Ben McKay News

Takeaways from Our Conversation on Cannabis and Surplus Lines

It may not come as much of a surprise to those who know about insurance and cannabis that the business is written mostly by the surplus lines market. Just how much is written there vs. the admitted market? Estimates range …

California Surplus Lines Weathered Pandemic, Wildfires, Civil Unrest

In a year marred by a pandemic, massive Western U.S. wildfires, civil unrest, and a contentious election, California’s surplus lines market “didn’t miss a beat.” That was the message from Ben McKay, CEO and executive director of the Surplus Line …

California Wildfires Helped Drive Homeowners Premium Volume in Surplus Lines

Wildfires have evidently been driving more Californians into the surplus lines market, pushing up homeowners surplus premium volume to more than $122 million in 2018, according to the Surplus Line Association of California. “We have seen over the last five …

California’s Surplus Export List Getting Interest Ahead of Upcoming Hearing

Ben McKay, executive director of the Surplus Lines Association of California, said his phone has been quite a bit busier lately ahead of a public hearing on Friday on the state’s export list. People in the insurance industry during the …

The Changing Surplus Lines Landscape in California and Beyond

The changing excess and surplus insurance landscape was an oft discussed topic on Monday, with experts describing the challenges and opportunities going forward. “The business that we have and the risk we see is going to be changing. No question.” …

Report Shows Month-to-Month Surplus Lines Volatility in California

So far it’s been an “unusual year” for surplus lines in California. Filed premiums were up 14.1 percent in October from the same month last year, but that increase followed a 38.3 percent year-over-year drop in September, new figures from …

California Surplus Lines up Considerably in 2014, Report Shows

Premiums for California wholesalers rose considerably in 2014 from a year earlier, showing that segment of the industry outperformed the rest of the state’s economy, according to a report from the Surplus Lines Association of California. For 2014 there was …

California Wholesalers Stress Opportunity Theme at Convention

Opportunity was a theme that came up often at the annual California Wholesaler Industry Days convention from Sunday through today in La Jolla, Calif. at Hilton Torrey Pines. The three-day conference organized by the California Wholesalers Insurance Association (CIWA) included …

California Wholesalers Fret Over Upcoming Legal Decision

A pending legal battle that could expose wholesalers in California to more lawsuits was the centerpiece of talk at the California Insurance Wholesalers Association conference in San Diego on Friday. The three-day conference, “2013 California Wholesaler Industry Days,” ran from …