The National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices held their annual Mid-Year Leadership Forum last week in Naples, Fla.
The program featured several panel discussions with leaders of top surplus lines insurance firms discussing their challenges.
The surplus lines executives shared their vision of leadership and the challenges they face, including the issues that can keep us up at night.
Additionally, the Forum discussed legislative issues related to Nonadmitted & Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA) implementation.
Click on the following pages to read insights and view photos from the event.

What keeps E&S insurance executives up at night? That was one of several questions posed to a three-member panel at the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) Mid-Year Leadership Forum. Click next to view the executives' responses.
The next unknown event keeps Risk Placement Services' President Joel Cavaness up at night. He said that increased regulations and new rules are made for those who break them, but they are a burden for everyone. He also said, "Wholesalers must continue to innovate and develop new products in order to prosper."
Tony Markel jokingly referred to the fact that his "68-year-old bladder" is what keeps him up at night. But the vice chairman of the Markel Corp. also said, “As industry, we have to look for coverages and approaches that answer societal needs.” He also said that wholesalers are the eyes and ears on the ground for companies when it comes to product innovation, and that movement to the admitted side "should be done grudgingly.”
Erosion of the distribution system is what most worries Westrope President and CEO Kevin Westrope, who said, “Business pressures are creating a move away from distribution systems to direct-to-retail sources. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.” He also said that wholesale E&S has become big business, which has resulted in a move away from the "entrepreneurial spirit."
During the session entitled, "State Implementation of the NRRA," NAPSLO Executive Director Richard Bouhan and NAPSLO Director of Government Relations Steve Stephan said the worst case scenario would be if some states adopt SLIMPACT while others adopt NIMA.
NAPSLO Director of Government Relations Steve Stephan said that for tax allocation provisions under NRRA, NAPSLO favors NCOIL’s SLIMPACT approach over the NAIC’s NIMA.
Steve Harvill, President of Creative Ventures, said the industry must “explain the why” of insurance to clients. "Insurers are missing opportunities to show their value to insureds."
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