Stan Kott, Francis "Bud" Lockwood and Richard Nenaber will be waiting eagerly in San Diego to hear if their application for membership is approved by the board of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices, Ltd. next week.

The three veterans of the excess and surplus lines industry are newcomers to the specialty insurance operations of Montpelier U.S., coming on board from their most recent positions at Catlin when Bermuda-based property-catastrophe reinsurer Montpelier Re decided to diversify its business platform in 2007.

"Our application is pending," said Mr. Nenaber, who is president of Montpelier U.S. Insurance Company, an excess and surplus lines insurer in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"I hope by mid-afternoon of the first day of NAPSLO we will be a member," he said, noting that the next time the board votes for new members is on the morning of the first day of the convention, set for Sept. 10-13.

"We'll be there" in San Diego, said Mr. Kott, chief executive officer of Montpelier's U.S. insurance operations, which also include Montpelier Underwriting Inc., a wholly-owned managing general agency authorized to issue insurance contracts on behalf of Montpelier Syndicate 5151 at Lloyd's. (Business strategies for Montpelier U.S. and other new players in the U.S. E&S market will be detailed in NU on Sept. 8.)

The NAPSLO convention "is a great venue to meet, to reestablish and firmly establish relationships," Mr. Nenaber said. "You can't be one-on-one, nose-to-nose, and able to talk, see, touch the people you want to do business with [anywhere else]."

Mr. Lockwood, president of MUI, noted that his operation has multiple platforms, doing different types of business--property treaty reinsurance for E&S and regional insurers, brokered and direct property facultative business, and program business--with different access points.

"Every one of them is addressed at NAPSLO--from MGAs to E&S insurance companies to brokers. It's all covered in one spot," Mr. Lockwood said.

"It's the Olympics of the insurance business," Mr. Nenaber added.

As of late August, NAPSLO reported that more than 3,000 people had registered to attend.

Among the highlights at the conference (see infographic), NAPSLO's incoming president, John Wood, in a recent letter to members, noted that NAPSLO had planned to take part in a volunteer project with the San Diego Fire Rescue Department this year, following up on the success of the Habitat for Humanity volunteer program in New Orleans during last year's convention.

Recognizing, however, that wildfires in California have stretched the resources of fire departments across the state, NAPSLO has now decided to focus on a fundraising drive for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation rather than a volunteer effort.

As of last week, NAPSLO reported that more than $20,000 had been raised for the Fire Rescue Foundation.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) public charity founded by former firefighters and works to help meet the equipment and training needs of the fire rescue department.

Special Reports /

NAPSLO 2008: San Diego Or Bust!

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