View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2010/10/18/160303.htm
American humorist and philosopher Josh Billings could have been describing State Specialists when he said, “Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.” State Specialists are able to effectively compete against more widely licensed insurers by knowing their state better than those competitors. The State Specialists focus on their particular state and develop expertise in that market.
To be categorized as a State Specialist, a carrier must be an individual, active company reporting data to the National Association of Insurance Commmissioners (NAIC) using the property/casualty annual statement format at Dec. 31, 2009, and must write at least $1 million at Dec. 31, 2009 with 90 percent or more in one state. Further, it cannot be a surplus lines company, risk retention group or reinsurance company.
In total, 843 companies were categorized as State Specialists for 2010. This is more than 30 percent of the nearly 2,800 companies reporting Dec. 31, 2009, data. This group wrote approximately 14.4 percent of the industry’s direct written premium in 2009.
Space limitations precluded an enumeration of each of the 843 State Specialists. Accordingly, the accompanying list has been dedicated to the 354 State Specialists who are not affiliated with a group. A full list is available by contacting jpetrelli@demotech.com or bkoestler@demotech.com.