and the range of estimations by line of business for net loss and LAE reserves as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.
Our commercial automobile line of business prior year reserves decreased by $1,940 for the year ended December 31, 2012 due primarily to fewer IBNR claims than previously estimated. Our FAIR Plan homeowners reserve decreased by $368 for the year ended December 31, 2012.
The Company is a leading provider of personal lines property and casualty insurance focused primarily on the Massachusetts market. The Company's principal product line is private passenger automobile insurance, which accounted for 65.9% of its direct written premiums in 2012. The Company operates through its insurance company subsidiaries, Safety Insurance Company, Safety Indemnity Insurance Company, and Safety Property and Casualty Insurance Company (together referred to as the "Insurance Subsidiaries").