








Challenges to corporate climate commitments, claims about product attributes, overstated investments or support for climate action, and failure to disclose climate risks are on the rise and hitting some courts today, according to a new report, which states that ‘climate-washing’ litigation against companies has increased.
The report “Global trends in climate change litigation: 2023 snapshot” by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science shows that 26 climate-washing cases were filed in 2022 compared with fewer than 10 in 2020.
“Cases concerned with mis- and disinformation on climate change are far from new, but the last few years have seen an explosion of ‘climate-washing’ cases filed before both courts and administrative bodies such as consumer protection agencies,” say the authors of the report, Joana Setzer and Kate Higham.
One of the most significant groups of climate-washing cases to emerge in recent years have been cases challenging the truthfulness of corporate climate commitments, particularly where these are not backed up by adequate plans and policies, the authors wrote.
“The growth in climate-washing cases reflects broader concerns with corporate accountability for climate pledges along with ongoing debates about the role of companies in climate decision-making,” the authors say.
Overall, the report shows that there was a peak in 2021 in new climate litigation, with 266 cases filed. Although only 222 new cases were filed in 2022, the authors caution that it is not yet clear it marks the start of a downward trend.
They point out that the filing of new climate litigation cases in the United States peaked in 2020 during the final year of Donald Trump’s Presidency.
The analysis was based on information on 2,341 climate litigation cases contained in a database compiled by the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. Of these cases, 1,157 were filed since 2015.
The United States continues to be the country with the highest number of documented climate litigation cases, with 1,590 in total. Next is Australia, where 130 cases have been identified, and the United Kingdom with 102. Sixty-seven cases have been filed before the Court of Justice of the European Union. Relatively high numbers of cases have also been documented in Germany (59), Brazil (40) and Canada (35).
The report found that “more than 50% of climate cases have direct judicial outcomes that can be understood as favourable to climate action and in some cases these have led to well documented changes in policy.”
The authors also draw attention to potential future trends, with increasing litigation focused on biodiversity, cases addressing the duties of governments and corporations to protect the ocean, extreme weather events where climate change may not be the central focus, cases concerning short-lived climate pollutants and international litigation between states. To read the full study visit: https://www.lse.ac.uk/ granthaminstitute.
Andrea Wells Vice President, ContentChairman of the Board Mark Wells | mwells@wellsmedia.com
Chief Executive Officer Joshua Carlson | jcarlson@insurancejournal.com
ADMINISTRATION / CIRCULATION
Chief Financial Officer Mark Wooster | mwooster@wellsmedia.com
Circulation Manager Elizabeth Duffy | eduffy@wellsmedia.com
Staff Accountant Sarah Kersbergen | skersbergen@wellsmedia.com
EDITORIAL
V.P. of Content Andrea Wells | awells@insurancejournal.com
Executive Editor Emeritus Andrew Simpson | asimpson@wellsmedia.com
National Editor Chad Hemenway | chemenway@insurancejournal.com
Southeast Editor William Rabb | wrabb@insurancejournal.com
South Central Editor/Midwest Editor Ezra Amacher | eamacher@insurancejournal.com
West Editor Don Jergler | djergler@insurancejournal.com
International Editor L.S. Howard | lhoward@insurancejournal.com
Content Editor Allen Laman | alaman@wellsmedia.com
Assistant Editor Jahna Jacobson | jjacobson@insurancejournal.com
Copy Editor Stephanie Jones | sjones@insurancejournal.com
Columnists & Contributors
Contributors: Jim Korin, Susanne Sclafane, David W. Tralka
Columnists: Chris Burand, Bill Wilson
SALES / MARKETING
Chief Marketing Officer Julie Tinney | jtinney@insurancejournal.com
West Sales Dena Kaplan | dkaplan@insurancejournal.com
Romeo Valdez | rvaldez@insurancejournal.com
Kelly DeLaMora | kdelamora@wellsmedia.com
South Central Sales
Mindy Trammell | mtrammell@insurancejournal.com
Southeast and East Sales (except for NY, PA, CT)
Howard Simkin | hsimkin@insurancejournal.com
Midwest Sales
Lisa Whalen | (800) 897-9965 x180
East Sales (NY, PA and CT only)
Dave Molchan | (800) 897-9965 x145
Advertising Coordinator
Erin Burns | eburns@insurancejournal.com
Insurance Markets Manager
Kristine Honey | khoney@insurancejournal.com
Sr. Sales & Marketing Coordinator
Laura Roy | lroy@insurancejournal.com
Marketing Administrator Alberto Vazquez | avazquez@insurancejournal.com
Marketing Director Derence Walk | dwalk@insurancejournal.com
DESIGN / WEB / VIDEO
V.P. of Design
Guy Boccia | gboccia@insurancejournal.com
Web Team Lead
Josh Whitlow | jwhitlow@insurancejournal.com
Ad Ops Specialist Jeff Cardrant | jcardrant@insurancejournal.com
Web Developer Terrance Woest | twoest@wellsmedia.com
Web Developer Jason Chipp | jchipp@wellsmedia.com
V.P. of New Media
Bobbie Dodge | bdodge@insurancejournal.com
Videographer/Editor Ashley Waldrop | awaldrop@insurancejournal.com
ACADEMY OF INSURANCE
Director Patrick Wraight | pwraight@ijacademy.com
Online Training Coordinator George Jack | gjack@ijacademy.com
‘The growth in climate-washing cases reflects broader concerns with corporate accountability…’
UFG Specialty is a growing company with an appetite to match.
Whether it’s building partnerships or providing excellent service in the evolving excess and surplus marketplace, we adapt to meet our brokers where they need us most.
We pride ourselves on being a responsive carrier with the underwriting expertise to provide innovative solutions for complex risks.
At UFG Specialty, we want your tough accounts. For
The United States lacks comprehensive cybercrime data and monitoring — leaving the country less prepared to combat cybercrime, according to a June report by the United States Government Accountability office.
Federal agencies included in the study noted that there is no single agreed-upon definition of cybercrime or cyber-enabled crime across the government or among law enforcement agencies.
“Seven of 12 agencies (HSI, FBI, DEA, BJS, CCIPS, USPIS, and IRS) reported that the lack of a shared definition of cybercrime impedes the development of shared metrics,” reads the report. “Specifically, given the lack of a standardized definition and varying definitions used by law enforcement agencies, significant work would be required to collect consistent and comparable data on cybercrime.”
Per the report, cybercrime (including
cyber-enabled crime) generally consists of criminal activities that target a computer or network for damage or infiltration or use the internet to conduct criminal activity. The GOA report notes that cybercrime in the United States is increasing, resulting in billions of dollars in losses and threatening public safety.
Agencies’ formal definitions vary. For example, one agency in the study noted that it generally uses the term “cybercrime” to refer to criminal activity committed using a computer but does not independently define cybercrime or cyber-enabled crime.
Another agency specified that it prefers to use the term “computer intrusions.” So, even to the extent they are tracking similar crime data, the report found agencies may not be identifying the same types of offenses as “cybercrime” or “cyber-enabled crime.”
In addition, the GOA found that agency systems vary in the manner and extent
to which they collect data on cybercrime, which limits their ability to consistently track data. Also, data on cybercrime is not collected at a centralized location.
Provisions of the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act — enacted in 2022 — are aimed at addressing some of the existing limitations in how cybercrime data are collected and reported. The development of a cybercrime taxonomy and category in the FBI’s NIBRS system target the lack of a common definition and uniform approach to collecting data on cybercrime, for example.
That taxonomy is due to be completed one year after DOJ enters into its agreement with the National Academies of Science. The establishment of a cybercrime category is due to be completed in May 2024.
“Thus, while it is too early to tell how effective these efforts will be in addressing existing limitations, we plan to monitor these activities,” the GOA wrote.
That's the number of lives lost in the U.S. to firearms in 2021 — the second year of the pandemic — reveals a new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, analyzing 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The number is 3,608 higher than 2020’s total. More than half of these deaths — 26,328 — were due to suicide, up 2,036 over 2020 firearm suicides.
$16.8 Million
The amount the Kansas Insurance Department has distributed to firefighters across the state, funds generated by a 2% tax paid by insurance companies on fire and lightning insurance premiums written in Kansas. The funds may pay for the health, accident, disability and life insurance premiums of local firefighters, KID said.
$275,000
The amount a Port Allen, Louisiana, pharmacy, and its owner, must pay to resolve a federal civil lawsuit under the Controlled Substances Act, according to U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe Jr. Stevens Pharmacy and Steven Gough are required to pay civil penalties for the alleged unlawful dispensing or distribution of controlled substances based on facially invalid prescriptions and for allegedly failing to maintain accurate inventories of certain controlled substances between Jan. 1, 2018, and March 4, 2020.
769,000
The approximate number of citations issued by U.S. law enforcement for traffic violations per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in January 2023. That’s down from a pre-pandemic average of about 1,500 citations per 100 million miles in January 2020, according to data analytics company TransUnion. A TransUnion report shows that citations decreased despite an increase in traffic fatalities and a deterioration in motorists’ driving habits.
The approximate number of retired California state employees and other beneficiaries whose personal information – including Social Security numbers – was among data stolen by Russian cybercriminals in the breach of a popular file-transfer application, according to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.
The breach of the MOVEit program is estimated by cybersecurity experts to have compromised hundreds of organizations globally.
It’s not nice, it’s not kind, it’s just an ugly fact: to the winner go the spoils. We think those spoils belong to you. In fact, we’ve built an entire company dedicated to helping you show up first with the best option for your client. Because we all know what happens to the guy who shows up second.
We help you win.
“If there were aspects of the design or construction of this vessel that were kept from the passengers or it was knowingly operated despite information that it was not suitable for this dive, that would absolutely go against the validity of the waiver.”
— Texas-based personal injury attorney and maritime law expert Matthew D. Shaffer said regarding the possibility that families of victims lost on the Titan submersible, which apparently imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic in June, may still be able to file lawsuits against the vessel’s owner despite liability waivers signed by the passengers, according to a Reuters report.
“Medical debt is different than other debt. It’s spontaneous. It doesn’t reflect someone’s credit worthiness.”
— Said New York Assemblymember Amy Paulin, a Brooklyn Democrat, said after state legislators passed a bill that would ban hospitals and other health care providers in New York from reporting medical debt to credit agencies under a bill passed by the state’s legislature. If signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the law would make New York the second state, after Colorado, to prohibit medical debt from being collected by credit reporting agencies or included in a credit report.
“We observed many MPD officers who did their difficult work with professionalism, courage and respect. … But the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible.”
— U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference after the Justice Department released a report alleging that Minneapolis, Minnesota, police have systematically discriminated against Black and Native American people for years and often violated constitutional rights following a sweeping investigation that began after George Floyd was killed. The two-year probe found that Minneapolis officers often used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force.”
“The Texas Supreme Court’s decision is disappointing to say the least. People lost their lives and the only recourse to the citizens of Texas is to be able to go through the judicial process, and the judicial system, to try to remedy or right the wrong that occurred in this case. And if you can’t count on our judiciary to protect its citizens, I think we’re in a lot of trouble.”
— Commented attorney Majed Nachawati in a Texas Tribune report, regarding the Texas Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision finding that sovereign immunity protects the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — which manages the power supply for most of Texas — from lawsuits. Thousands sued ERCOT over deaths, injuries and damages stemming from the deadly 2021 winter storm during which it cut power to millions of homes and businesses.
“Investigators shall have the same authority as a law enforcement officer to tow or remove a vehicle that is obstructing a public street or highway.”
— From House Bill 140, signed into law by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, which allows cities to hire civilian traffic investigators to handle some traffic accidents, freeing up police officers for other duties. It had overwhelming support in the state legislature. Investigators must be trained, wear uniforms that are different from police, cannot carry weapons, have no power to arrest people, and can work only accidents involving property damage, not injuries.
“If your insurance company is going to increase your premium, you have a right to know why. … This is pretty basic information you should expect from your insurance company, but we hear from hundreds of consumers every year who cannot get a clear, understandable answer on why they’re being charged more.”
— Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said, after a rule requiring insurers to explain premium increases to their policyholders “in language they can understand,” was adopted by the state’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner. The new rule is designed to create more transparency for consumers, and it is intended to give insurers sufficient time to implement the new consumer protections in two phases
With ample capital, Fitch Ratings’ latest annual ‘U.S. Hurricane Season’ report indicates U.S. property and casualty (P/C) and reinsurers can absorb losses if a large hurricane makes landfall this year.
Hurricane Ian was the only storm to touch down in the U.S. in 2022 but brought sizeable insured losses totaling $60 billion, turning the year into one of the costliest on record.
The homeowners insurance market in Florida bore the brunt, with direct loss ratio climbing to more than 125%.
“Several of the largest homeowners’ insurers in Florida have actively reduced policies in force through significant rate adjustments, targeted non-renewals and enhanced underwriting restrictions as a way to manage overall exposure,” said Senior Director Chris Grimes.
In April, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation levied a 1% emergency assessment on all covered lines of business
except auto, according to Fitch, in order to secure funds to cover claims payments relating to the liquidation of United Property & Casualty Insurance Company. Preliminary hurricane forecasts for the year indicate a below average season is expected, “with the probability of a storm hitting the U.S. Atlantic coast comparable to long-term historical averages,” the report stated.
June/July midyear 2023 reinsurance renewals will be challenging for Florida primary underwriters, according to the report, due to increased selectivity and the many companies that have “either partially or completely withdrawn from the property catastrophe market.”
“Sharp changes in reinsurance pricing and underwriting conditions have improved market profit potential, spurring actions indicative of renewed optimism by several established carriers,” said Senior Director Brian Schneider.
As a result of multiple insurers exiting
the homeowners market in Florida, coupled with those that liquidated, Citizen’s Property Insurance Corporation, the state-sponsored insurer of last resort, increased its policies in-force to 1.3 million, representing a 68% increase since year end 2021.
The main source of underwriting volatility remains natural catastrophes, the Fitch report outlined.
Efforts to stabilize the Florida homeowners market, “beset by rapidly growing loss costs and litigation rates on claims,” have come in the form of major reforms signed into Florida law in recent years.
Pro-insurance laws, signed into effect in December 2022, “include the removal of one-way attorney fees, prohibition of the assignment of benefits and limitations on the ability of policyholders to file bad faith claims against insurers,” the report stated.
Policyholder gains from the newly enacted laws include provisions to encourage prompt settlement of claims.
Claims involving lightning in 2022 resulted in homeowners insurance payouts approaching $1 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
The total value of claims in 2022 attrib-
utable to lightning was $952 million, down from $1.3 billion in 2021, said Triple-I.
“Insurers are moving toward predicting and preventing losses by advocating for resilience in coordination with the realtime application of technology,” said Sean Kevelighan, CEO, Triple-I. “Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 18-24) highlights the dangers lightning poses to life and property and how insurers and policyholders are reducing these risks.”
There were 62,189 claims involving lightning in 2022, up from 60,851 in 2021.
Florida had the highest number of lightning claims in 2022, with 5,504. California had the highest average cost per claim at $36,319. The national average cost per claim was $15,280.
According to the National Weather Service, Lightning Safety Awareness Week started in 2001 to call attention to
Head north.
For over 40 years, NORTHFIELD, a Travelers company, has been a home to businesses that don’t fit into the standard lines marketplace. Northfield offers coverage for hard-to-place business through our appointed Excess & Surplus Lines wholesalers. We provide the advantages that make a difference in quoting new business and winning it.
And as a Travelers company, our A++ rating* for financial strength and stability provides confidence and security – a difference few other carriers can match.
lightning being an underrated killer. Since the awareness campaign, U.S. lightning fatalities has dropped from about 55 per year to less than 30.
Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance business of Marsh McLennan, announced the expansion of its Cyber team with a series of appointments and promotions.
Matthew McCabe has been appointed managing director of cyber broking. He is based in New York.
McCabe previously was general counsel and risk officer at Kivu Consulting, where he was general counsel and risk officer. He also previously has served as a senior vice president at Marsh, responsible for cyber policy. Before that, he served in policy and counsel roles with the U.S. government.
Grace Seigle has joined Guy Carpenter as a cyber broker based in New York, serving the business’ global client base. She will focus on sourcing capital for the underdeveloped cyber retrocession market. She joins from Gallagher Re.
Guy Carpenter also named Souki Chahid head of international cyber analytics. Chahid will partner closely with Jess Fung, head of North America cyber analytics, and The Marsh McLennan Cyber Risk Analytics Center. Chahid previously worked at CFC as cyber modeling manager.
Zain Awan has been named International Cyber ILS lead, with responsibility for further strengthening Guy Carpenter’s analytical and transactional capabilities to support the growth of the sector. He will also partner with GC Securities to structure and deliver cyber insurance-linked securities transactions. He was most recently senior vice president, Reinsurance Broker & Actuary, in Guy Carpenter’s London Cyber team.
Sabra Purtill has been named permanent chief financial officer of American International Group (AIG).
Purtill was called on in late January to fill the role of interim CFO after the firing of former interim CFO Mark Lyons, who AIG said violated his employment terms with the insurer.
Lyons, who was also executive vice president, global chief actuary, and head of portfolio management, was appointed interim CFO for just a couple of weeks for Shane Fitzsimons, who took what was then a temporary medical leave of absence. Fitzsimons is now stepping down after his leave.
Purtill previously served as CFO of Corebridge Financial.
Prior to that, she was AIG’s executive vice president and chief risk officer, and deputy chief financial officer.
Prior to AIG, Purtill held senior leadership roles in finance and investor relations at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., Assured Guaranty, and ACE Limited (now Chubb).
Alliant Insurance Services has named several new leaders in its real estate and hospitality vertical.
New Executive Vice President and Managing Director Eric Harper has been in the insurance industry for over 28 years, most recently as EVP and team leader at USI Insurance Services.
Senior Vice President Bill Havard has worked in the insurance brokerage industry
for more than 25 years, most recently as senior vice president at USI Insurance Services.
Senior Vice President Steve Sclimenti has some 16 years of commercial insurance experience, most recently as senior vice president-property and casualty insurance broker and consultant at USI Insurance Services.
Robert Engles, first vice president, has worked in the insurance brokerage industry for over 22 years, most recently as partner and vice president at USI Insurance Services.
Alliant Insurance Services is based in California.
East
Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited has appointed Robert Tartaglia to the newly created position of SVP, chief operations officer, insurance. Tartaglia will be based in Aspen’s Jersey City, New Jersey, offices.
Tartaglia has over 20 years of complex global operations, IT, and transformation experience in insurance and reinsurance, including global COO at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, chief broking COO at Aon, and various senior operations and technology roles at AIG.
He was most recently operational strategy and growth leader at AIG.
Insurance brokerage
NFP appointed Hamid Abuzaid as the new leader of its
occupational health and safety group (OHS).
NFP is headquartered in New York, New York.
Abuzaid joined NFP in 2019. He previously served as public health and safety expert and site visitor of the institutional biosafety committee at WIRB-Copernicus Group and as senior health and safety consultant at GCG Risk Management. He also previously worked in environmental public health and emergency preparedness for the New York State Department of Health.
Lockton Re has appointed Gregg Cunningham as senior broker and North American property facultative leader. Cunningham is based in New York, where Lockton Re is headquartered.
With more than three decades of industry experience, Cunningham joins Lockton Re from Liberty Mutual Insurance, where he served as executive vice president, leading Liberty’s national property practice. Before that, he spent more than 16 years in various senior property underwriting roles with Travelers. Cunningham has also held property facultative and treaty leadership positions at CNA Re, Swiss Re and Munich Re. He began his career in 1990 with the former National Re.
Atain Insurance Companies hired Linc Trimble as its chief underwriting officer. Trimble worked as a consultant with Atain leadership since February and started his new role on June 1.
Attain is headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Trimble is based in Charlotte,
North Carolina, and has more than 35 years of industry experience.
Before joining Atain, he served as the chief executive officer of StarStone US after founding its U.S. excess casualty division and serving as its global head of casualty.
Carmel, Indiana-based Allied Solutions has promoted Mark Bugalski to executive vice president (EVP) and chief growth officer.
Bugalski most recently served as senior vice president and chief growth officer. Bugalski has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined Allied Solutions in 2004 and began his career at Securian Financial.
Through 2023, Bugalski will partner with outgoing Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer David Underdale. Underdale plans to retire in December 2023 after nearly 40 years at Allied Solutions and Allied’s parent company, Securian Financial.
South Central
XPT Specialty hired Catrina Williams as vice president and broker in the commercial lines division of XPT’s Texas offices.
Williams began her insurance career almost 30 years ago at CRC Insurance Services in Glendale, California, exclusively in the wholesale property and casualty space. Most recently, she served as vice president at Select Risk Services, Inc. in Bellaire, Texas.
XPT is headquartered in New York, New York.
Meadors, Adams & Lee Insurance, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, has named J.K.
Patterson a shareholder.
Patterson, who joined the agency as a property and casualty producer in 2014, is just the seventh shareholder in the company’s 114-year history. He joins President Roberts Lee as a current owner.
Patterson previously worked as an underwriter for ACE USA in Houston, Texas, and as special assistant to the Texas Department of Agriculture commissioner.
Southeast
The insurance broker McGriff, part of Carolinabased Truist Insurance Holdings, has hired Rodney Ledford as strategic growth officer for its small business and personal lines division.
Ledford has 18 years of experience in the lines, most recently as vice president at a global insurer, McGriff said in a news release. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management and society from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Truist, one of the largest insurance brokers in the world, and McGriff are headquartered in Charlotte.
West EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants named Kevin Daley president, Western Region private client leader.
Daley has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, most
recently as president of field operations across three zones and 10 regions for PURE Insurance.
He also held roles at Marsh, Chubb and AIG.
Alera Group named Mark Dennis managing director for the Northwest region, which includes 16 locations across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Wyoming.
Dennis joined Propel Insurance, an Alera Group company, 17 years ago and most recently was Propel’s executive director of P/C services.
Before that, he was the director of personal lines and small commercial operations. Before joining Propel, he spent 20 years in various positions at Allstate.
Alera is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
Steve Mangapit, the COO of the Western Growers Family of Cos., has assumed the duties of president of Pinnacle Claims Management Inc.
He replaces David Zanze, who retired after 38 years of service at Pinnacle.
Mangapit joined WGFC in January 2022 as its first chief operating officer. He previously worked at Western Growers Assurance Trust/Pinnacle Claims Management Inc. from 2010 to 2014 as director of administration and assistant vice president, operations.
Pinnacle is headquartered in Irvine, California.
Jamin Valdez has joined Woodruff Sawyer as vice president, construction.
He will be based in Southern California and will specialize in environmental insurance
and environmental site analysis.
Before joining Woodruff Sawyer, Valdez was a senior vice president for NFP. Before that, he was a vice president for JLT Specialty and an account executive for Aon Risk Services.
Woodruff Sawyer is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara appointed new members Janise Graham and Doug Smith, as well as reappointed members Monique Howard and Sandra Moriarty to the Curriculum Board. Lara also appointed Nona Tirre Miranda to the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan Advisory Committee.
The Curriculum Board oversees pre-licensing and continuing education development for agents and brokers. The governor and California Legislature created CAARP to provide auto insurance for motorists unable to obtain coverage in the private market.
The Pacific Interstate Insurance Brokers board appointed Ashley Bernardi as vice president and chief operation officer.
Bernardi has more than 14 years of experience, beginning her career at PIIB as a part-time bookkeeper and executive assistant. In 2013, she was promoted to human resources. In 2019, she was named operations manager.
PIIB shareholders have appointed two new directors to the board: Patricia Kinter Lebosnoyani and Dave Nelson.
PIBB is headquartered in El Dorado Hills, California.
Marsal served as financial and tax advisor to Insurance Quantified.
Arbour National, Southern Trust Insurance
North Carolina-based Arbour National, a privately held insurance holding company, has become majority owner in Southern Trust Insurance and its sister wholesale company, Southern Specialty Underwriters, the firms announced.
World Insurance Associates, Bryant Asset Protection, B. R. Alexander & Co., The Mogil Organization Insurance broker World Insurance Associates LLC recently completed three acquisitions in the Northeast U.S. region.
World Insurance acquired substantially all the insurance assets of Bryant Asset Protection Inc. of Slingerlands, New York.
BAP was founded in 1951 by Charles Bryant, and today serves businesses and individual insurance customers primarily in Albany, Saratoga, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties. The firm also has business in 12 other states.
World Insurance also acquired the business of B. R. Alexander & Co. Inc. of Boston.
B. R. Alexander was founded in 1937. The agency provides commercial and personal insurance in 25 states, with the majority of customers located in Massachusetts and the broader New England area. B.R. Alexander has clients in various industries, including real estate, commercial marine, educational, financial and medical institutions, as well as nonprofits.
World Insurance has additionally acquired the business of The Mogil Organization LLC of New York, New York.
Since 1957, Mogil has offered corporate and personal insurance to businesses and families. Mogil also provides financial planning tools to clients.
Terms of the three transactions were not disclosed.
World Insurance Associates is headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey. Since its founding in 2011, World has completed over 190 acquisitions and serves its customers from more than 250 offices across the country. World is ranked #24 on the Top 100 P&C Agencies by Insurance Journal and ranked #20 on the Top 50 Personal Lines Agencies by Insurance Journal.
Insurance Quantified, Groundspeed Analytics
Insurance Quantified, a commercial property/casualty underwriting technology provider, has acquired Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Groundspeed Analytics, an ingestion and data solutions provider for the commercial P/C industry.
The combination strengthens Insurance Quantified’s market leadership in underwriting technology and furthers its mission to maximize the value of data for commercial P/C insurers, according to the acquisition announcement.
Insurance Quantified’s end-to-end underwriting workbench, SubmissionIQ, and Groundspeed’s ingestion and data solution will continue separately.
Eric Kobe will join the Insurance Quantified leadership team. Insurance Quantified will also open an office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Groundspeed was founded.
The acquisition was completed on June 20.
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, served as legal counsel and Alvarez &
Terms of the deal were not disclosed in the news release, except that Arbour National will contribute $20 million to Southern Trust’s surplus amount.
Southern Trust, based in Macon, Georgia, is a 55-year old company that offers property/casualty products for independent agents. It will continue to operate independently and CEO Les Cole will remain at the helm, the statement said. Southern Trust founder Billy Anderson will remain as a board member and shareholder.
Southern Specialty is a wholesale provider of specialized coverage for personal and commercial operations.
The merger is subject to regulatory approval.
Parametric flood insurance company FloodFlash announced new partnerships with EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants to provide additional flood insurance options to businesses in California.
A parametric flood insurance available to the mass market, FloodFlash’s coverage combines IoT sensor technology, computer models, and cloud software.
FloodFlash is headquartered in London, is a registered coverholder at Lloyd’s of London and is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
San Francisco-based EPIC Insurance Brokers provides insurance services, including risk management, property/casualty, employee benefits, specialty program insurance and private client services.
More than half of the U.S. population resides in a county that is likely to experience stormwater system failure due to flooding from heavy rainfall events, according to a new report published by First Street Foundation.
Another 17.7 million properties across the country are at substantial flood risk, which is more than two times greater than the amount included in FEMA’s 1-in-100 year Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the report found.
FSF’s “The 8th National Risk Assessment: The Precipitation Problem” reveals an urgent need for accurate rainfall data at the federal level. The report states that National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and FEMA rely on outdated precipitation data.
NOAA’s current analyses of rainfall estimates don’t reflect present rainfall conditions or the changing climate and are inconsistent across regions, the report said. NOAA received appropriations from Congress in 2023 to update its analyses but such work will not be completed until 2027.
The FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) – the current authoritative flood risk information standard in the U.S. – doesn’t adequately account for precipitation, which leaves over half the country unaccounted for flood risk, according to the report.
FSF created a precipitation model (FSF-PM) to correct NOAA’s inaccuracies and provide a better understanding of heavy precipitation occurrence and flood risk. What the NOAA labels as 1-in-100 year precipitation events are estimated by FSF-PM to occur in many locations more frequently than previously estimated, the report said.
Fifty-one percent of the population is now more than twice as likely to experience what the local communities would consider a 1-in-100 year flood, according to FSM’s modeling.
Outdated characterization of flood risk is further exacerbated by the FEMA SFHA, the report said.
There are over 8 million properties not included in SFHA that are at risk of flooding due to precipitation, FSF’s flood
model found. The states with the highest percentage of their properties not included in the SFHA due to precipitation risk include Washington D.C. (91%), Mississippi (90%), Iowa (83%), Kentucky (83%), and Rhode Island (83%), the report said.
“Nautilus cares about people, not just policies. For decades, they have treated me with empathy and consistently demonstrated core values every insurance company should emulate. I know I am a vital partner, and my business matters.”
Mike Rodrigue President Rodco Worldwide
Climate change is the cause of a key emerging risk identified by Swiss Re’s SONAR report, which is leading to the opening of previously frozen waterways in the Arctic and the creation of new shipping and trade routes.
The economic and strategic potential of the region is coinciding with the potential for environmental exposure and geopolitical frictions, raising concerns about how economic activities and related risks will be controlled in the region, indicated the report published this month, titled Swiss Re SONAR – New emerging risk insights.”
The SONAR report explained that the Arctic region is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the globe — which is driving this “Arctic opening.”
“The concurrent increases in economic interests, environmental change and geopolitical tensions make the Arctic a hotbed for emerging risks and potential risk accumulation,” according to Patrick Raaflaub, Swiss Re’s Group Chief Risk Officer, in a statement accompanying the report.
The report discussed the potential impacts of these climate-related changes in the Arctic:
• Demand for insurance related to economic activities in the Arctic region — ranging from marine trade, to fishing, to mining, to oil and gas drilling and to tourism — is likely to grow.
• Arctic opening and permafrost melt give rise to environmental risks, which could impact property and specialty lines of business. Pollution could trigger casualty insurance policies. (Rising temperatures are releasing methane and other greenhouse gases, which further accelerates
global warming, the report said.)
• Economic and geopolitical uncertainties bring strategic and reputational risks.
• Potential for business disruptions in the region, and also for secondary effects on global supply chains is elevated.
• The release and migration of pathogens formerly frozen in ice and permafrost could be the source of new epidemics/ pandemics.
• Cooperation among the eight member states of the Arctic Council has been suspended, fostering governance, regulatory and legal uncertainties. These will impact also the regulatory framework for insureds and insurers. (The council’s member states are: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the U.S. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the other Impact Medium
seven member states declared a joint suspension of collaboration with Russia in the council, the report explained.)
• The prospect of military conflict in the region has increased, changing the risk landscape for entities active in the region and their insurers. (The report noted that Russia sees Arctic ice melting as a defense threat.)
“Melting sea ice covers and permafrost threaten the foundations of buildings in the region, and livelihoods.
Arctic populations are seeing their sources of marine and wild food disappearing, and their homes being destroyed,” the report continued.
“The risk profile of many activities in the region will change as temperatures continue to rise. Among the effects are sea-level rise, which threatens settlements and industrial installations. Also, toxic waste deposited in prior decades in the course of military, mining and other adventures can be uncovered and dispersed, leading to environmental pollution,” it said.
“And, melting ice and thawing permafrost may result in release of infectious pathogens, new sources of potential epidemics and pandemics. Other threats are wildfires and heatwaves, and their effect on soil quality and nutrients. These also change the composition of the Arctic
Potential impacts of Arctic opening. Source: Swiss Re
forests, which could render the latter less resilient.”
The trend of increasing environmental and economic risk is paired with the strategic interests and military ambitions of the eight nations with coasts on the Arctic sea — the members of the Arctic Council, the SONAR report added.
Many nations have a military presence and infrastructures in the region, and some are ramping up their capabilities, “with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine having raised the risk of conflict in the region,” the report said, noting that these tensions coincide with NATO’s admission of Finland in April 2023 and Sweden application is pending.
Severe weather created when a stationary front trapped warm, humid air over Texas and the Southeast caused an estimated $5.5 billion in insured
losses, Karen Clark & Co. said in a briefing in late June.
KCC said there were dozens of incidences of softball-sized hail reported in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia, as well has hurricane-force wind throughout the south. Several damaging tornadoes also formed.
In all, 25 states were impacted. There were 1,557 reports of hail, 93 reports of tornadoes and 2,719 reports of damaging wind gusts.
The trouble started on June 10, when an upper-level jet stream split into a northern branch and a southern branch. That led to the formation of upper-level troughs in the western and eastern United States and a stationary front that extended from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.
The pattern lingered through June 19, leading to near-daily storm formations from Colorado to Georgia. KCC said the stationary front prevented warm, humid air from moving northward and diffusing.
Steady onshore winds replenished the heat and moisture used by convective storms.
In addition, the southern branch of the upper-level jet stream provided vertical wind shear which intensified updrafts, allowing hailstones to remain suspended and grow to very large sizes, KCC said. A 5.5-inch hailstone was reported in Wheeler County, Texas. Hail stones from four to five inches in diameter landed in Mississippi and Arkansas.
Texas experienced the most damage from this event, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, KCC said. Severe hail from recurring “supercell thunderstorm activity” dropped softball-sized hail in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Thunderstorms also produced a 100-mph wind gust near Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Two confirmed EF-3 tornadoes were formed during the weeklong weather event, causing damage in Perrytown, Texas and Louin, Mississippi.
American workers are struggling. Employee stress has reached record highs. Symptoms and formal diagnoses of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and PTSD are rising. Substance abuse disorders are up, too — as are suicide rates in some demographics.
Understanding how employee well-being impacts workers and employer workers’ compensation programs has become increasingly important. During a recent Insurance Journal webinar event, three experts discussed the impact of overall worker health and well-being on workplace safety and risk.
Each presented a unique perspective. Throughout the webinar, though, the three panelists seemed to agree: It’s crucial for employers to encourage workplace environments that help employees perform at their very best.
Dr. L. Casey Chosewood works for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as associate director of strategic initiatives and director of the office of total worker health.
Before the pandemic, he said, about one in three or one in four workers would report a mental health condition over the course of their careers. During the pandemic, however, that same level of reporting was seen over just a two-year period.
Chosewood emphasized the importance of employers being open to discussing issues of mental health and providing resources to assist workers facing these challenges. Chosewood has been told about one in three workers report their mental health has worsened as they transition back to life after the pandemic.
Dr. Marcos Iglesias, chief medical director and vice president at Travelers Insurance, pointed to an increase in employee burnout, which is associated with feelings of exhaustion, disengagement
and depleted energy levels. Forty-one percent of U.S. workers report feeling burnout — the highest level since May 2021.
“I think the pandemic accelerated some things,” Iglesias said. “It did make us much more open to talking about some of these things, and that is very good. But that’s only part of where we need to be. We need some solutions, and we need to help people engage back into society and into their lives.”
Rich Ives, vice president of business insurance claims, Travelers Insurance, said that Travelers’ data shows a recent trend of higher proportions of injured employees experiencing mental wellbeing challenges as well.
Travelers’ recently released 2023 Injury Impact Report analyzes five years of workers’ compensation injuries from more than 1.2 million claims. Ives highlighted several important takeaways from the report — the first being that newer employees are at a greater risk of injury.
“First-year employees, regardless of age or industry experience, accounted for 34% of all claims – and nearly seven million missed workdays in the sample that we looked at,” Ives said. “Which is a little out of pattern, given that first-year employees make up 20% of the American workforce.”
Second: An employee’s age was a driving factor in the cost of claims. In other words, older workers, while lower in frequency, have a higher severity than their
younger coworkers for the same or similar injuries, according to Ives.
This is noteworthy, he said, given the aging of the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of people in the workforce who are 65 years old and older will account for more than 60% of the growth in the labor force during the current decade.
Lastly, Travelers noted an increase in the number of missed workdays among injured workers overall. The injuries Travelers analyzed accounted for more than 18 million days of missed work due to a workplace injury. That’s up from the previous year’s Injury Impact report which counted only 17 million missed days. The average duration of a workers’ comp injury is 71 days.
The newer trend of remote working hasn’t really added to workers’ comp claims in a big way, he added. According to Ives, less than 1% of Travelers’ workers’ compensation claims come from individuals who work at home.
While mental health claims are not always a compensable workers’ comp claim, they can be in some cases. When explaining the criteria for compensable mental claims, Ives first highlighted the necessity for the claim to “arise out of course and scope of work.” In the U.S., each state system determines what they deem compensable workers’ compensation claims. In most states, for example, if a first responder witnesses a traumatic event, psychological issues that arise after that event are often defined as compensable.
Employers addressing mental health by offering employee benefit options may find that helpful in today’s competitive hiring landscape.
According to Iglesias, a recent survey shows that 41% of employees are seeking employers who offer benefits such as mental health care. They’re looking for more than just a
paycheck, he said — they’re looking for meaning, purpose, work-life balance and mental health benefits.
“That puts an onus on employers,” Iglesias said. “I think it’s crucial that employers understand that this is something that people are looking for and develop comprehensive programs that are going to address those needs.”
He said that a comprehensive approach that develops a culture of health and well-being is part of the solution. This includes raising mental health awareness, providing workforce education and addressing prevention and intervention help when needed.
Employers may feel comfortable setting up an office high blood pressure screening. But, he asked, how comfortable would they be setting up screenings for depression or other mental health issues? Forward-thinking companies and employers recognize the value, he said.
Dr. Chosewood says that NIOSH research
shows that workplace policies, programs and practices can directly influence the health of Americans in both positive and negative ways. NIOSH’s Total Worker Health program, which is about two decades old, analyzes some of these factors and provides a roadmap to better performance, fewer injuries and lower spending for workers’ compensation and health care, among others benefits.
“We’ve analyzed those companies that have this comprehensive approach, and they succeed,” Chosewood said.
One way to help the wellbeing of workers today — offer flexible options, Chosewood added. The full story has yet to be written on how the increase in remote work has changed relationships with coworkers — and employee lives, he said. Early research findings show those who do well from a mental health standpoint have the option to work from home and the office, he added.
“They have the highest level of reported
positive mental health,” Chosewood explained, followed by those who work in person full time. Those reporting the highest levels of mental distress and mental health symptoms are full-time remote workers, he added.
But it is early in data tracking for remote work and worker wellbeing. He stressed these findings come from one study with early data — but added it’s clear that benefits like flexibility and decreasing commutes are weighed against feelings of loneliness and disconnection from coworkers. Finding a mix and offering flexibility is “probably the sweet spot for most workers,” he said.
To watch the full webinar, Mental Health: Can Workers’ Comp Handle the Stress?, which includes conversations regarding small businesses, the intersection of mental health and delayed recovery visit: https://www.insurancejournal.com/ research/research/mental-health-canworkers-comp-handle-the-stress.
Reinsurers will continue to command adequate rates for property-catastrophe in 2024, even if the market comes through hurricane season unscathed, reinsurance company executives said.
Kevin O’Donnell, president and chief executive officer of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., and Brian Young, president and CEO of Odyssey Group Holdings, gave their assessment of the current hard market, and drivers they believe will persist into next year during a session of the S&P Global Ratings 39th Annual Insurance Conference in New York in June.
Responding to a question from S&P Global Senior
Director Taoufik Gharib, who asked about reinsurance market dynamics, O’Donnell focused his comments on investors supplying reinsurance capital and their mandates for higher returns on their investments. Gharib specifically noted the CEOs’ references earlier in the session, and on RenRe’s several earnings calls, to the “step change” — or substantial, non-incremental change — in property-cat reinsurance rates that occurred over the last eight months.
Are those rate increases sustainable? Gharib asked.
Reframing the question to talk about “rate adequacy” rather than “rate increases,” O’Donnell asserted that not only is the property-cat market at “a very strong level of rate
adequacy” but also that it is “going to persist.” Supporting the prediction, he said, “the fundamental reason for the discipline that the reinsurance market introduced over the course of the last six-to-eight months is [a push] coming from capital” providers. And that pressure remains.
During his opening remarks at the session, O’Donnell described an investor-driven hard market — essentially a surge in rates responding to the mandates of investors supplying reinsurance capital who demanded higher returns on their investments.
“Reinsurance has been out of favor for several years,” he said. “There’s been a degree of exhaustion with investors and with the results,” he said, noting that the industry, histor-
ically “has tended to trade on the promise of rates.”
Those investors had a sense that rates hadn’t improved over the last several years, O’Donnell said. Noting that while rates actually had in fact improved incrementally, particularly in targeted lines or geographies, and often in response to losses, he said the rates simply had not improved to the level that investors really wanted until late last year.
“I think last year with Hurricane Ian, not being a particularly unusual storm — just another storm, [that] really pressed investors to demand higher returns,” he said, noting that the demands came on two fronts — from insurance-linked securities investors, “and also from an equity perspective” as reinsurer valuations drop.
Going beyond narrow targeted areas of rate hikes, “what we saw last year went broader — where the capital said, we’re fed up, we need to see returns and not the promise of rate. And we’re going to withhold capacity until we are comfortable you’re actually getting the rate that we believe is required to reflect the change in risk from everything, including inflation and climate change,” he reported.
“The underlying fundamentals” behind the drive for rate “has pushed reinsurers to respond more aggressively,” he said. “I also believe it’s more sustainable because it’s not in response to losses… It’s in response to capital — the supply side, what capital demands to accept the risk.”
“Capital is not feeling as if they’ve been rewarded for the last several years of support that they put into the market.”
Looking ahead at what’s going to happen in 2024, however, O’Donnell said he does not expect rate increases like those that reinsurers have been getting in 2023. “They’re not needed frankly. What I do expect is rate adequacy to be at a similar level to where we’re at currently,” he added.
“I think it’s with or without a loss,” O’Donnell said. “I think that with a loss, there will be greater uncertainty [about] what happens. But without a loss, there is still going to be that strong rate adequacy at 1/1.”
Odyssey’s Young agreed. “On risk-adjusted basis, I would anticipate flat, if not up a little bit, honestly,” he said. “We do think there is going to be more demand — to buy more limit” from reinsurance buyers, which will keep a floor on
pricing, Young said.
Looking back at January 1, 2023, O’Donnell said there was unmet demand, attributing this to the discipline of reinsurers, which had strong rate requirements. “The wallet for the buyer really wasn’t there for them to purchase as much cover as they truly desired. What we’re seeing [now] is primary companies going out and pushing more rate into their books of business. And I believe that they will come back to the market [in January 1, 2024] to purchase top-up covers that they didn’t have the financing for at January 1 [2023]. We remain optimistic for that,” O’Donnell said.
“If you look at where insurance companies are right now, they’re moving into a market where they have to be more disciplined in managing their business because reinsurers have been more disciplined in providing capacity.”
Young, in fact, began his remarks describing the current hard market as a reinsurance-driven hard market, explaining that an insurance-driven hard market that took shape in recent years was atypical.
“I’ve been in the business for 35 years. Unfortunately, I can count on one hand and maybe a couple fingers, the number of years where the market actually has been hard. And when you look back during those periods historically when the market’s been hard, typically it’s been the reinsurance market that really has driven the insurance market to improve pricing, terms, and conditions,” Young said.
“Leave aside the last 12 months, in the latest hard market cycle, it’s really been the insurance market that has driven improvements in the market,” Young said, noting particular discipline from primary carriers around limits deployment. “A lot of the bigger insurance companies were reducing capacity, and when you do that it requires more insurers to support a risk-clearing price…. So, we saw improvements in the insurance market, and the reinsurance market more or less rode the coattails of that over the last few years.”
Still, the reinsurers’ results did not improve, he said, pointing to one big reason — catastrophe losses.
Going back to 2017, reinsurers made little progress. “While the insurance market has done extremely well, the reinsurance market has not because of increased frequency of cat losses — and not just named storms, but certainly the increase in prevalence of secondary perils, which we haven’t really priced for well. The modeling doesn’t cater to those things. And it wasn’t factored into pricing.”
Continued Young, “What drives a hard market [is] fear of losing money. If you’re an underwriter and you’ve lost money writing cat business for five straight years, you’re going to be a little gun shy. You’re not going to be as quick to write business,” he said, agreeing with O’Donnell that “the psychology of the market underwriting has fundamentally changed.”
Noting that several reinsurers pulled back — or pulled out — of the cat space, Young said that’s good news
for Odyssey and RenRe. “I’m happy about that because we love the business. I know Kevin loves the business. I know when I look at the cat market today, it’s probably the best cat market that I’ve seen…in 35 years.”
“The story of 2023 has been cat,” he said.
O’Donnell agreed. “We went from reasonable adequacy to very strong rate adequacy with this change in a way that I haven’t seen before,” he said, referring to the accompanying dramatic upsurge in cat reinsurance rates. “Between moving attachments up, which was largely done over months, and then price increases, there’s been much more discipline in the types of risks that are being transferred to reinsurers,” he said.
“We collect more volatility than insurers by the nature of the product and we need to have higher returns than insurers. Again, insurance was leading the cycle over the last several years. Reinsurance is back to leading the cycle and reinsurance returns are stronger at this point….It will take a while for the E&S market to catch up to some of that, but I think the property cat XOL [excess-of-loss] business right now is about as strong as we’ve seen.”
Young, who noted that the E&S property market was starting to flatten a little bit until January when the dramatic hikes in reinsurance pricing propelled the E&S property market back up, also said that the current hard property reinsurance “is not all about price. It is about coverage,” he said.
He was referring to problemcontinued on page 26
continued from page 25
atic expansions of reinsurance coverage that occurred over the last seven or eight years, such as expanding hours clauses, top-and-drop features, cascading layers, and aggregate features at the bottom of programs. “Invariably, you make those coverage changes and they come back to hurt you. And they certainly did in the case of aggregate coverage,” he said. “With the increased frequency of cat loss, we’ve seen a lot of aggregate losses.”
While price is important, he said, retentions are higher, and all these cascading features have gone away. “Hours clauses are coming back into line with historical levels. From a reinsurance perspective, these are all good things.”
With the reinsurance coverage changes, primary carrier income statements are more exposed to loss than they had been, O’Donnell noted. “The way to protect that is with rate. [You need to get] rate to catch up to the volatility on your
income statement, continue to build rate — and continue to protect the balance sheet with re[insurance] purchasing, I believe, coming into 2024,” he said.
Young agreed. “I do think there is pent-up demand still to buy more limit. Obviously, inflation is having a huge impact in the market. The labor supply issues, repair costs, material costs are going up. We see that with the elevated loss level [from Hurricane] Ian and other recent cats. Portfolio values are increasing. And we also had this issue called undervaluation, which has been an issue for the industry for a very long time. A lot of insurance companies are reevaluating their portfolio, adjusting…,” he added.
There’s also the concern about tail risk. “Is the model right? Do we want more protection? he questioned, reflecting the thinking of primary carriers.
“I think the answer is yes,” he said, reiterating O’Donnell’s
assessment that carriers found it very tough at January 1, 2023 to even line up enough capacity to match what they purchased a year earlier, let alone think about buying more limits.
“Reinsurers pushed up retentions. Program exit points went up higher,” he said, reporting that Odyssey sees insurers today already seeking more top limit. “As we move forward, with more premium, [there’s] more money to pay for reinsurance. And I think we will see more limit being purchased,” he said, seconding O’Donnell’s prediction.
Citizens Expands, Reinsurers Benefit
Gharib later asked the reinsurance executives to share their thoughts on legislative reforms in Florida and whether the passage of the reforms would entice more reinsurance capital into that market.
“Certainly I think it’s helpful,” said Young, adding that while the changes will
take time to work through the system, the Florida domestic insurance market certainly needed it.
He also reported that midyear reinsurance renewals in Florida were orderly. “A lot of people were wondering, are they even going to get these programs placed? But at the end of the day, the brokers’ challenge was signing the reinsurers the lines that they authorized. In many instances we saw sign-downs on programs. There was no shortage of capacity to meet the demand,” he said.
O’Donnell said that while the Florida reforms will be more helpful to insurers than reinsurers, he believes that what helped the Florida renewals this year was the fact that Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state’s insurer of last resort, has been growing so much. “For every dollar of premium in Citizens, there’s fewer reinsurance dollars supporting one of the domestic companies. So, having more risk moving to Citizens allowed companies to better manage the gross risk that they were taking, the net risks that they wanted to retain after purchase of reinsurance.”
In short, Citizens “kept the market better balanced,” he said. “That will create issues for the state in ’24, ’25, if Citizens continues to expand. But it’s something that did act a little bit pressure valve down” at midyear 2023.
This article first was published in Insurance Journal’s sister publication, Carrier Management.
new cars sold by 2035 to be EVs, and the Advanced Clean Truck regulation, which requires heavy-duty truck sales to begin to transition to electric models.
According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization that develops policies to reduce energy waste and combat climate change, six states have adopted California’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule, and seven adopted its truck rule.
Six other states are considering adopting one or both rules.
New York came in second on the scorecard with 62 points for incentivizing the purchase of EVs and EV charging infrastructure, including from its investor-owned utilities, and taking steps to integrate EVs onto the grid.
Others on the top 10 list are:
• Colorado (No. 3)
• Massachusetts (No. 4)
• Vermont (No. 5)
California ranked first in strengthening policies to enable widespread use of electric cars, trucks, and buses, according to a national scorecard that gives most states poor grades.
The 2023 State Transportation Electrification Scorecard from the American Council for an EnergyEfficient Economy evaluates policies in states to encourage electric vehicle adoption.
Only 10 states scored more than half the
points available.
California scored 88 out of 100 points, far above other top states on the list, for committing to full electrification of light-duty vehicle sales, the state’s plan to update its electricity grid to prepare for a rise in EVs, and incorporating equity considerations into its EV policy.
California in recent years finalized two important EV regulations, the report notes. The state passed the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, which requires all
• Washington (No. 6)
• New Jersey (No. 7)
• The District of Columbia (No. 8)
• Oregon (No. 8)
• Maryland (No. 10)
The scorecard offers scores for the top 33 states, because the remaining states achieved few points and there is little differentiation in policy progress among those states.
The report recommends that underperforming states collect data on transportation electrification and use the information to help improve transportation electrification planning.
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released its report on workers’ compensation losses and expenses for 2022.
Key findings in the report include:
• Medical losses paid in 2022 were $4.4 billion, or 53 percent of total loss payments.
• Indemnity benefits paid in 2022 were
$4.0 billion, or 47 percent of total loss payments. The following benefits accounted for the majority of those indemnity payments: temporary disability (56%); permanent partial disability (34%); vocational rehabilitation (1.8%).
• Total insurer combined losses and expenses incurred in 2022 were $15 billion, or 98% of calendar year premium, compared to $13.1 billion, or 96 percent of calendar year premium, in 2021.
The report is on the WCIB website: www.wcirb.com.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is proposing updated workplace safety rules for petroleum refineries designed to prevent catastrophic events like the 2010 explosion that killed seven workers at the former
Tesoro refinery in Anacortes.
The proposed update addresses what’s known as process safety management, which describes the way workplaces handle dangerous chemicals and ensures that processes, people, and equipment
all work together to reduce risk. The proposal focuses specifically on petroleum refineries.
Washington’s PSM rule has not been updated in nearly 30 years, according to Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
The proposed new requirements include:
• Performing reviews to identify the most effective ways to control a hazard;
• Incorporating consideration of human factors like staffing levels and turnover, training, fatigue and task complexity;
• Conducting root cause analyses after significant accidents;
• Frequently analyzing hazards, safeguards and controls, mechanical factors, and process changes and updating safety programs accordingly;
• Assessing workplace safety culture so workers and managers prioritize safety, not production.
• Full details of the proposal are posted on the L&I website.
L&I developed the proposed rule with input from refinery operators, worker advocates, community advocates and other stakeholders. The proposed rule largely aligns with California’s refinery PSM rule.
The filing of the proposed rule officially kicks off the formal process for public input. Hearings are scheduled for Aug. 10 and 17 in Bellingham, near most of the state’s refineries, with a virtual hearing to be held on Aug. 15.
L&I expects to have the updated PSM rule in place by the end of the year.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT | Online Casey Roberts, ACSR, AFIS, CIC
In this 3 (three) hour CE class, Casey Roberts will dive into how a changing climate will impact insurers and insureds. He will explore what it means for brokers going forward and how parametric insurance may (or may not) contain some of our future coverage answers. Register today at learningcenter.slacal.com or scan the QR code on this page.
COMPLIMENTARY FOR LICENSED CALIFORNIA SURPLUS LINE BROKERS
Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth.
Yet one year into what’s envisioned as a decade-long effort, federal land managers are scrambling to catch up after falling behind on several of their priority forests for thinning even as they exceeded goals elsewhere. And they’ve skipped over some highly at-risk communities to work in less threatened areas, according to data obtained by The Associated Press, public records and Congressional testimony.
With climate change making the situation increasingly dire, mixed early results from the administration’s initiative underscore the challenge of reversing decades of lax forest management and aggressive fire
suppression that allowed many woodlands to become tinderboxes. The ambitious effort comes amid pushback from lawmakers dissatisfied with progress to date and criticism from some environmentalists for cutting too many trees.
Administration officials in interviews and during testimony maintained that the thinning work is making a difference. Work announced to date, they said, will help lessen wildfire dangers faced by more than 500 communities in 10 states. But they also acknowledged finishing the task will require far more resources than what’s already dedicated.
“As much money as we’re receiving, it’s not enough to take care of the problems that we are seeing, particularly across the West,” said Forest Service Chief Randy Moore. ”This is an emergency situation in many places, and we are acting with a sense of urgency.”
Congress in the last two years approved more than $4 billion in additional funding
to prevent repeats of destructive infernos that have torched communities including in California, Colorado and Montana.
By logging and burning trees and low-lying vegetation, officials hope to lessen forest fuels and keep fires that originate on federal lands from exploding through nearby cities and towns.
The enormity of the task is evident in an aerial view of California’s Tahoe National Forest, where mountainsides are colored brown and gray with the vast number of trees killed by insects and drought. After work on the Tahoe was delayed last year, Forest Service crews and contractors recently started taking down trees across thousands of acres.
“The forests as we know them in California and across the West, they’re dying. They’re being destroyed through fire. They’re dying from drought, disease and insects,” said forest Supervisor Eli Ilano. ”They’re dying at a pace that we’re having trouble keeping up with.”
The scale of spending is unprecedented, said Courtney Schultz with Colorado State University. The forest policy expert said millions of acres have been through environmental review and are ready for work.
“If we really want to go big across the landscape – to reduce fuels enough to affect fire behavior and have some impact on communities – we need to be planning large projects,” she said.
Key to that strategy is addressing forest patches where computer simulations show wildfire could easily spread to inhabited areas.
Only about a third of the land the U.S. Forest Service treated last year was designated with high wildfire hazard potential, agency documents show. About half the forest was in the southeastern U.S., where wildfires are less severe but weather conditions make it easier to use intentional burns, the documents show.
The infrastructure bill passed two years
ago with bipartisan support included a requirement for the administration to treat forests across 10 million acres – 15, 625 square miles or 40,500 square kilometers – by 2027. Less than 10% of that was addressed in the first year.
“The Forest Service is obligating hundreds of millions of dollars, but not in the areas required by law,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Forest Service spokesman Wade Muehlhof said the agency was confident in the administration’s strategy, but declined to say if it would meet the acreage mandates.
An AP analysis of federal data reveals the scale of the challenge: Hundreds of communities are threatened by the potential for fires to ignite on federal forests and spread to populated areas.
In California, thinning zones announced to date address the risk to only about one-
in-five houses and other buildings potentially exposed to fires on federal lands, the analysis shows. In Nevada and Oregon, it’s about half of exposed structures, and in Montana it’s one-in 25.
Most areas identified as hot spots where forest fires have high potential to burn into populated areas won’t be addressed for at least the next several years, according to government planning documents. And computer models project up to 20% of areas that need thinning will be hit by fires before that work occurs.
Architects of the Forest Service’s strategy based it on tens millions of computer wildfire simulations being used to predict areas that pose the greatest risk. Those scenarios showed fires on only 10% to 20% of the land would account for 80% of exposure to communities.
“This is a mapped plan through time, where we can laser-focus on one highly important issue: the problem of commucontinued on page W8
continued from page W7
nities being destroyed by wildfires started on public lands,” said Forest Service fire scientist Alan Ager.
In 2022, the Forest Service missed its treatment goals in four of 10 areas targeted as priorities. One was the Tahoe National Forest’s North Yuba region, where the agency addressed only 6% of the acreage planned.
Small towns tucked into the forest’s canyons escaped disaster two years ago when the Dixie fire raged just to the north, destroying several communities and burning about 1,500 square miles in the Sierra Nevada range. Those communities also escaped another fire to the south that burned more than 1,000 homes and structures. The previous year, yet another fire killed 15 people and torched more than 2,000 homes and structures in the region.
The same conditions that whipped those fires into infernos exist on the Tahoe forest – densely-packed trees and underbrush primed to burn following years of drought. And government computer modeling suggests it’s among the U.S. communities most exposed to wildfires on federal lands.
Five million trees died on the Tahoe last year alone, said Ilano, the forest supervisor.
“What we’re realizing is we’re not moving fast enough, that the fires are burning bigger and more intense, more quickly than we anticipated,” Ilano said.
Earlier this month, tracked vehicles including one known as a “harvester” worked through dense stands on the North Yuba, clipping large trees at their base and stripping them bare of branches in just seconds, then piling the trunks to be burned later. Elsewhere, work crews walked slowly behind a wood chipper as it was pulled along a forest road, stuffing the machine with small trees and branches cut to clear the understory.
The increased logging needed to reach the government’s lofty goals has gained acceptance as the growing toll from wildfires softens longstanding opposition from some environmental groups and ecologists.
“Gone are the days when things were black and white and either good or bad,”
said Melinda Booth, former director of the South Yuba River Citizens League. “We need targeted treatment, targeted thinning, which does include logging.”
Others think officials are going too far. Sue Britting with Sierra Forest Legacy says the North Yuba plan includes about nine square miles of older trees and stands along waterways that should be preserved. Yet for most of the work, Britting said it’s time to “move forward” on a thinning project years in the making.
Hindering the Forest Service nationwide is a shortage of workers to cut and remove trees on the scale demanded, government officials and forestry experts say. Litigation ties up many projects, with environmental reviews taking three years on average before work begins, according to the Property and Environment Research Center, a Bozeman, Montana think tank.
Another problem: Thinning operations aren’t allowed in federally designated wilderness areas. That puts off limits about a third of National Forest areas that expose communities to high wildfire risk and means some thinning work must be carried out in a patchwork fashion.
Keeping track of progress presents its own challenges. Acres that get worked
on are often counted twice or more – first when the trees are cut down, again when leftover piles of woody material on the same site are removed, and yet again when that landscape is later subjected to prescribed fire, said Schultz of Colorado State University.
Even where thinning is allowed, officials face other potential constraints, such as protecting older groves important for wildlife habitat. A Biden inventory of public lands in April identified more than 175,000 square miles of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government land.
The inventory will be used to craft new rules to better protect those woodlands from fires, insects and other side effects of climate change. But there’s overlap between older forests and many areas slated for thinning. That includes more than half of the treatment area at North Yuba, according to an AP analysis of mature forest data compiled by the conservation group Wild Heritage.
“What’s driving all of this is insect infestation, drought stress, and all of that is related to the climate,” said Wild Heritage chief scientist Dominick DellaSalla. “I don’t think you can get out of it by thinning.”
Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Crop insurance is more than just a risk management tool for farmers — it is a vital component of the American agricultural sector, supporting price stability, promoting food security, strengthening rural economies, and reducing reliance on government aid. It’s also part of the Farm Bill, the federal government’s primary agriculture and food policy legislation, which is up for renewal this year.
By Jim KorinDating back to the Federal Crop Insurance Act of 1980, crop insurance has thrived as a result of the enduring partnership between the Federal Government, the private sector, and the American farmer. Today, this collaboration ensures that approximately 90% of production agriculture in the United States is safeguarded by crop insurance, covering nearly 400 million acres across 135 crops. Without crop insurance, rural communities nationwide would not be as vibrant as they are today.
In a recent testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry-Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade, I had the privilege of highlighting the indispensable role that crop insurance plays in supporting the American farmer and preserving the vitality of rural communities.
Although crop insurance serves as a financial safety net, protecting farmers against losses caused by various threats that can adversely affect crops, its significance extends far beyond individual farmers’ well-being. One of the key contributions of crop insurance is maintaining price stability in the agricultural sector. Fluctuations in crop yields due to weather events or other unforeseen circumstances can lead to price volatility, which ultimately affects consumers. By safeguarding farmers’ incomes and providing stability in the face of unpredictable conditions, crop
insurance facilitates a consistent and affordable food supply for the American people. Furthermore, crop insurance plays a crucial role in promoting food security. With over 90% coverage of production agriculture in America, it supports farmers of all sizes and financial situations. Flexibility is a crucial principle of crop insurance, allowing farmers to tailor coverage to their unique operational and risk management needs. Plans range from individual-field to whole-farm to county-based coverage, ensuring accessibility for farmers across the country.
Affordable premiums, made possible through a public-private partnership and premium support from the government, enable farmers to obtain the coverage they require and maintain a safe and affordable food supply for consumers.
In addition to its impact on farmers and consumers, crop insurance strengthens rural economies. Companies like NAU Country invest billions of dollars in rural communities, including hiring employees, contracting with agents, and expanding technologies, while also assuming signifi-
continued on page 61
Through my recent discussions with clients and carriers, it is clear to me that agencies are incurring substantially more errors and omissions (E&O) claims. A significant difference exists between the number of claims agency E&O carriers are seeing and the actual number of claims that are occurring because many agencies have made the decision to pay the smaller claims on their own rather than risking their E&O coverage/higher premiums.
As a partial aside, I fully understand the reasoning that causes agencies to pay small E&O claims. However, I strongly recommend that they do not pay these claims unless they are dead certain the claim is property only and is small. I have a long list of examples of agencies that paid claims they thought were small, or were property only, or were sure that no plaintiff attorneys would ever be involved and ended up incurring large E&O claims they had to pay because they had not submitted the original claim to their carrier.
Many reasons exist for the recent increase in E&O claims.
1. Staff Turnover. Almost everyone has experienced or seen significant staff turnover during the last three years. Staff turnover, all else being equal, increases the probability of E&O claims. An agency incurs increased exposure during the time period when they are training a new employee. In addition, when an employee leaves, the agency loses the account knowledge at the staff level unless the agency has extremely good procedures and documentation in place. Few agencies practice quality at the required level to avoid this deficiency.
2. Training. Most agencies train employees through on-the-job training (OJT). In my experience, OJT can work quite well when
an agency has relatively good procedures. However, OJT fails when an agency does not have good procedures in place or the producers and staff do not consistently follow those procedures. The major problem that results is that the new employee does not know whose procedures to follow because everyone uses their own procedures.
Consider the case of an agency that has relatively good procedures. Despite the fact that many carrier personnel and agency producers do not think an account manager’s job is all that difficult, the job entails a lot of detail. I do not know that I have ever seen a procedures manual that contained all the required details. If one exists, it would likely be so large that it would not be usable.
People can learn a lot by watching, listening to, and learning all the unwritten but critical nuances. When training employees remotely an agency cannot achieve this required level of training. If the agency also has poor procedures, the successful training of a new employee remotely is an utter impossibility.
The net result is a material increase in E&O errors.
3. Poor Claims Service by Carriers. One hundred percent of the agencies I have surveyed have said claims service has materially deteriorated over the last three years. I have reviewed published surveys that have supported the agencies’ complaints. Poor claims service is a causal factor in the increasing number of E&O claims because agency personnel tend to try too hard to help their clients get their claims paid. They accidentally cross the line and advise their clients in a manner that violates the agency’s carrier contract.
As frustrating as poor claims service is, make sure everyone in your agency is educated as to how far they can go when helping clients with a claim.
In particular, an agent can never, ever advise an insured that a claim is or is not going to be paid.
4. Carrier Lawsuits. Carriers are suing their agents more often, or at least that is the way it seems. Some of my agency clients have suffered subrogated claims by carriers that involve very technical clauses that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the claim. A good example that I have seen several times involves the prefilled application data provided by the carrier. The carrier, it turns out, is not responsible for the data they provide. If the data is wrong, the agent did not correct the data and a large enough claim results,
some carriers are paying the insureds’ claims and suing the agent. Another example involves a variety of “change in conditions” that have not been reported to the carrier by the agency. The changes often have absolutely nothing to do with the insured’s claim and even if the changes had been reported, the claim would still have occurred. Yet the carriers are using this “out” to subrogate against their own agents.
5. Increased Workloads. In this hard market, with all the employee turnover, workloads are simply too high in many agencies. The result is that employees make more mistakes and/or agencies
begin cutting corners such as not checking renewal policies. The solution is simple to identify, but in this labor market it is extremely difficult to execute successfully.
6. Surplus Lines. In this hard market, agents are moving accounts to surplus lines. This increases E&O exposures on multiple levels, especially if an agency has a training weakness, procedure weakness, and/or a new employee integration weakness. When moving an account to surplus lines, the agency owes additional care to the insured, especially, in most instances, the duty to notify and explain which coverages have been lost. Those disclosures are not always happening.
Additionally, the agency needs to review the forms more carefully because it is surplus lines. A large dark hole of ignorance exists relative to an agent’s duty to insureds when placing surplus lines accounts. I find most newer employees do not know about these additional duties. They do not understand that surplus lines markets do not have a duty to inform agents or insureds of reductions in coverage or even when the promised coverages are not included in the policy, and as a result employees are not checking policies.
You must always check surplus lines policies. The failure to do so is an E&O claim waiting for an opportunity to occur.
What is the best way to mitigate E&O exposures? Use coverage checklists. Next, have high quality procedures in place and make certain everyone is following those.
How do you know if you have good procedures or if your employees are following those procedures? Get an E&O audit.
This recommendation may be self-serving because I am an approved E&O auditor with many E&O carriers. But having completed so many E&O audits, I know an audit is an excellent solution. Many times, agency owners have hired me and swore their staff had the education, the agency had the right procedures, and that everyone was following those procedures. However, the audits showed their staff did not have enough education, their procedures were materially inadequate, and in some cases, their staff did not even know the agency had procedures.
If you want to mitigate your E&O exposures, address these points, and take the recommended steps, get an E&O audit. Some E&O carriers offer large premium savings if you have an audit making the audit even more worthwhile.
Ageneral contractor hired a company to place a dumpster at a job site. However, the company put the dumpster in the street and a motorist struck it, damaging his vehicle. Of course, he has no physical damage coverage, the dumpster company denies liability, and the motorist now wants to file a claim on the general contractor’s policy.
By Bill WilsonThe general contractor’s agent emailed me asking whether she should turn in the claim since she doesn’t think the insured is legally liable. My response was to ask what the policy says about reporting claims. A delay in reporting a claim can sometimes result in a coverage denial for violating that policy condition.
For example, the ISO CGL policy says, “You must see to it that we are notified as soon as practicable of an ‘occurrence’ or an offense which may result in a claim.” What “as soon as practicable” means is a question of fact that may depend on the circumstances but, in this case, there appears to be no reason for any reporting delay. The CGL policy goes on to describe what kind of information should be gathered promptly and reported.
A couple of years ago, I consulted on a claim involving a pollution incident at a marina. Initially, it did not appear to be anything more than a minor remediation job, so a claim was not reported. Subsequently, though, the bills began to mount up until they exceeded $20,000 and finally a claim was made a year after the incident. The carrier denied the claim and refused to budge on the denial because the delay was material to the insurer’s ability to investigate the claim and their financial obligation to pay for remediation and damages.
On a more personal note, a number of years ago, my wife rear-ended a vehicle on an exit ramp. She lightly tapped the
rear bumper and she and the other driver exchanged contact information. There was no visible damage to either vehicle, so she didn’t think we needed to report the accident. I insisted that we do and, sure enough, within a week she received a call from the other party who said a repair shop told her husband that the frame was damaged but that they were willing to settle for $500 cash. We referred them to our insurer and never heard anything more about the claim.
The moral of these stories is, if there is the possibility that an occurrence involving potential legal liability “may result in a claim,” it should be reported promptly. End of discussion.
It may be more complicated, though, when a potential claim involves possible first-party property damage only, without any liability for a third-party claim. Nothing illustrates that better than hail damage claims to roofs.
The week following a strong storm where I live, an out-of-state roofing company stopped by my house while I was out of town. They advised my wife that there had been extensive hail damage to many roofs in our neighborhood and could inspect our roof for free. My wife allowed them to proceed then, of course, they reported serious hail damage. When I returned home, I had the roofer we had used for many years inspect the roof and he said we had zero hail damage.
This past spring, we experienced another storm and two friends about a half mile from us got new roofs from their insurance companies, both from the same local roofer. My wife insisted we have them inspect our roof and, again, extensive hail damage was reported. To confirm this diagnosis, I had our regular roofer come again, as well as two other roofing companies, both of which had been in business locally for over 40 years. None of these three roofers found any hail
damage. They did find some individual shingle windstorm damage and we paid $350 to have that repaired.
The moral of these personal stories is to beware of “storm chasers,” especially those that are not local and/or those that have not been in business long. According to our regular roofer, given the widespread increase in strong storms in recent years, no reputable roofer has to go door to door looking for work. Most roofers have jobs scheduled weeks in advance and it can potentially take months following major storms.
Our roof is approaching 15 years old and, sure, I’d love to get a “free” new roof, but only if there is actual damage. Insurers
catch a lot of flack for denying hail damage claims, refusing to “match” shingles, apply “cosmetic” damage limitations, etc. But I suspect that sometimes insurers pay claims of questionable authenticity, especially following widespread storms where claims personnel are stretched.
This brings me to one final point involving hail damage that is related to the prompt reporting issue that opened this discussion.
We all know that sometimes we do have roof damage that is not obvious until the roof starts to leak. So, what happens when the leak is reported and it’s discovered that
the damage that resulted in the leak likely took place in a storm that came through two or three years ago? What is prompt or “as soon as practicable” in reporting such claims? Is or should it be based on when the damage likely occurred or when the damage was discovered? What is reasonable and fair?
Policy provisions, state laws, and case law vary significantly on this issue.
A policy may require property claims to be reported within a year of the date of loss or damage, something difficult to do if damage is not readily apparent. Do insurers really want their claims personnel physically inspecting every roof they insure following every storm on a “just in
case” basis?
My suggestion in the case of possible hail or windstorm damage, especially given that almost all roofing companies provide free inspections, is that whenever a significant wind or hailstorm comes through, have at least two to three roofing contractors inspect the roof, gutters, siding, etc. If two or more concur as to damage, report it to the carrier and let the games begin.
Wilson, CPCU, ARM, AIM, AAM is the founder and CEO of InsuranceCommentary.com and the author of six books, including “When Words Collide…Resolving Insurance Coverage and Claims Disputes.” He can be reached at Bill@InsuranceCommentary.com.
A delay in reporting a claim can sometimes result in a coverage denial.
Welcometo Insurance Journal’s 2023 National Directory of Excess, Surplus and Specialty Markets, Volume II. This exclusive biannual market directory has been designed to assist independent agents and brokers in the task of placing difficult or unusual risks.
For ease-of-use, the directory utilizes a convenient “color-coded legend” to highlight the availability of markets by IJ’s five geographic regions — East, Midwest, Southeast, South Central and West. The corresponding states for each region are listed below.
Inside the directory and underneath each market listing, five distinct colors represent IJ’s five regions. Those colors (Dark Blue ■ East, Light Blue ■ Midwest, Green ■ Southeast, Orange ■ South Central, and Red ■ West) indicate whether or not the market is available in your area of the country. The “color-coded legend” has been placed at the top of every directory page for easy reference.
All market listings have been updated with the most current
information available provided directly by intermediaries and carriers. As always, the directory lists the markets categorically by broad coverage groups.
Italicized company names represent companies offering binding authority. To find complete contact information for all companies listed in this directory, see page 52.
IJ’s 2023 National Directory of Excess, Surplus and Specialty Markets can also be found on our Web site at: www.insurance journal.com/directories. To submit a listing, visit the online directory, or e-mail Kristine Honey at: khoney@insurancejournal.com.
We hope you find this directory to be a valuable resource when trying to insure hard-to-place accounts. Feel free to send us comments and suggestions, or for additional help using this directory, e-mail: editorial@insurancejournal.com.
Dwelling Fire (TDP-1)
(TDP-1/TDP-2/TDP-3)
We provide tailor-made solutions designed to meet the needs of each client. In addition to competitive pricing, we offer:
• A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent)
• Multiple options for premium payments
• Pay-as-you-go payroll-plus-comp program available
• Superior claims and medical management
• No volume requirements
Working with us is easy. We operate on an open brokerage basis and do everything in-house. We entertain hard-to-place risks with the following characteristics:
• Experience-rated business • Premium up to $300,000
5Star Specialty Programs
See Website for Addresses, Headquarters - Melbourne, FL 32935
Phone: (877) 247-9772, Fax: (321) 757-6147
E-mail: marketing@5starsp.com
www.5starsp.com
MGA, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Access E&S Insurance Services
2001 N. Lincoln St., Arlington, VA 22207
Phone: (703) 248-2566, Fax: (703) 248-2565
E-mail: Tim@Access-ES.com
www.Access-ES.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Addiction Treatment Providers Insurance Program
555 E. North Lane, Ste. 6060, Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: (610) 808-9556
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
atpinsure.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Admiral Insurance Group
P.O. Box 5430, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Phone: (512) 721-2446, Fax: (856) 429-8611
E-mail: mhowey@admiralins.com
www.admiralins.com
Managing Underwriter
Agency Marketing Services
9800 4th St. N, Ste. 400, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone: (800) 542-2805, Fax: (727) 343-4123
E-mail: info@agencymarketing.com
www.agencymarketing.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Agency Underwriters
Po Box 4021, Chattanooga, TN 37405
Phone: (423) 206-4900
E-mail: info@agencyunderwriters.com
www.agencyunderwriters.com
Managing Underwriter
Agentic Insurance LLC
900 W. Valley Forge Rd., King of Prussia, PA 19406
Phone: (610) 567-3333, Fax: (610) 567-3334
E-mail: tkatona@agenticins.com
www.agenticins.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Agricultural Insurance Mgmt Services
1496 Route 3A, Ste. 10, Bow, NH 03278
Phone: (877) 552-2467, Fax: (603) 225-9318
E-mail: jlp@aimscentral.com
www.aimscentral.com
Managing General Agency
All Solutions PBS LLC
17 Village Rd., Ste. 176, Morristown, NJ 07976
Phone: (888) 376-5884, Fax: (888) 726-6638
E-mail: Info@AllSolutionsPBS.com
www.AllSolutionsPBS.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Allsouth Professional Liability
9800 4th Street N, Ste. 400, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone: (800) 913-9260, Fax: (813) 282-0994
E-mail: info@allsouth.net
www.allsouth.net
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
American Collectors Insurance Inc.
951 Haddonfield Rd., Ste. 2A, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
Phone: (888) 314-6647, Fax: (856) 755-7440
E-mail: info@americancollectors.com
americancollectors.com
American Management Corporation
1109 Oak Street, Conway, AR 72032
Phone: (855) 458-2835, Fax: (501) 932-3135
E-mail: submissions@amcins.com
www.amcinsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services
Inc.
7609 W. Jefferson Blvd., Ste. 100, Fort Wayne, IN 46804
Phone: (800) 245-2744, Fax: (260) 969-4729
E-mail: bschall@americanspecialty.com
www.americanspecialty.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
AMERISAFE
2301 Hwy 190 W, DeRidder, LA 70634
Phone: (800) 256-9052
E-mail: asksales@amerisafe.com
www.amerisafe.com
AMIS/Alliance Marketing & Insurance Services
LLC
P.O. Box 567, San Marcos, CA 92079
Phone: (760) 471-7116, Fax: (760) 471-9378
E-mail: snowell@amiscorp.com
www.amisinsurance.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Amwins - 150+ Locations Worldwide
For more information, check out our ad on page 17 (National). See Website for Locations, Headquarters - Charlotte, NC 28210
Phone: (704) 749-2700, Fax: (704) 943-9000
E-mail: marketing@amwins.com
www.amwins.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Anderson & Murison Inc.
800 W. Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Phone: (323) 255-2333, Fax: (323) 255-0957
E-mail: dena.martin@monarchexcess.com
www.andersonmurison.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Apex Insurance Services
18545 Sigma Road, San Antonio, TX 78258
Phone: (210) 887-1064
E-mail: hughes@apexinsurance.com
www.apexinsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Apollo General Ins. Agency Inc.
P.O. Box 1508, Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: (800) 624-5829, Fax: (707) 996-7912
E-mail: victoriam@apgen.com
www.apgen.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Applied Financial Lines
1120 6th Ave., 21st Fl, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (443) 534-6060, Fax: (877) 234-4425
E-mail: tdowen@auw.com
www.afl.auw.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
ARC West Coast Excess & Surplus Brokerage
LLC
260 S. Los Robles Ave., Ste. 205, Pasadena, CA 91101
Phone: (626) 584-5050, Fax: (626) 584-5010
E-mail: shunt@arcxswest.com
www.arcbrokers.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc.
701 B St., Ste. 2100, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (800) 669-1889, Fax: (619) 881-8695
E-mail: MarketingInfo@ArrowheadGrp.com
www.ArrowheadGrp.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Artex Risk Solutions Inc.
2850 Golf Rd., 5th Fl, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Phone: (630) 694-5050
E-mail: artexinfo@artexrisk.com
www.artexrisk.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Ascendant Insurance Solutions
2199 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Ste. 500, Coral Gables, FL 33134
Phone: (305) 820-4360, Fax: (305) 820-4348
E-mail: marketing@ascendantgroup.com
www.ascendantgroup.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Ascinsure Specialty Risk
4 Gateway Ctr, 444 Liberty Ave, Ste. 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: (877) 372-0517, Fax: (888) 316-9016
E-mail: Rikki_Concannon@rpsins.com
www.ascinsure.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Ascinsure can write your hard-to-place risks in these niche areas: Cranes- Exclusive Program; Equipment Rental & Party Goods Dealers- Exclusive Program; Scaffolding- Exclusive Program; Inland Marine. Complete coverage options, knowledgeable staff, and competitive commissions.
Ashley General Agency
2040 N. Loop 336 W, Ste. 200, Conroe, TX 77304
Phone: (936) 441-5959, Fax: (936) 521-5922
E-mail: hnelson@ashleyga.com
www.ashleyga.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Aspera Insurance
2035 Maywill St., Ste. 100, Richmond, VA 23230
Phone: (804) 774-2101, Fax: (804) 673-5697
E-mail: marketing@asperains.com
www.asperains.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Aspera makes the hard-to-insure easy to please. When agents struggle with hard-to-insure coastal manufactured housing and commercial risks for small and mid-sized businesses, we deliver quick quotes, tailored pricing and terms, and competitive compensation. Aspera Insurance Services, Inc. is a licensed excess & surplus lines wholesale broker.
Atlas General Insurance Services, An RPS Company
6165 Greenwich Dr., Ste. 200, San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 724-5100, Fax: (858) 724-5280
E-mail: marketing@atlas.us.com
atlas.us.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Balance Partners - Maven
PO Box 2550, Huntington, NY 11750
Phone: (512) 923-6278
E-mail: cjacobs@balanceuw.com
www.balanceuw.com/maven
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Bass Underwriters
6951 W. Sunrise Blvd., Plantation, FL 33313
Phone: (954) 473-4488, Fax: (954) 317-3100
E-mail: marketing@bassuw.com
www.bassuw.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Bass Underwriters, Inc., - driven by relationships, not statistics, Bass provides the critical facilities necessary for agents to deliver quality insurance products to their clients.
Beacon Hill Associates
P.O. Box 1532, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (800) 596-2156, Fax: (434) 979-8964
E-mail: info@b-h-a.com
https://b-h-a.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Berkley Fire & Marine
425 North Martingale Rd., Ste. 1520, Schaumburg, IL 60173
Phone: (844) 462-3600
E-mail: marketing@berkleymarine.com
www.berkleymarine.com
Berkley Select | a Berkley Company
550 W. Jackson Blvd., Ste. 500, Chicago, IL 60661
Phone: (312) 800-6200, Fax: (312) 207-1839
E-mail: info@berkleyselect.com
www.berkleyselect.com
Brecht & Associates
For more information, check out our ad on page 2 (South Central). 1450 Hughes Rd, Ste. 109, Grapevine, TX 76051 Phone: (817) 424-5335, Fax: (817) 424-3772
E-mail: jbrecht@brechtassoc.com www.brechtassoc.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Brecht & Associates is a managing general agency serving agents in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas specializing in insuring risks with unique characteristics. Independently owned & operated, our goal is to assist retail agents by providing access to a full range of products to meet the needs of their clients.
Breckenridge Insurance
3550 George Busbee Pkwy NW, Ste. 300, Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: (855) 728-8822
E-mail: solved@breckis.com www.breckis.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Bristol West Insurance Group
PO Box 31029, Independence, OH 44131
Phone: (800) 237-6136
E-mail: foremostinsurancegroup@foremost.com
acm@foremost.com
Brooks Insurance Agency
6320 Canoga Ave., 12th Fl, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: (818) 449-9062
E-mail: mmccluskey@brooks-ins.com
www.brooks-ins.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Brownyard Group
21 Maple Ave., P.O. Box 9175, Bay Shore, NY 11706
Phone: (800) 645-5820, Fax: (631) 666-5723
E-mail: info@brownyard.com
www.brownyard.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
BUA LLC
22 Deer St., Ste. 400, Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone: (603) 772-5005, Fax: (603) 372-5990
CannGuard
11500 N. Ambassador Dr., Ste. 310, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: (833) 770-4068
E-mail: info@cann-guard.com
https://cann-guard.com
Managing General Agency
Canon Insurance Service
8383 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 341, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: (310) 859-8600, Fax: (310) 278-3617
www.CanonInsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
CapSpecialty
1600 Aspen Commons, Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 829-4200, Fax: (608) 829-7408
E-mail: now@CapSpecialty.com
CapSpecialty.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Care Providers Insurance Services
19111 N. Dallas Pkwy, Ste. 250, Dallas, TX 75287
Phone: (972) 427-4199
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
cpsinsure.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Central Agency
P.O. Box 2627, Wenatchee, WA 98807
Phone: (800) 678-1642, Fax: (509) 663-0092
E-mail: jim@thecentralagency.com
www.thecentralagency.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Charity First Insurance Services Inc.
595 Market St., Ste. 2100, San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: (800) 352-2761
E-mail: Frank_Tarantino@charityfirst.com
www.charityfirst.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
CID Insurance Programs Inc.
7125 El Cajon Blvd., Ste. 3, San Diego, CA 92115
Phone: (800) 922-7283, Fax: (619) 593-2008
E-mail: programs@cidinsurance.com
www.cidinsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Coastal Insurance Underwriters Inc.
P.O. Box 3140, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32004
Phone: (904) 285-7683, Fax: (904) 395-0038
E-mail: info@ciuins.com
Boston Insurance Brokerage LLC
28 State St., Ste. 2202, Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 556-7038, Fax: (617) 556-7070
E-mail: CMacDonald@bib-llc.com
www.bib-llc.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
E-mail: msamperi@buainsurance.com
www.buainsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services Inc. (BTIS)
6610 Sierra College Blvd., Rocklin, CA 95677
Phone: (877) 649-6682, Fax: (916) 772-9292
E-mail: info@btisinc.com
www.btisinc.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Calco Commercial Insurance
13907 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 106, Sherman Oaks CA 91423
Phone: (818) 906-7900
E-mail: sarkis@calcocommercialinsurance.com
Braishfield Associates, a div of Hull & Company LLC
5750 Major Blvd., Ste. 200, Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: (888) 335-6616, Fax: (888) 335-6615
E-mail: solutions@braishfield.com
www.braishfield.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
www.ecigaretteinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
www.ciuins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Cochrane and Company
1405 S. Rustle St., Spokane, WA 99224
Phone: (509) 838-0655, Fax: (509) 838-1710
E-mail: marketing@cochraneco.com
www.cochraneco.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Commercial Sector Insurance Brokers LLC
600 Corporate Pkwy, Ste. 250, Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: (205) 776-1600, Fax: (205) 776-1619
E-mail: bbleistine@comsectorins.com
www.comsectorins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Comp Solutions Network Inc.
7135 W. Tidwell, Bldg M., Ste. 112A, Houston, TX 77092
Phone: (713) 690-3500, Fax: (713) 690-8484
E-mail: diannef@compsolutionsnetwork.com
www.compsolutionsnetwork.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Concord Specialty Risk
14 Penn Plaza, 225 W. 34th St., Ste. 1510, New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 784-5678, Fax: (212) 784-5679
E-mail: daviddeberry@concordspecialtyrisk.com
www.concordspecialtyrisk.com
Managing Underwriter
Construction Insurance Services LLC
5949 Sherry Ln., Ste. 1460, Dallas, TX 75225
Phone: (214) 884-1800, Fax: (214) 884-1801
E-mail: kcurley@constructioninsuranceservices.com
www.constructioninsuranceservices.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Continental Underwriters Inc.
3435-A W. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23230
Phone: (804) 643-7800, Fax: (804) 643-5800
E-mail: info@contund.com
https://www.contund.com/
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Cooper & McCloskey Inc.
1981 N. Broadway, Ste. 340, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Phone: (415) 433-7700, Fax: (415) 433-7707
E-mail: keltie@cmiprorisk.com
www.cmiprorisk.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Cosmetic Insurance Services, a division of EPIC Brokers
210 Hudson St., 6th Fl, Jersey City, NJ 07311
Phone: (201) 356-0057, Fax: (201) 356-0055
E-mail: Kenneth.hegel@epicbrokers.com
www.cosmeticinsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Covenant Underwriters
1221 McKinney St., Ste. 3110, Houston, TX 77010
Phone: (346) 330-3777
E-mail: broker@covenantunderwriters.com
www.covenantunderwriters.com
CRC Insurance Services
See Website for Locations, Birminham, AL 35209
Phone: (205) 870-7790, Fax: (205) 879-3739
E-mail: marketing@crcins.com
www.crcins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
DeCotis Specialty Insurance
245 Waterman St., Ste. 501, Providence, RI 02906
Phone: (401) 351-0066, Fax: (401) 351-0386
E-mail: tdecotis@decotis.com
www.decotis.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Distinguished Programs
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 16th Fl, New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 297-3100, Fax: (212) 297-3130
E-mail: jsafer@distinguished.com
www.distinguished.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
DMI Insurance Services
8911 N. Capital of TX Hwy, Ste. 4240, Austin, TX 78759
Phone: (800) 877-2525
E-mail: nmaske@dmi-insurance.com
www.dmi-insurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
21 S. Evergreen Ave., Ste 220, Arlington Hts., IL 60005
Phone: (312) 853-0071, Fax: (312) 853-1033
E-mail: cgaddis@gaddiscompany.com
www.gaddiscompany.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Eaton Professional Insurance Services
17602 17th St., Ste. 102-120, Tustin, CA 92780
Phone: (714) 832-8649, Fax: (714) 832-2586
E-mail: c.eaton@episi.net
www.episi.net
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
eKo Specialty Insurance Services Inc.
PO Box 3365, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Phone: (805) 373-6968, Fax: (805) 373-7070
E-mail: eKo@eKoSpecialty.com
www.eKoSpecialty.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Element22 Insurance Services
3000 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Ste. 600, Clearwater, FL 33759
Phone: (877) 591-8283
E-mail: dapplebaum@element22ins.com
www.element22ins.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
EmergIn Risk
14 Penn Plaza, 225 W. 34th St., Ste. 1510, New York, NY 10122
Phone: (646) 612-7808, Fax: (646) 612-7819
E-mail: Jamie.Bouloux@ryansg.com
us.emerginrisk.com
Managing Underwriter
Equine Insurance Specialists LLC
P.O. Box 12440, Lexington, KY 40583
Phone: (800) 723-9414, Fax: (866) 207-6953
E-mail: info@insureyourhorse.com
www.insureyourhorse.com
Managing General Agency
Erickson-Larsen Inc.
6425 Sycamore Court No., Maple Grove, MN 55369
Phone: (763) 535-0055, Fax: (763) 535-4051
E-mail: pbloch@ericksonlarseninc.com
www.ericksonlarseninc.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Euclid Life Science Specialty LLC
234 Spring Lake Drive, Itasca, IL 60143
Phone: (443) 682-0102
E-mail: RElliott@EuclidLSS.com
www.EuclidLSS.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Executive Insurance Professionals, PLLC
6031 W. Interstate 20, Ste. 249, Arlington, TX 76017
Phone: (800) 779-4095, Fax: (866) 779-4331
E-mail: cheryl@execins.com
www.execins.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
First Choice Ins Intermediaries
822 A1A North, Ste. 310, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Phone: (866) 821-9572, Fax: (904) 543-4501
E-mail: info@firstchoiceii.com
www.firstchoiceii.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Flood Risk Solutions Inc.
360 Central Ave., Ste. 1260, St Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 256-1991
E-mail: phil@floodsol.com
www.floodsol.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
For more information, check out our ad on page 5 (National). 5600 Beech Tree Ln. SE, Caledonia, MI 49316
Phone: (800) 237-6136
E-mail: acm@foremost.com
www.foremostagent.com
Foremost® – A Farmers Insurance® Company is focused on providing A Better Insurance Experience® to all customers. Foremost® has been an industry leader since 1952, and today offers a well-rounded suite of personal lines insurance, including the Foremost Signature Auto & Home programs and the Foremost Choice® Property & Casualty programs.
Founders Professional
2038 1st Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Phone: (727) 498-6503, Fax: (727) 498-6506
E-mail: fpinfo@founderspro.com
www.founderspro.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Freberg Environmental Inc.
1800 Wazee St., Ste. 300, Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (800) 377-4152, Fax: (303) 623-8101
E-mail: info@feiinsurance.com
www.feiinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
FTP of California
P.O. BOX 120747, San Diego, CA 92112
Phone: (314) 496-7077
E-mail: lglaser@FTPins.com
www.ftpins.com/california
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Gateway Specialty Insurance
1170 Devon Park Drive, Wayne, PA 19087
Phone: (877) 977-4474, Fax: (610) 254-1855
E-mail: info@gatewayspecialty.com
www.gatewayspecialty.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Gerald J. Wilkoff Inc.
95 Main St., Mineola, NY 11501
Phone: (516) 747-0200, Fax: (516) 747-2021
E-mail: info@wilkoffbonds.com
www.wilkoffbonds.com
Managing Underwriter
Global Special Risks
9821 Katy Fwy, Ste. 750, Houston, TX 77024, Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (713) 260-1030, Fax: (713) 952-3978
E-mail: gsr@gsrum.com
gsrum.com
Managing Underwriter
GMI Insurance Services
P.O. Box 701, Valley Forge, PA 19482
Phone: (610) 933-4679, Fax: (610) 933-4993
E-mail: Mark@GMI-Insurance.com
www.GMI-Insurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Gorst & Compass Insurance
5850 Canoga Ave., Ste. 650, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: (818) 507-0900, Fax: (818) 507-1133
E-mail: mail@gorstcompass.com
www.gorstcompass.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Grand General Agency
1240 Chicago Dr, Jenison, MI 49428
Phone: (800) 869-2022, Fax: (888) 767-0826
E-mail: commercial@thehelpfulpeople.com
www.thehelpfulpeople.com
Managing General Agency
Gray Specialty
3601 N. I-10 Service Road W, Metairie, LA 70002
Phone: (504) 754-6701
E-mail: rswayze@grayspecialty.com
www.grayspecialty.com
Great American Risk Solutions
301 East 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 579-6318
E-mail: kenderle@gaig.com
www.greatamericaninsurancegroup.com
Inc.
261 N. University Dr., Ste 510, Plantation, FL 33324
Phone: (954) 331-3000
E-mail: ddemott@gridironins.com
www.gridironins.com
Managing Underwriter
Grundy Insurance
P.O. Box 1957, Horsham, PA 19044
Phone: (877) 338-4004, Fax: (215) 674-5716
E-mail: clint@grundy.com
www.grundy.com/utility
Managing General Agency
HabPro Insurance
555 E. North Lane, Ste. 6060, Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: (610) 808-9556
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
habproinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Hudson Insurance Group / Hudson Pro (TM)
100 William St., 5th Fl, New York, NY 10038
Phone: (212) 978-2800
E-mail: MSutton@HudsonInsGroup.com
www.hudsoninsgroup.com
Hull & Company
www.hullco.com for all locations, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33020
Phone: (954) 527-4855, Fax: (866) 449-8449
www.hullco.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Ian H. Graham Insurance
15303 Ventura Blvd., 12th Fl, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Phone: (800) 621-2324, Fax: (866) 229-3754
E-mail: info@ihginsurance.com
www.ihginsurance.com
Managing General Agency
IAT Insurance Group
4200 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone: (919) 833-1600
E-mail: info@iatinsurance.com
www.iatinsurancegroup.com
Indemnity Excess & Surplus Agency Inc.
1915 NE Stucki Ave., Ste. 450, Hillsboro, OR 97006
Phone: (800) 487-2442, Fax: (503) 526-9700
E-mail: jimh@ies-xs.com
www.ies-xs.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
International Transportation & Marine Agency
7835 E. Evans Rd., Bldg 300, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: (480) 556-0200, Fax: (480) 556-0201
E-mail: info@itmagency.com
www.itmagency.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Irwin Siegel Agency
25 Lake Louise Marie Rd., Rock Hill, NY 12775
Phone: (800) 622-8272, Fax: (845) 796-3661
E-mail: siegel@siegelagency.com
www.siegelagency.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Irwin Siegel Agency is a premier Managing General Underwriter of insurance products and risk management solutions for Human and Social Service Organizations. Our specialties include Intellectual and Developmental Disability Organizations, Addiction Treatment, Behavioral/ Mental Healthcare, and Youth Programs. We also offer high-value homeowners insurance programs.
Izzo Insurance Services, A division of Hull & Company LLC
150 S. Bloomingdale Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Phone: (800) 800-1704, Fax: (630) 582-2803
E-mail: Info@IzzoInsurance.com
www.IzzoInsurance.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
J.B. Lloyd & Associates, A Member Company of US Risk
14241 Dallas Pkwy, Ste. 850, Dallas, TX 75254
Phone: (972) 248-2433, Fax: (972) 248-7077
E-mail: eboisseau@lloyd-ins.com
www.lloyd-ins.com
MGA, Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
J.E. Brown & Associates
303 Lennon Ln., Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Phone: (800) 955-8213, Fax: (925) 947-3978
E-mail: marketing@jebrown.net
www.jebrown.net
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
James Klein Insurance
200 E. Sandpointe Ave., Ste. 310, Santa Ana, CA 92707
Phone: (714) 918-0914, Fax: (714) 918-0922
E-mail: pdavis@jameskleininsurance.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
JC Wilson Consulting Inc.
9390 W. Maiden Ct, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Phone: (312) 543-9451, Fax: (312) 543-9451
E-mail: jwilson.frs@gmail.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Jencap - Locations Nationwide
See website for all locations, Corporate HQ - New York, NY
Phone: (800) 892-8892
E-mail: info@jencapgroup.com
www.jencapgroup.com
MGA, Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
Independent agents countrywide rely on our specialty brokers and underwriters to place their most complex and important risks. With over 40 locations nationwide, put Jencap to work for you.
Jencap Specialty Insurance Services (Environmental)
2400 E. Katella Ave., Ste. 800, Anaheim, CA 92806
Phone: (949) 534-9106
E-mail: nancy.huynh@jencapgroup.com
jencapgroup.com/environmental
MGA, Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
Jencap Specialty Insurance Services - Buffalo
295 Main St., Ste. 866, Buffalo, NY 14203
Phone: (800) 333-7226, Fax: (800) 677-6779
E-mail: info.buffalo@jencapgroup.com
www.jencapgroup.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
James River Insurance Company
6641 W. Broad St., Ste. 300, Richmond, VA 23230
Phone: (804) 289-2700
E-mail: info@jamesriverins.com
www.jamesriverins.com
James River underwrites a wide variety of specialty P&C and Professional risks on an E&S basis in all states. Visit www.jamesriverins.com to find a JRIC-authorized wholesale broker!
Jamison Risk Services
20 Commerce Dr., Cranford, NJ 07016
Phone: (973) 669-2311, Fax: (973) 731-3035
E-mail: ccaruso@jamisongroup.com
www.jamisongroup.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Jimcor Agencies
60 Craig Rd., Montvale, NJ 07645
Phone: (201) 573-8200, Fax: (201) 573-8820
E-mail: marketing@jimcor.com
www.jimcor.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
JM Wilson
For more info, check our ads on page 2 (MW & SE) & page 4 (West). 8036 Moorsbridge Rd., Portage, MI 49024
Phone: (800) 282-8113
E-mail: cbaldwin@jmwilson.com
www.jmwilson.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
J.M. Wilson is a third generation, family owned Managing General Agency and Surplus Lines Broker founded in 1920. We provide independent insurance agents access to ‘A’ rated carriers for Commercial Transportation, Property & Casualty, Brokerage, Marine, Personal Lines and Surety. We know insurance agents have choices and It’s our goal to establish relationships and provide the best possible experience for you to place business in the E&S marketplace.
Joseph Chiarello & Co., Inc.; Firearms Business Insurance Program
25 DeForest Ave., Ste. 208, Summit, NJ 07901
Phone: (800) 526-2199, Fax: (908) 473-0110
E-mail: info@jcinsco.com
www.guninsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Joseph Krar & Associates Inc.
P.O. Box 580, Southington, CT 06489
Phone: (860) 628-3967, Fax: (860) 628-3969
E-mail: jkrar@jkrar.com
www.jkrar.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Kevin Davis Insurance Services
800 W. Sixth St., Ste. 1700, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 833-6191, Fax: (213) 477-2057
E-mail: sherry.branson@amwins.com
www.kdisonline.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
KF&B Program Managers Insurance Services
425 W. Broadway, Ste. 308, Glendale, CA 91204
Phone: (818) 242-5100, Fax: (818) 242-6800
E-mail: czallo@kfbins.com
www.kfbins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Kinsale Insurance Company
2035 Maywill St., Ste. 100, Richmond, VA 23226
Phone: (804) 289-1300, Fax: (804) 673-5697
E-mail: marketing@kinsaleins.com
www.kinsaleins.com
Explore the Potential of what Kinsale can do for your hard to insure accounts. Kinsale Insurance Company is a domestic excess and surplus lines insurance company specializing in casualty, professional, property, specialty, and transportation risks.
Lawyer’s Protector Plan
655 N. Franklin St., Ste. 1900, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: (800) 336-5529, Fax: (813) 223-9547
E-mail: lpp@bbprograms.com
www.lppinsurance.com
Managing General Agency
Lefebvre Insurance LLC
901 Pleasant Street, #1413, Attleboro, MA 02703
Phone: (800) 451-9668, Fax: (508) 384-0303
E-mail: tom@lefebvreinsurance.com
www.lefebvreinsurance.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Legacy Employer Concepts LLC
7901 4th St. N, Ste. 300, St. Petersburg, FL 33702
Phone: (813) 460-9166, Fax: (813) 433-2503
E-mail: brett@legacyemployerconcepts.com
www.legacyemployerconcepts.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
LifeScienceRisk
180 N. Stetson Ave., 46th Fl., Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 784-6005, Fax: (312) 784-6002
E-mail: mark.wood@lsrisk.com
www.lsrisk.com
Managing Underwriter
LIG Marine Managers
111 2nd Ave. NE, Ste. 1101, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 578-2800, Fax: (727) 578-9977
E-mail: KLT@LIGMarine.com
www.LIGMarine.com
MGA, Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
M&A Insurance Solutions LLC
221 River St., 9th Fl, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone: (917) 656-2476
E-mail: kirk@rwpolicy.com
www.rwpolicy.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
M.J. Hall & Company Insurance Brokers
For more information, check out our ad on page 1 (West).
1550 W. Fremont Street, Stockton, CA 95203
Phone: (209) 948-8108
E-mail: michael.donahue@mjhall.com
www.mjhall.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
MacAfee & Edwards - Mexican Ins. Specialist
800 S. Figueroa St., Ste. 790, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: (213) 629-9777, Fax: (213) 629-9779
E-mail: juan@mexicard.com
www.macafeeandedwards.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Markel
4600 Cox Rd., Glen Allen, VA 23060
Phone: (800) 431-1270, Fax: (804) 965-1689
E-mail: eservice@markelcorp.com
www.markelinsurance.com
Markel Personal Lines
P.O. Box 906, Pewaukee, WI 53072
Phone: (262) 548-9880, Fax: (262) 547-9436
E-mail: maicmarketing@markelcorp.com
www.markelmarine.com
MexiPass International Insurance Services
LLC
P.O. Box 60727, Pasadena, CA 91116
Phone: (800) 639-4727, Fax: (800) 639-4329
E-mail: jorge@mexipass.com
www.mexipass.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
MAXIMUM
222 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 2340, Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 559-9348, Fax: (312) 559-0930
E-mail: joem@maxib.com
www.maxib.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
McGowan Allied Specialty Insurance
140 Fountain Pkwy N, Ste. 570, St. Petersburg, FL 33716
Phone: (800) 237-3355, Fax: (727) 360-3498
E-mail: tellmemore@mcgowanallied.com
www.mcgowanallied.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
McLeckie Insurance Group
P.O. Box 770, Naples, TX 75568
Phone: (903) 897-9090, Fax: (760) 462-1696
E-mail: Bill@mcleckie.com
www.mcleckie.com
MGA, Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
Meridian Finance Group
11900 W. Olympic Blvd., 8th Fl, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310) 260-2130, Fax: (310) 260-2140
E-mail: anowicki@meridianfinance.com
www.meridianfinance.com
Mexico Insurance Online
214 E. Birch Ave., Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: (928) 433-6728, Fax: (928) 779-7221
E-mail: denny.lauritsen@mexicoinsuranceonline.com
www.mexicoinsuranceonline.com
Mexpro.com / NFP
214 E. Birch Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Phone: (928) 214-9750
E-mail: Roxanna.McDade@mexpro.com
https://www.mexpro.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Midwest Employers Casualty 14755 N. Outer 40 Dr., Ste. 300, Chesterfield, MO 63017
Phone: (636) 449-7000, Fax: (636) 449-7199
E-mail: rlunceford@mecasualty.com
www.mecasualty.com
MiniCo Insurance Agency, a Jencap Company
10851 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Ste. 200, Phoenix, AZ 85029
Phone: (800) 528-1056, Fax: (602) 861-1094
E-mail: info@minico.com
www.minico.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Monarch E&S Insurance Services
For more information, check out our ad on page 3 (West). 2550 N Hollywood Way, Ste. 501, Burbank, CA 91505
Phone: (818) 249-0100, Fax: (818) 249-1166
E-mail: clarac@monarchexcess.com
www.monarchexcess.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent Mover’s Choice
222 Gateway Road W, Napa, CA 94558
Phone: (800) 852-1968, Fax: (707) 252-5905
E-mail: BrandonL@paulhanson.com www.moverschoiceinfo.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
MyMGA.com
P.O. Box 8586, Emeryville, CA 94662
Phone: (800) 339-7878, Fax: (510) 655-3076
E-mail: mnyquist@mymga.com mymga.com
Managing General Agency
National Indemnity Company
1314 Douglas, Ste. 1400, Omaha, NE 68102
Phone: (402) 916-3000, Fax: (402) 916-3030
E-mail: info@nationalindemnity.com
www.nationalindemnity.com
Nationwide
8877 N. Gainey Center Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Phone: (800) 423-7675, Fax: (480) 483-6752
E-mail: palacj3@nationwide.com
www.nationwideexcessandsurplus.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Nautilus Insurance Co. & Great Divide
Inssurance Co.
For more information, check out our ad on page 19 (National).
7233 E. Butherus Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Phone: (480) 951-0905, Fax: (480) 951-9730
E-mail: nicmarketing@nautilus-ins.com
www.nautilusinsgroup.com
NBIS
2859 Paces Ferry Rd. SE, 800 Overlook III, Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: (770) 257-1777, Fax: (770) 257-1500
E-mail: contactus@nbis.com
www.NBIS.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Negley Associates
389 Interpace Pkwy, 4th Fl, Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: (862) 286-3550, Fax: (866) 865-5655
E-mail: info@jjnegley.com
www.jjnegley.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
NeitClem Wholesale Insurance Brokerage Inc.
7442 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90041
Phone: (323) 258-2600, Fax: (323) 258-2676
E-mail: jcenteno@neitclem.com
www.neitclem.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
New Empire Insurance Services
214 W. Park Ave., Long Beach, NY 11561
Phone: (516) 431-8300, Fax: (516) 431-5351
E-mail: robmackoul@newempireis.com
www.newempireis.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Nonprofits Insurance Alliance
P.O. Box 8507, Santa Cruz, CA 95061
Phone: (831) 459-0461, Fax: (831) 459-0853
E-mail: brokerservices@insurancefornonprofits.org
www.insurancefornonprofits.org
Norman-Spencer Agency LLC
8075 Washington Village Dr., Dayton, OH 45458
Phone: (800) 543-3248, Fax: (937) 432-1635
E-mail: info@norman-spencer.com
www.norman-spencer.com
Managing General Agency
Norman-Spencer International Inc.
150 E. 22nd St., Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: (630) 705-4140, Fax: (630) 705-1056
E-mail: gretchen@normanspencer.com
www.normanspencer.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Number One Insurance Agency
91 Cedar St., Milford, MA 01757
Phone: (508) 634-2900, Fax: (508) 634-2930
E-mail: numberone@massagent.com
www.massagent.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Orion Commercial Insurance Services Inc.
P.O. Box 30634, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Phone: (925) 627-6040, Fax: (925) 280-0333
E-mail: al@orionslb.com
Not Available
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Pacific Excess Insurance Marketing
6363 Katella Ave., Cypress, CA 90630
Phone: (800) 222-5582, Fax: (714) 228-7838
E-mail: marketing@pacificexcess.com
www.pacificexcess.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Pacific Gateway Insurance Agency
28470 Ave Stanford, Ste. 325, Valencia, CA 91355
Phone: (800) 354-4844, Fax: (661) 257-5988
E-mail: mark_thorne@pgiainsurance.com
www.pgiainsurance.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Pacific International Underwriters
PO Box 13520, Mill Creek, WA 98082
Phone: (425) 771-8988, Fax: (425) 775-9046
E-mail: marketing@piuinc.com
www.piuinc.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
PartnerOne Environmental
P.O. Box 1532, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (800) 596-0172, Fax: (434) 979-8964
E-mail: p1info@p1enviro.com
https://p1enviro.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
PERse
23 Corporate Plaza, Ste. 248, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Phone: (949) 873-0324, Fax: (949) 873-0319
E-mail: mbernay@powerenergyrisk.com
www.powerenergyrisk.com
Managing Underwriter
PersonalUmbrella.com
For more information, check out our ad on page 21 (National). P.O. Box 8586, Emeryville, CA 94662
Phone: (800) 564-1799, Fax: (510) 655-3076
E-mail: dsmith@personalumbrella.com
PersonalUmbrella.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Prime Insurance Company
1 S. Dearborn St., Ste. 800, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (800) 257-5590, Fax: (877) 452-6910
E-mail: RJL@primeis.com
www.primeis.com
ProAlly
1820 E. Sky Harbor Circle S, Ste. 150, Phoenix, AZ 85034
Phone: (623) 473-6277
E-mail: contact@pro-ally.com
https://www.pro-ally.com
Managing Underwriter
Proctor Loan Protector
700 Tower Dr., Ste. 400, Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (800) 521-6800, Fax: (248) 269-5605
E-mail: info@pfic.com
www.proctorlp.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Professional Governmental Underwriters
4870 Sadler Rd., Ste. 102, Glen Allen, VA 23060
Phone: (800) 586-6502, Fax: (804) 272-7852
E-mail: glester@pgui.com
www.pgui.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Professional Insurance Concepts
389 Interpace Pkwy, 4th Fl, Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: (862) 286-3470, Fax: (973) 263-0747
E-mail: DGriffin@ProInsConcepts.com
www.ProInsConcepts.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Professional Program Ins. Brokerage, a Div of SPG Ins. Solutions
1304 Southpoint Blvd., Ste. 101, Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone: (415) 475-4300, Fax: (415) 475-4303
E-mail: info@ppibcorp.com
www.ppibcorp.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Professional Underwriters Agency (PUA)
2803 Butterfield Rd., Ste. 260, Oak Brook, IL 60523
Phone: (630) 861-2330
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
puainc.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Promont Insurance Advisors
1 E. Wacker Dr., Ste. 1920, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 262-3300, Fax: (312) 262-3301
E-mail: greg.morris@promontadvisors.com
www.promontadvisors.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Omaha National
PO Box 451139, Omaha, NE 68145
Phone: (844) 761-8400, Fax: (844) 761-8402
E-mail: sales@omahanational.com
www.omahanational.com
Omaha National is a premier provider of workers compensation insurance. Accepting experience-rated risks up to 300k in premium. Offering coverage for a wide variety of businesses. Insurance Carrier (PPIC) is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. We offer three ways to pay premium.
Philadelphia Insurance Companies
For more information, check out our ad on page 9 (National). 231 Saint Asaphs Rd., Ste. 100, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 Phone: (800) 873-4552, Fax: (610) 617-7940
E-mail: phlysales@phly.com
www.phly.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Philadelphia Insurance Companies, a Member of the Tokio Marine Group, designs, markets, and underwrites commercial property/casualty and professional liability insurance products incorporating value added coverages and services for select industries.
Poulton Associates
3785 S. 700 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84106
Phone: (801) 316-4228
E-mail: service@catcoverage.com
https://www.CATcoverage.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
ProSurance Group, a Div of One80
Intermediaries
2685 Marine Way, Ste. 1408, Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: (650) 428-0818, Fax: (650) 428-0860
E-mail: financialservices@prosurancegroup.com
www.prosurancegroup.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
ProWriters
70 E. Lancaster Ave., Ste. 102, Malvern, PA 19355
Phone: (484) 321-2335, Fax: (484) 321-2339
E-mail: info@prowritersins.com
www.prowritersins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Quadrant Insurance Managers
501 W. Schrock Rd., Ste. 301, Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 841-1425, Fax: (614) 841-1426
E-mail: info@quadrant-us.com
www.quadrant-us.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Quaker Special Risk, a Jencap Company (Florida)
224 Datura St., Ste. 715, W. Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (866) 526-1545, Fax: (561) 833-6616
E-mail: creid@qsr-insurance.com
www.qsr-insurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Quaker Special Risk, a Jencap Company (Mass.)
51 Harvard St., Worcester, MA 01609
Phone: (800) 252-8679, Fax: (508) 753-0646
E-mail: kbranscombe@quakerma.com
www.quakerma.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Quaker Special Risk, a Jencap Company (New Jersey)
P.O. Box 1350, Eatontown, NJ 07724
Phone: (800) 447-4180, Fax: (732) 223-9072
E-mail: creid@qsr-insurance.com
www.qsr-insurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Quirk & Company
P.O. Box 792030, San Antonio, TX 78279
Phone: (800) 299-9421, Fax: (210) 340-4075
E-mail: kquirk@quirkco.com
www.quirkco.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
RealCare Insurance
430 W. Napa St., Ste. F, Sonoma, CA 95476
Phone: (800) 996-0599, Fax: (707) 935-7142
E-mail: realcare@nfp.com
www.realcareprograms.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Reefer Protector
24379 Bramblewood Dr., Novi, MI 48374
Phone: (586) 291-7729
E-mail: brian@insurehive.com
www.reeferprotector.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
For more info, check our ad on page 1 (Midwest), page 2 (East) and page 7 (West).
11500 N. Ambassador Dr., Ste. 310, Kansas City, MO 64153
Phone: (816) 398-4080
E-mail: info@reinsurepro.com
www.reinsurepro.com
RelMark Program Managers
961 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs, PA 19425
Phone: (800) 874-5880, Fax: (610) 321-1011
E-mail: RRittersbach@relmarkgroup.com
www.relmark.net
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
reThought Insurance
11001 W. 120th Ave., Ste. 400, Broomfield, CO 80021
Phone: (818) 359-2615
E-mail: cory.isaacson@rethoughtinsurance.com
www.rethoughtinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
RISCO Insurance Brokerage Inc.
60 Catamore Blvd., East Providence, RI 02914
Phone: (800) 533-3649, Fax: (401) 438-0980
E-mail: pplumb@risco-inc.com
www.risco-inc.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Risk Strategies, Transportation Group
PO Box 360017, Strongsville, OH 44136
Phone: (877) 862-4755, Fax: (914) 636-0802
E-mail: info@risk-strategies.com
www.risk-strategies.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
RMC Group
27200 Riverview Center Blvd., Ste. 311, Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Phone: (239) 298-8210
E-mail: rmc@rmcgp.com
www.rmcgp.com
Roush Insurance Services Inc.
18077 River Rd., Ste. 107, Noblesville, IN 46062
Phone: (800) 752-8402, Fax: (317) 776-6891
E-mail: info@roushins.com
www.roushins.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
RPS
2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
Phone: (866) 595-8413, Fax: (630) 285-4075
E-mail: contact_us@rpsins.com
www.rpsins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
RPS Healthcare
525 W. Van Buren, Ste. 1325, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: (312) 803-6014
E-mail: Diane_Burrows@rpsins.com
https://www.rpsins.com/industries/healthcare-insurance/
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
RPS Technology & Cyber
204 Cedar St., Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: (800) 336-5659, Fax: (410) 228-7645
E-mail: Estelle_Cummings@RPSins.com
www.rpsins.com/industries/technology-insurance/
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
RSI International Inc.
1250 E. Copeland Rd., Arlington, TX 76011
Phone: (800) 275-2084, Fax: (817) 861-8955
E-mail: prainey@rsii.net
www.rsimga.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
RT Specialty
180 N. Stetson Ave., Ste. 4600, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (888) 884-1900, Fax: (312) 784-6002
E-mail: marketing@rtspecialty.com
rtspecialty.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker
Sapphire Blue
180 N. Stetson Ave., 46th Fl., Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 784-6007, Fax: (312) 784-6002
E-mail: nancy.mcmahon@sapphireblueuw.com
www.sapphireblueuw.com
Managing Underwriter
Shield Commercial Insurance Services
43725 Monterey Ave., Ste. A, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Phone: (760) 345-9029, Fax: (800) 345-4851
E-mail: info@shieldins.net
www.shieldins.net
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Skyward Specialty Insurance
800 Gessner, Ste. 600, Houston, TX 77024
Phone: (972) 587-4315, Fax: (713) 467-8238
E-mail: hdoughty@skywardinsurance.com
www.skywardinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Southwest Risk
8144 Walnut Hill Ln., Ste. 1400, Dallas, TX 75231
Phone: (214) 206-4900, Fax: (214) 206-4901
E-mail: info@swrisk.com
www.swrisk.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Sovereign Group Int’l Inc.
1600 Jersey Ave., Ste. 5, North Brunswick, NJ 08902
Phone: (732) 750-2300, Fax: (732) 750-1650
E-mail: bill@sovereignins.com
www.sovereignins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Specialty Insurance
1610 Route 88 Ste. 102, Brick, NJ 08724
Phone: (732) 701-8934
E-mail: apyciak@specialtyagency.com
www.specialtyagency.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
Specialty Wholesale Insurance Solution
(SWIS), a Div of SPG
5 Bryant Park, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018
Phone: (866) 607-8370, Fax: (212) 338-2910
E-mail: kevin.jaglall@specialtyprogramgroup.com
www.specialtyprogramgroup.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
Sports & Fitness Insurance Corporation (SFIC)
212 Key Dr., Ste. A, Madison, MS 39110
Phone: (800) 844-0536, Fax: (601) 853-6141
E-mail: contactus@sportsfitness.com
www.sportsfitness.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Sports & Wellness Insurance
555 E. North Lane, Ste. 6060, Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: (610) 808-9599
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
nsmsportsinsurance.com
Managing General Agency, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Sun Coast General Insurance Agency
P.O. Box 30750, Laguna Hills, CA 92654
Phone: (800) 300-8838, Fax: (949) 768-4045
E-mail: jyeskin@suncoastinsurance.com
www.SunCoastInsurance.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Synergy Professional Associates
100 Passaic Ave., Ste. 145, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Phone: (973) 995-0500, Fax: (973) 995-0501
E-mail: michelem@synergy-ins.com
www.synergy-ins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
TAPCO Underwriters Inc.
3060 S. Church St., Burlington, NC 27216
Phone: (800) 334-5579, Fax: (336) 584-8880
E-mail: KAllred@gotapco.com
www.GoTAPCO.com
MGA,Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Udr
Target Managers Insurance Services
10161 Park Run Dr., Ste. 150, Las Vegas, NV 89145
Phone: (702) 588-5300, Fax: (702) 588-5310
E-mail: mkiger@targetmanagers.com
www.targetmanagers.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Target Professional Programs
1230 E. Diehl Rd., Ste. 350, Naperville, IL 60563
Phone: (331) 333-8239, Fax: (630) 961-0284
E-mail: sreidy@targetproins.com
www.TargetProIns.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
TDC Specialty Underwriters
29 Mill Street, Unionville, CT 06085
Phone: (888) 277-3152, Fax: (888) 277-3152
E-mail: submissions@tdcspecialty.com
www.tdcspecialty.com
Managing Underwriter
The American Equity Underwriters Inc.
32nd Fl, 11 N. Water St., Mobile, AL 36602
Phone: (251) 690-4230, Fax: (251) 690-4299
E-mail: aeu.marketing@amequity.com
www.amequity.com
U.S. Risk LLC
14241 Dallas Pkwy, Ste. 850, Dallas, TX 75254
Phone: (800) 232-5830, Fax: (214) 647-5035
E-mail: lori.ault@usrisk.com
www.usrisk.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
For more information, check out our ad on page 7 (National). 3200 N. Central Ave., Ste. 1225, Phoenix, AZ 85012
Phone: (213) 634-6421
E-mail: specialtymarketing@unitedfiregroup.com www.ufgspecialty.com
Victor Insurance Managers LLC
770 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 400, Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 961-9800, Fax: (301) 951-5444
E-mail: info.us@victorinsurance.com
www.victorinsuranceus.com
A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Virtue Risk Partners LLC
One Blue Hill PLaza, Pearl River, NY 10965
Phone: (845) 205-0301
E-mail: jvalenza@virtuerisk.com
www.virtuerisk.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
Walter General Agency (WGA)
273 Clarkson Rd., Ste. 102, Ellisville, MO 63011
Phone: (636) 391-4841, Fax: (636) 391-2115
E-mail: newquotes@wgamo.com
www.wgamo.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Western Surplus Lines Agency Inc.
P.O. Box 6609, Abilene, TX 79608
Phone: (800) 592-4408, Fax: (325) 695-0371
E-mail: bcraig@westernsurplus.com
www.westernsurplus.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
The McGowan Companies
Corporate HQ; 20595 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park, OH 44126
Phone: (800) 545-1538, Fax: (440) 333-3214
E-mail: syoung@mcgowancompanies.com
www.mcgowancompanies.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Group LLC
One Blue Hill Plaza, Ste. 530, Pearl River, NY 10965
Phone: (845) 735-0700, Fax: (845) 735-8383
E-mail: mkatz@mechanicgroup.com
www.mechanicgroup.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker
Insurance Programs, Brokerage and Risk Management for the Security Officer, Electronic Security-Alarm, Investigation and Background Screening Industry.
Towerstone Inc.
14221 Dallas Parkway #700, Dallas, TX 75254
Phone: (972) 725-2100, Fax: (972) 725-2101
E-mail: info@towerstonecorp.com
www.towerstonecorp.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
True Transport Insure
555 E. North Lane, Ste. 6060, Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: (610) 808-9559
E-mail: nsmmarketing@nsminc.com
https://nsminc.com/transportation/
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
At UFG Specialty, best in class service is what we do. We understand response time and decisiveness are key to our broker/partners’ success. Rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, we specialize in hard-to-place Excess Casualty, Excess Property, and Inland Marine business.
Unitas Financial Services
6543 Commerce Parkway, Suite M, Dublin, OH 43014
Phone: (954) 931-4795, Fax: (866) 847-5565
E-mail: john.watt@unitas360.com
www.unitas360.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
Universal Insurance Programs
1220 E. Osborn Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85014
Phone: (800) 844-2101, Fax: (866) 512-2272
E-mail: info@uiprograms.com
www.uiprograms.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Managing Underwriter
US Assure
8230 Nations Way, Jacksonville, FL 32256
Phone: (800) 800-3907
E-mail: info@usassure.com
www.usassure.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
USASIA Insurance Services
319 Union Ave., Pomona, CA 91768
Phone: (909) 618-0288, Fax: (909) 618-0289
E-mail: shirley@usasia-ins.com
www.usasia-ins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
USG Insurance Services Inc.
1000 Town Center Way, Ste. 300, Canonsburg, PA 15317
Phone: (724) 754-9007, Fax: (724) 265-5751
E-mail: jkessel@usgins.com
www.aauins.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent, Managing Underwriter
World Wide Specialty, a Division of Philadelphia Insurance Companies
68 S. Service Rd., Ste. 235, Melville, NY 11747
Phone: (800) 245-9653, Fax: (631) 390-0922
E-mail: dtaylor@wwspi.com
www.wwspi.com
Managing General Agency
Wrap Up Insurance Solutions
16141 Swingley Ridge Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017
Phone: (636) 489-0185, Fax: (636) 536-7473
E-mail: bbillhartz@wrapupsolutions.com
www.wrapupsolutions.com
www.insurancehelper.com
PO Box 1549, Grass Valley, CA 95945
Phone: (530) 648-1100
E-mail: info@theeventhelper.com
www.insurancehelper.com
Managing General Agency, Managing Underwriter
XPT
4965 Preston Park Blvd., Ste. 650, Plano, TX 75093
Phone: (972) 702-0500, Fax: (972) 702-0504
E-mail: mark.kaufman@xptpartnersllc.com
www.xptspecialty.com
MGA, A Licensed Surplus Broker, Lloyd’s Correspondent
continued from page 27
cant capital risks for the insurance policies issued. These investments not only create jobs but also provide crucial financial support to the nation’s food producers.
When claims are made, funds are available promptly, helping farmers quickly recover from losses and continue their operations. This financial stability translates into a thriving rural economy, with ripple effects that benefit local businesses, schools, and infrastructure.
While crop insurance has proven effective, we must continue to explore avenues for improvement and expansion to meet evolving needs. As I highlighted in my testimony, the future of crop insurance should include a variety of advancements, including these mentioned below.
Enhanced coverage options. Collaboration between insurers, developers, and the USDA’s Risk Management Agency has resulted in innovative policies such as the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) policy and the Hurricane Insurance Protection-Wind Index (HIP-WI). These policies provide higher coverage levels, reduce deductibles, and address the financial fallout from natural disasters. Further efforts to enhance affordability and increase coverage for future disasters can minimize reliance on ad hoc assistance.
Refinement of the 508(h) Process. The 508(h) process, which allows for the introduction of new crop insurance policies, offers flexibility and innovation. However, refinement of this process is needed to improve market uptake and reduce the cost of new product introduction. By streamlining the timing and development of new policies, we can enhance the program’s effectiveness and ensure that it remains responsive to evolving challenges.
Fair Administrative Reimbursement. Ensuring fair administrative reimbursements is crucial for the sustainability of the crop insurance industry. Since 2015, administrative reimbursements have remained stagnant while the industry has experienced significant wage inflation and cost increases. Adjusting for inflation would ensure equitable relief and provide beneficial program delivery for all farmers.
Incentivize Environmental Initiatives Separately. American farmers have already adopted various environmentally friendly practices, such as no-till farming, cover crops, variable-rate fertilizer and chemical application, and the use of cleaner-burning tractors. Farmers purchasing crop insurance must certify compliance with land management practices for highly erodible lands and wetlands administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). While
further adoption of carbon-sequestering farming practices is seen as beneficial, non-market incentives should come from separately funded initiatives to avoid detracting from the crop insurance program.
Actuarial Soundness. Changes that exclude individuals from eligibility would undermine the program’s actuarial soundness. Crop insurance’s effectiveness relies on the diversity of the risk pool, including farmers and ranchers of all sizes from every county in the country. Narrowing the risk pool could increase premiums for those who remain eligible.
As the Farm Bill is up for renewal, it is important to recognize the indispensable role of crop insurance and continue to support its growth and development so we can secure the future of American agriculture, support our farmers, and ensure food security for generations to come.
July 17, 2023
Agents National Title Insurance Company
1207 W. Broadway St., Suite C Columbia, MO 65203
The above company has made application to the Division of Insurance to obtain a Foreign Company License to transact Property and Casualty Insurance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Any person having any information regarding the company which relates to its suitability for the license or authority the applicant has requested is asked to notify the Division by personal letter to the Commissioner of Insurance, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 810, Boston, MA 021186200, Attn: Financial Surveillance and Company Licensing within 14 days of the date of this notice.
July 17, 2023
Point Specialty Insurance Company 1800 North Point Drive Stevens Point, WI 54481
The above company has made application to the Division of Insurance to obtain a Foreign Company License to transact Property and Casualty Insurance in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Any person having any information regarding the company which relates to its suitability for the license or authority the applicant has requested is asked to notify the Division by personal letter to the Commissioner of Insurance, 1000 Washington Street, Suite 810, Boston, MA 021186200, Attn: Financial Surveillance and Company Licensing within 14 days of the date of this notice.
for deposit products and appealing credit terms for loans, now must do so in a market that is challenging to their earnings model.
By David W. TralkaMany independent agents have watched with concern as a small number of high-profile banks have faltered during 2023.
Just what does this shock to the banking system mean to independent agents and brokers throughout the country?
The soundness of the banking system, frankly, is not something that most independent agency principals spend time thinking about. But since these issues have arisen, it’s important for agency leaders to navigate the issue. I see four takeaways as relevant to agents in the current environment.
1. The problems leading to the notable bank failures were specific to those few banks. America’s strong bank depositor protections responded to those situations, and healthy banks stepped up to absorb the assets and liabilities of the troubled banks. The protections in place worked. It appears that issues in the banking system have been contained.
2. While the distress has been limited to a few institutions, the rising interest rate environment of 2022–2023 has put many banks under pressure. Banks, which always face competitive pressure to offer favorable interest rates
3. The competitive pressures that all banks face will lead them to narrow their lending activity. For businesses such as independent agencies that present a different business model than other business borrowers, credit availability may be significantly curtailed.
4. Agents should speak to their financial institution and ask questions about deposit insurance protection, bank liquidity and capital ratios.
Many banks today face challenges to earnings and balance sheet strength. I expect there will be a fair number of banks posting lower profits in coming quarters. That’s a long way from saying they might fail, but it does mean they could change the way they operate. This could affect the way banking relationships work for independent agencies.
In this environment, independent agency principals may expect banks to shy away from lending for agency perpetuation, new producer development and acquisitions. New loans, when available, likely will cost more.
For years, I’ve seen many banks avoid independent agencies as borrowers. Bank
lenders tend to have little appreciation for the enterprise value of an independent agency and tend to discount the value associated with an agency’s policy renewals, client retention, carrier relationships and loss experience. Faced with recent events and the forecast of higher interest rates, I don’t expect banks to suddenly change their perception of independent agencies.
Even as some banks tighten lending, institutions that truly understand the agency financial model will continue to be active lenders. Banks that exhibit strong earnings, liquidity and available capital will have the financial flexibility to continue providing capital to independent agencies.
Independent agency principals tend to be fiscally conservative. They’ve weathered crises large and small, and they’re used to sleeping well at night. It makes sense for agency owners to ask questions of the banks they’re doing business with. In addition to asking about financial sound-
ness, now is a good time to ask about their current and future appetite for agency lending.
If you are an agency principal, there is one last point to consider about your own financial picture. Any agency owner who has taken out a loan in recent years should carefully review their loan terms and conditions. Numerous agency loans have been made at floating rates based on the prime rate. With interest rates sharply higher over the past two years, loan payments may be significantly higher. You can use the current yield curve to your advantage by thinking about refinancing to a fixed rate loan. In many cases, a medium-term fixed rate may be lower than the floating rate you currently have. A lender that is knowledgeable about the independent insurance agency channel can quickly identify opportunities to save on future interest costs.