Latest Excess Surplus Headlines
All the headlines from our Excess Surplus Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AmTrust Expands E&S Division, Spins Off Some MGAs With Blackstone
Sep 16 2025 // AmTrust Financial Services has a busy day on Sept. 15 as it expanded its excess & surplus division to include new lines, appointed leadership, and announced an agreement with Blackstone Credit & Insurance to spin...
Skyward Specialty Names Zitzmann President of Inland Marine, Transactional Property
Sep 15 2025 // Skyward Specialty Insurance Group recruited Christopher Zitzmann as president of Inland Marine and Transactional Property. With more than two decades of experience in the property and inland marine markets, Zitzmann is...
People Moves: AXA XL Promotes Smyth as Global Chief Underwriting Officer, Casualty; Liberty Specialty Markets Taps Zurich’s Weigel as Head of Multinational, Europe
Sep 15 2025 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at AXA XL and Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM). A summary of these new hires follows here. AXA XL Promotes Smyth as Global Chief Underwriting Officer,...
Fitch Ratings: U.S. E&S Growth Slows but Remains Strong
Sep 12 2025 // Direct written premiums saw double-digit growth for the seventh straight year for U.S. excess and surplus (E&S) insurers, according to Fitch Ratings’ latest annual property/casualty market review. Per a Fitch...
7 Years of Double-Digit Growth; New Players on Top 25 E&S Insurers List
Sep 12 2025 // 2024 marked the 7th straight year of double-digit growth for the U.S. excess and surplus lines market, but the top 25 players no longer command 70 percent of the pie, according to a new report. AM Best’s latest...
Ariel Re Gets ‘In Principle’ Approval From Lloyd’s to Launch Syndicate 2006
Sep 9 2025 // Ariel Re, a global reinsurer with offices in Bermuda, London and Hong Kong, announced it has received “in principle” approval from Lloyd’s to launch a new syndicate. Starting in 2026, Ariel Re will be...
Surplus Lines Market in Review
Sep 8 2025 // After surpassing the $100 billion threshold mark in direct premiums written for the first time in 2023, the surplus lines market grew by another 12.3% in 2024 to just under $130 billion, according to the recently released...
Economy and Surplus Lines
Sep 8 2025 // Global growth is slowing as U.S. tariff policy reduces trade and heightens geopolitical uncertainty. That will lead to decelerating growth in insurance premiums. According to Swiss Re, global GDP growth (adjusted for...
Bigger Piece of the Pie: Surplus Lines Market Hits New Record as Specialty Lines Continue to Grow in Prominence, Market Share
Sep 8 2025 // Whatever line of business, the surplus lines industry continues to play a critical and more prominent role in the property/casualty market. “It’s pretty incredible to have watched what the E&S business has...
Ryan Specialty Launches New Sidecar to Support its Delegated Underwriting
Sep 5 2025 // International specialty insurer Ryan Specialty announced the formation of a new collateralized reinsurance vehicle called Ryan Alternative Capital Re, Ltd. (RAC Re) RAC Re will deliver additional capacity to Ryan Specialty...
Lloyd’s Reports Combined Ratio of 92.5% on Drop in H1 Underwriting Result
Sep 4 2025 // Lloyd’s first half underwriting result dropped by half to £1.5 billion ($2.0 billion) from £3.1 billion ($4.2 billion) in H1 2024, which was driven primarily by claims from January’s California wildfires. The...
Markets/Coverages: Oak Global Launches Retro Syndicate at Lloyd’s
Sep 4 2025 // OAK Global is launching a new strategic business unit, OAK Enterprise, which will be focused on underwriting retrocession business with an appetite for property and specialty classes. The newly formed Lloyd’s...
Markets/Coverages: Willis Launches Specialty Bloodstock Insurance Solution in UK
Sep 2 2025 // Willis, a business of WTW, has launched the first specialty bloodstock insurance solution with Equine MediRecord to make the purchasing of bloodstock insurance more accessible and efficient for horse owners and trainers in...
WV Commissioner Wants Input on What Coverages Should Be on Surplus Lines List
Aug 28 2025 // The West Virginia Office of the Insurance Commissioner is aking for input on what coverages and classes should be on the surplus lines export list. In keeping with state law, agents and brokers hoping to place types of...
Viewpoint: Earthquake Insurance and Surplus Lines: Clarifying a Legal Grey Zone
Aug 28 2025 // The California property insurance market is undergoing a dramatic shift. As admitted carriers restrict their appetite for business in the state—particularly in high-risk zones—surplus lines insurers are increasingly...
People Moves: Aon Commercial Risk Promotes Smaje as Specialty Leader, Transportation & Logistics; MGA Optio Names Deloitte’s Hallett Head of Insurer Partnerships
Aug 22 2025 // This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the broker Aon and the MGA Optio Group. A summary of these new hires follows here. Aon’s Commercial Risk Business Promotes Smaje to Lead...
Pennsylvania Finally Gets Its $200M Slice of Insurance Association’s Surplus Pie
Aug 21 2025 // Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday recently announced a $200 million transfer of funds from the Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association (JUA) into the state’s general fund. The transfer was the...
Pivix Specialty Launches E&S Brokerage Unit With Gramm at Helm
Aug 20 2025 // Pivix Specialty Insurance Services Inc., a Scottsdale-based excess and surplus managing general agent distributing through wholesale brokers, has opened a brokerage division. Pivix, which is backed by Ambac Financial...
Markets/Coverages: Inigo Provides Excess DIC/DIL Cover on Financial Fraud Policies
Aug 19 2025 // Inigo Ltd., the Lloyd’s specialty insurer, has launched a product that provides top-up cover on financial fraud policies. The product, called Inigo Crime Excess, is an excess DIC/DIL (difference in conditions and...
Brightstone Specialty Acquires RMS Hospitality and Fortis Risk
Aug 15 2025 // Michigan-based Brightstone Specialty Group announced its acquisition of RMS Hospitality Group and its affiliated claims firm, Fortis Risk Solutions, from RMS Insurance Brokerage, LLC. The acquisitions expand...
