What is Surplus Lines?

The "standard" insurance marketplace provides coverage to most businesses today.  But what if a company does something, unique, dangerous or off-the-wall?  Chances are standard insurance companies won't cover the risk.

And that's where the surplus lines industry comes in; we are the innovators - the risk takers - and the creative segment of insurance. We take on the insurance challenges that traditional insurers won't.   

The surplus lines business is immersed in current events and trends in the development of new products, new services, and in minimizing the risks of doing business in a world where the unforeseen is inevitable.

Surplus Lines Risks
The people in our industry use their insights and knowledge to anticipate potential risks and to help develop insurance products that provide the protection American business needs.  Other examples of the types of insurance coverage we develop include:

• A developer re-building homes and businesses in hurricane-prone areas        
• A sports celebrity that wants to insure his or her legs or hands        
• A school district building a new high school        
• A non-profit that seeks to provide food, medical care and education to the Third World        
• A research lab working on a promising, yet unproven new drug        
• A law firm specializing in intellectual property work 

All of these are examples of the types of individuals or businesses that could rely on coverage provided by surplus lines insurers.  Often called the "safety valve" of the insurance industry, without surplus lines coverage many businesses could not secure the coverage they need to operate and grow.