For cargo underwriting, Kinsey lays out 10 questions that speed up a risk review and reduce the chance of a declined or delayed submission: whether the batteries have a UN test summary certificate, whether the cargo is properly declared as IMDG Class 9 and placarded, the state of charge at shipment (the sweet spot is 30–50%; too high or too low both create risk), photos of actual container loading and block-stowing (not just individual packaging), the manufacturer's factory location, container structural inspection and CSC plate currency, who performed the container stuffing and whether it's a full or less-than-container load, whether terminals are covered to prevent shorting, and whether batteries shipped inside equipment like e-bikes and scooters are protected against vibration and mechanical stress during weeks at sea.

Also touched on: the safety data that reframes where the real risk sits — battery energy storage systems (BESS) draw the most public pushback but had the fewest incidents in UL's reporting period (65 injuries, 4 fatalities), while e-bikes and scooters caused over 1,900 injuries and 340 fatalities in the same window, more than EVs (192 injuries, 103 fatalities) or consumer electronics (2,178 injuries, 199 fatalities); NYC alone reported 267 e-mobility fires, 150 injuries, and 18 deaths in 2023. Kinsey covers operational best practices (only manufacturer-specified batteries and charging cords, avoid daisy-chained outlet strips, never charge under bedding or on flammable surfaces, keep batteries between 32–105°F), how to handle flood-damaged batteries and EVs (segregate at least 50 feet from structures and combustibles, since fires can ignite weeks after the flooding event), and firefighting guidance specific to lithium fires — a Class D metal fire that isn't extinguished with a garden hose, requiring sand or submersion, and never approached without an SCBA due to toxic fumes. He also flags improperly declared e-waste in outbound cargo containers as a recurring, under-recognized fire source, including a recent incident that forced a vessel back to port in Charleston.

Have a client shipping, storing, or insuring lithium-ion powered equipment? ISC's Marine Consulting team can help assess the risk.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Peter Kuchan, VP of Underwriting for ISC's Hospitality Division, breaks down appetite and underwriting for restaurants, bars, taverns, wine bars, and sports bars. He covers geographic coverage (available in most states, with New Mexico and Alaska off the table entirely, some states GL/property-only without liquor, Florida limited to appointed brokers, and South Carolina opening up to liquor risks on 1/1 following tort reform), customizable A&B sublimits ranging from $25,000 up to a full $1 million depending on class, and what's firmly excluded: national franchise restaurants, family entertainment centers, new-venture ultra lounges or nightclubs without three to five years of verifiable loss history, standalone banquet halls, private membership clubs, and hotel/motel-owned restaurants and bars (a privately-owned restaurant or bar leased inside a hotel is fine, just not one the hotel itself operates).

Also touched on: submission requirements (ACORDs, ISC's own supplemental application, loss runs, and ideally the incumbent's terms for comparison), minimum sales thresholds ($500,000 for nightclub-type risks, $350,000 for bars, $250,000 for non-alcohol concepts), how ISC handles emerging niches like hookah lounges (allowed only as an incidental exposure) and self-serve tap walls (considered case by case), and what sets the division apart: specific, detailed decline reasons instead of a generic guideline mismatch, live phone support, and underwriters who'll flag hidden exclusions or deductibles in a competing quote to help a broker sell the account. There's no online quoting platform for hospitality; submissions go through a dedicated email inbox, and excess liquor liability is available through a separate ISC business unit.

Have a restaurant, bar, or tavern client looking for better terms? ISC's Hospitality program is worth a look.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Captain Andrew Kinsey breaks down the legal distinction between legitimate transshipment (combining smaller shipments into larger ones at a hub port, repacking damaged containers, routing around geographic necessity) and false-origin declarations used to evade tariffs. He walks through the anti-circumvention rule that took effect for US imports arriving on or after August 7, 2025, why it carries zero mitigation options under Sections 301 and 1592 of the US Code, and how CBP's own enforcement data shows Chinese cargo transshipped through Malaysia as the single most common evasion pattern tracked from 2016 to 2025. He also traces this scrutiny back to its origin: the forced-labor crackdown on Chinese solar panels years before tariffs made country-of-origin documentation a flashpoint.

Also touched on: the red flags CBP looks for (routing changes without explanation, mismatched container weights and case counts, inconsistent supplier records), what documentation actually protects an importer (supplier affidavits, factory certifications, export declarations, and in some cases blockchain-backed digital logs or scientific material testing), why factory audits are already standard practice for solar and lithium-ion battery shipments, and long-term strategic moves worth discussing with clients: diversifying suppliers, nearshoring or friendshoring, and using bonded warehouses or foreign trade zones to defer tariff assessment until goods actually leave the warehouse.

Have clients navigating tariff or customs compliance risk? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is a resource for brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Kinsey covers the UN's October 2025 global trade data (trade expanded by more than half a trillion dollars, driven mostly by developing economies, while weak US performance dragged down the global average), and the diverging trends of nearshoring (stabilizing) versus friend-shoring (still rising, measured by trade-weighted political proximity based on UN voting patterns). He breaks down what's happening across ship types: container freight rates have fallen to historic, arguably loss-making lows on the Asia–US West Coast route, driven in part by new US port fees on Chinese-linked vessels and Beijing's matching tonnage tax on US-owned ships, which triggered a wave of "blank sailings" (canceled routes) higher than early-COVID disruption levels. Dry bulk shipping took its own hit, with dozens of US-linked Capesize vessels effectively priced out of Chinese ports, while soybean trade has shifted meaningfully toward South America, a pattern reinforced by Argentina's river draft restrictions (down nearly five feet from normal), which limit how loaded ships can sail and raise costs that eventually show up as higher pork prices, since soybeans are a primary animal feed input.

Also touched on: the tanker market, where expanding EU and UK sanctions on Russian oil (including Rosneft and Lukoil) pushed day rates up 66–90% year over year even as container rates crashed, a genuinely odd bright spot where sending US ships to China for repairs has become so cost-effective that it's still cheaper even after paying the new tariff, and a long-term structural shift in ship recycling: vessels are being kept in service well past their designed 20-year lifespan because scrapping now costs more than idling them, creating a scrapping backlog larger than the current shipbuilding order book, concentrated in smaller container ships that will eventually be replaced by vessels too large for the secondary and tertiary ports currently built to handle them.

Have clients navigating shipping, trade, or supply chain risk? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is a resource for brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Deanna walks through the risk management side: get insureds their coverage early, understand the event type (a light-display drive-through carries different exposure than a wedding), account for load-in and load-out days on top of the event date itself, and use contracts to transfer risk — mutual indemnification, a clear statement of work, and pushing liability onto caterers, vendors, and anyone serving alcohol. Ashley adds that the platform is fully digital: instant quotes, approvals inside an hour, and self-service endorsements.

Also touched on: a live Q&A where inflatable rentals come up as a hard no (ISC's product is admitted with filed rates, so surplus lines is the better fit for that exposure), attendee caps by risk tier — categories 1–2 (birthdays up through pickleball tournaments) can go up to 20,000, categories 3–4 (parades, festivals) cap around 15,000, though a well-established broker relationship with strong risk transfer in place can still get a larger event a look, as with the 1-million-attendee San Francisco street festival ISC wrote this year; and how to submit coverage when the applicant is the event organizer, a touring entertainer with stage-back exposure, or a vendor (e.g., a company installing holiday light displays), all of which route through the same special event platform.

Have clients hosting a holiday party, gala, or New Year's Eve event? ISC's Special Events Coverage team can get them a quote fast.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

The bulk of the episode is about where this business is hiding in a broker's existing book. Manufacturers, distributors, and importers often assume they're covered because they're riding on a trucking company's or supplier's insurance — until a loss reveals the valuation was set by that third party's policy, not the client's actual goods value, and there's no recourse to control the claim. Marq's example: a client expecting a payout in the millions for high-value electronics or apparel might get a check for $80,000–$150,000 instead. A standalone open cargo policy (minimum premium around $2,500, with most annual premiums landing between $3,000–$30,000, or up to $70,000–$80,000 with storage attached) puts the client in control of valuation, deductibles, and claims, and it's usually cheaper than what they're already paying embedded in someone else's rate. Carving inventory and transit out of an existing BOP or property program is another common entry point, especially when a client's distribution model changes (adding a third-party warehouse, for instance) — without touching the building or BPP coverage.

Also touched on: pricing is driven by actual shipped or stored values rather than limit, with seasonal businesses (holiday decorations, Halloween costumes) able to scale storage limits up for peak months and price off the average; deductibles and terms are highly flexible since it's a file-and-use, bespoke form with no filed rates (Marq gives an example of a $500 deductible for high-value chandeliers, but a higher deductible carved out specifically for breakage); completed automobiles are one of the few flat exclusions, though auto parts are fine; theft is covered; alcohol distribution and beverage haulers are a likely yes; and a trucking company moving goods it doesn't own falls under inland marine's motor truck cargo/legal liability rather than general cargo. There's no digital submission platform for marine — everything goes to a human underwriter — and ISC Marine's loss control team, led by Captain Andrew Kinsey, is available for supply chain, warehouse, and vessel surveys even for accounts not currently placed with ISC.

Have a client with cargo, storage, or supply chain exposure hiding in their current program? ISC's General Marine Cargo team can take a look.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Kinsey then walks through where the technology is actually moving: traditional pressurized water reactors (the design behind Vogtle, Hinkley Point C in the UK, and the roughly 30 reactors under construction in China) versus molten salt reactors, which use liquid salt instead of pressurized water as a coolant, run at higher temperatures without the meltdown risk profile of a pressure vessel, and are drawing serious interest as compact, modular power sources — including as the power center for data centers. Small modular reactors (300 MW or less, built with factory-fabricated modules and assembled onsite like the combined-cycle gas plants and LNG facilities Kinsey has worked on for years) promise lower capital cost, siting flexibility closer to urban or industrial areas, and non-electrical applications like desalinization and green hydrogen production.

Also touched on: the vitrification process now immobilizing radioactive waste into glass at Hanford and Savannah River (projects Kinsey worked on directly, transferring the nuclear-rated pressure vessels); the three things regulators and investors need to get right to catalyze commercial nuclear investment — affordability, standardized/locked-in design, and regulators actually up to speed on newer reactor types; and the insurance angles ISC is watching as these projects move forward, including workers' comp, construction, and project cargo for reactor components and ancillary power plant equipment.

Have a client involved in power plant construction, reactor components, or heavy equipment transport? ISC's Marine Consulting team can help.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Also touched on: submission requirements (ACORD 125/126/127 as applicable, five years of loss runs, a resume for new ventures, supplemental applications for the major segments) and the underwriting philosophy behind it — this is individual account underwriting, not blanket program pricing, so two similar contractors in the same state can land very differently depending on their specific risk profile. Wendy and Mike's advice for brokers: include a written narrative with the submission (what the account does, why it's coming to market, any loss history upfront), since that's what actually gets an underwriter's attention and speeds up turnaround; call or email the assigned underwriter to start the relationship; and give feedback on quotes that don't bind, since a one-way relationship makes it harder to prioritize a broker's next submission. Live Q&A covers ineligible classes — firearms retailers beyond vintage/collectible sales, thoroughbred racehorse training facilities, and bridge work — with catering halls and wedding venues confirmed as eligible hospitality risks.

Have a client that needs excess coverage outside a program portal's limits? ISC's Excess for Everything team can help.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Captain Andrew Kinsey, Head of Marine Risk Consulting at ISC and a career Merchant Marine officer, breaks down why US shipbuilding capacity has collapsed and what it means for national and economic security. He covers two pending (and currently stalled) legislative efforts, Executive Order 14269 ("Restoring America's Maritime Dominance") and the bipartisan Ships for America Act, and lays out the numbers behind the decline: US shipbuilding output is down more than 85% since the 1950s, from 5% of the world's commercial tonnage to under 0.2% today, while China, Japan, and South Korea now control roughly 90% of global commercial shipbuilding. Per the Office of Naval Intelligence, China alone has about 230 times the shipbuilding capacity of the US. Only a handful of American yards can currently build large commercial vessels at all.

Kinsey also draws on his own deployments, including Gulf War pre-positioning missions out of Diego Garcia, Guam, and Saipan, and underway replenishment operations refueling carrier battle groups, to explain why certain military-support missions require US-flagged vessels and crews that foreign-flagged ships and crews legally can't perform. He walks through the workforce side of the problem too: there are only about 12,000 active US merchant mariners, and activating "mothballed" Ready Reserve Fleet vessels during a crisis, as happened in both Gulf Wars, means recalling crew members off vacation, sometimes into 18-month deployments. He also unpacks the Jones Act debate (which requires US-built, owned, and crewed ships for domestic trade) and why repealing it wouldn't actually fix the underlying capacity shortfall.

Also touched on: the recent sale of the Kempel AmFELS shipyard in Brownsville, Texas to Singapore interests amid concerns about Chinese influence, and why rebuilding US shipyard capacity could open up real opportunity for insuring the secondary and tertiary trades (welding, pipe shops, electrical subcontractors) that would staff up around it.

Have questions about maritime, shipbuilding, or national security-related risk? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is available to brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, John Kiernan, who leads ISC's Hull & Marine Liability product line, breaks down Hull & P&I coverage and appetite. Hull covers physical damage to the vessel; P&I covers the owner's liability from operating and owning it, including paid crew, and for passenger vessels, liability to paying passengers (the vessel has to be US Coast Guard-certified — ISC is not a market for six-pack charters). Target appetite includes Coast Guard-certified passenger vessels, tug and barge operators, marine construction (dredges and workboats), and commercial fishing vessels in steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or wood (wood hulls just need an out-of-water survey). One hard exclusion: ISC will not write Hull & P&I business anywhere in Florida or the Gulf, citing both storm exposure and a difficult legal environment for P&I underwriters, and they won't write P&I as a standalone policy without Hull attached.

Also touched on: capacity ($5 million Hull per vessel, $1 million P&I primary, with excess available above a $4 million buffer), submission requirements (a full vessel list, a survey no older than three years, and three years of loss history), minimum premiums ($2,500 for Hull & P&I, recently lowered to $1,500 for Marine GL), how Hull, P&I, and Marine GL can be bundled under one relationship for accounts like dock builders or dredging operators who also own a barge, and why the biggest exposure P&I underwriters actually worry about is crew injury claims. John also gives a shoutout to Andrew Kinsey's loss control survey work, which recently helped a large NY passenger vessel account beat its other options on total cost, and flags an open gap in the market: nobody currently insures a commercial fishing vessel's actual catch.

Have a client with hull, P&I, or marine liability exposure? ISC's Hull & P&I program is worth a look.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Captain Andrew Kinsey, Head of Marine Risk Consulting at ISC, breaks down what the NTSB actually does and how brokers can use its public data. He explains the agency's structure (an independent body since 1974, with a five-member board and about 400 employees who deploy with no warning after a serious incident), why the NTSB investigates and recommends but has no enforcement power (that falls to the Coast Guard and other regulators), and what officially qualifies as a "major marine casualty" — six or more lives lost, a vessel over 100 gross tons, or property damage exceeding $500,000. He also points to a telling example: the NTSB has recommended safety management systems for small passenger vessels for over a decade, following incidents like the Branson duck boat tragedy, the Conception dive boat fire, and the Staten Island Ferry collision, and the Coast Guard still hasn't acted on it.

Also touched on: how investigators piece together a probable cause using data like a vessel's voyage data recorder, why final reports can take years to publish, the annual Safer Seas Digest as a practical training tool (using a 2024 fish processing vessel fire in Seattle as an example), and the CAROL database, which lets you search NTSB investigations and recommendations across aviation, marine, rail, highway, and pipeline incidents. Kinsey also flags other NTSB resources worth knowing about: teen driver safety checklists, automated vehicle safety research, pipeline leak detection guidance, and safety alerts on lithium-ion battery fires from e-bikes and scooters.

Have questions about evaluating marine or transportation risk? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is available to brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Captain Andrew Kinsey, Head of Marine Risk Consulting at ISC, breaks down how tariffs are reshaping manufacturing and global trade. He walks through the three new USTR fee structures taking effect on Chinese-linked vessels: a per-net-ton fee on Chinese-owned or operated ships that rises from $50 to $140 by 2028, a fee on Chinese-built vessels of $18 per net ton or $120 per container (whichever is higher), and a separate fee for roll-on/roll-off carriers, all assessed only at a vessel's first US port and capped at five charges per year. He explains why reshoring manufacturing to the US won't happen quickly (the infrastructure is gone) and why "friend-shoring" alternatives like Vietnam and India are now getting hit with 30%+ tariffs of their own, pushing companies to consider Latin America and Africa instead.

Also touched on: why short-term tariff costs are being absorbed by manufacturers and shippers before eventually passing to consumers, "blank sailings" caused by shipping overcapacity, Panama Canal draft restrictions tied to climate cycles, rerouting around the Red Sea and South China Sea tensions, and why diversifying away from sole-source supply chains (a lesson reinforced by COVID, the Red Sea closures, the Ever Given, and the Baltimore bridge collapse) matters regardless of what happens with tariffs.

Have clients navigating supply chain or trade disruption? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is a resource for brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ashley Gonzalez (VP, ISC Entertainment) and Deanna Allen (AVP, ISC Entertainment) walk through what's changing at ISC Entertainment (formerly Abacus) across its film production suite: Short-Term (up to $1 million GPC, 60 days or less), Production Portfolio (a single production up to $25 million GPC running longer than 60 days), and DICE (an annual, renewable policy up to $25 million in limits, now qualifying with just two scheduled productions instead of five). They detail how the unattended vehicle exclusion is no longer present at all on DICE Annual policies, and has gotten far more flexible on Short-Term and Production Portfolio, with underwriting now focused on storage security (fencing, gates, cameras) rather than a fixed list of approved lots. Equipment valued over $500,000 in TIV no longer needs to be itemized to the dollar, just reasonably estimated.

Also touched on: an automatic certificate-of-insurance issuance system built in 2025 with pre-approved language for common studios and rental houses, openness to custom wording requests instead of automatic declines, policy and endorsement turnaround around 15 minutes (workers' comp excluded), a broad appetite that includes reality TV, stunts, precision driving, and animal work, and a foreign production policy backed by Chubb going up to $10 million GPC. Ashley also hints at E&O coverage potentially returning and a broader appetite for entertainment-adjacent risks coming in 2026, alongside a new field-traded submission option for larger accounts.

Have a production client who's hit a coverage snag elsewhere? Check out ISC Entertainment's programs and see what's changed.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ryan Janicki, VP of Construction Programs at ISC (17 years with the company, leading a team of 16), gives a detailed walkthrough of quoting GL on the OMGA platform: choosing between Standard (a la carte buybacks), Plus (buybacks included), and Advantage (ISO CG forms, the option for brokers who need standardized language or a 30-day notice of cancellation to a third party). He shows how new-venture eligibility changes by tier and years in business, how to "clone" a quote from Standard into Plus or Advantage without re-entering data, and how Builders Risk is capped at $2 million TIV on this platform, though ISC's Abacus/Entertainment business unit can take projects up to $25 million TIV if a client's project outgrows it.

Also touched on: bundling Tools & Equipment (Inland Marine) and excess (which must sit over ISC's own GL) into the same application, why pollution/environmental coverage now routes to a separate underwriting team, custom agency-branded documents, and ISC's August promotion: an extra $50 per Standard GL bind (renewals count too), plus a $100 bonus after two binds.

Want to see how fast a construction GL quote can move from submission to bound policy? Check out ISC's Construction Program and get started on OMGA.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Craig Moss, VP of Transportation (Wholesale) at ISC, breaks down excess liability for trucking: how it activates once a primary policy's limit (typically $1 million, though states like Illinois now require $1.5 million minimum) is exhausted, and why "nuclear verdicts" have made that gap dangerous — including a $90 million verdict against a driver who was under the speed limit when a car veered into his path, a $1 billion Florida wrongful death verdict that put a company out of business, and a $400+ million award from a 45-vehicle pileup. He also flags third-party litigation funding, where outside investors bankroll a plaintiff's case in exchange for a cut of the payout, as a growing threat in states like Texas, Illinois, and Florida.

Also touched on: what excess liability actually covers (bodily injury, property damage, legal defense, settlements and judgments), how to overcome common objections ("I'm a safe driver," "my million is enough," "it's too expensive"), how much coverage to recommend based on cargo and contract requirements, and why offering an excess quote alongside every primary trucking submission, even ones ISC doesn't write, is worth doing every time.

Have a trucking client running on primary limits alone? Check out ISC's trucking and excess liability programs and get a quote started.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Captain Andrew Kinsey, Head of Marine Risk Consulting at ISC, breaks down how to evaluate cruise ship risk using the same data sources investigators and regulators rely on. He explains why almost no cruise vessels are US-flagged (most fly under Panama or the Bahamas as "flags of convenience"), and how the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010 still gives the FBI, NTSB, and CDC jurisdiction over incidents involving US nationals. He walks through the FBI's quarterly crime statistics by cruise operator (assault, kidnapping, missing persons, broken out by crew vs. passenger), the Coast Guard's PSIX database for vessel-specific inspection history, NTSB investigations into specific incidents, and the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which tracks any outbreak affecting more than 3% of passengers or crew.

Also touched on: the growing risk profile of Arctic and Antarctic cruising (ice-reinforced hull requirements, unpredictable weather, and why "the most dangerous thing you can have at sea is a schedule"), post-COVID crewing shortages and how recent immigration enforcement has led to detained or deported crew mid-voyage, why cruise ships actually operate with two captains, and how operational and business pressure can complicate a captain's traditional authority to reroute or delay a sailing.

Have questions about evaluating marine or cruise-related risk? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is available to brokers and clients alike.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ashley Gonzalez, VP of Entertainment for ISC Entertainment (formerly Abacus), breaks down ISC's Short-Term Production program — built for any shoot of 60 days or less, with a standard appetite up to $1 million in gross production costs (and the option to move into ISC's Production Portfolio policy for exposures up to $25 million). She covers what's eligible (everything from festival reels and music videos to reality shows, video game shoots, and VR content), how stunts like pyrotechnics, animal work, and precision driving get underwritten, and why the program is admitted in all 50 states with a foreign production option for shoots moving to Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and beyond.

Also touched on: how Abacus's 35-year history in entertainment insurance is folding into ISC's resources and digital platform, and how Short-Term fits alongside ISC's other three production products (Production Portfolio, DICE, and Foreign Productions).

Have a client with a short shoot and no coverage lined up? Check out ISC's Short-Term Production program and get a quote started.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Have a client shipping into or through a volatile region? Check out ISC's Marine programs and talk to the team before the next reroute.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ashley Gonzalez, VP of ISC Entertainment, breaks down the Personal Articles Floater (PAF) — standalone, monoline coverage for jewelry, fine art, wine collections, musical instruments, firearms, and just about anything else a client collects, layered on top of (not instead of) a homeowner's or renter's policy. Coverage highlights include all-risk, worldwide protection, coverage up to 150% of stated value to offset inflation, and the ability to mix scheduled and blanket (non-scheduled) items on one policy. As a real-world example, ISC paid out over $2 million in under 60 days to a fine arts collector who lost her collection in the LA wildfires.

Also touched on: how fast the product trades (a non-binding quote in as little as 3 minutes, bound same day), why high-profile and high-net-worth clients are squarely in appetite, and how PAF fits alongside ISC Entertainment's other product lines.

Have a client with valuables that aren't fully covered under their homeowner's policy? Check out ISC's Personal Articles Floater and get a quote started. 

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ryan Janicki, VP of ISC's Construction division, gives a full walkthrough of quoting and binding on OMGA: choosing between the Standard, Plus, and Advantage GL programs, layering on Builders Risk, Tools & Equipment, or ISC's newly launched Environmental program within the same application, and adding excess up to $5 million. He shows exactly how a submission moves from quick quote to automated approval (or a live underwriting review, if it falls outside the automated box) to a fully bound policy with e-signature through DocuSign.

Also touched on: the difference in eligibility and buyback requirements between Standard, Plus, and Advantage; how commission is handled when a policy is financed; live chat and phone access to 16 in-house underwriters; and what's coming next, including a direct-bill option targeted for Q3.

Want to see how fast a construction submission can move from quote to bind? Check out ISC's Construction Program and get started on OMGA.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Also touched on: how the same decline-to-wholesale model now applies to ISC's Environmental program, what's happening with ghost work comp policies in New York after Pie exited the state, and what's coming next, including API connectivity that will let brokers submit once and get multiple wholesale quotes back.

Have a client that doesn't fit anywhere else? Check out ISC Wholesale and see what they can solve for.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Have clients with exposure in hurricane-prone regions? ISC's Marine Risk Consulting team is a resource for brokers and clients alike — reach out before the next storm forms.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Ryan Janicki, AVP – Construction Division at ISC, walks through ISC's Construction Program platform end to end — from selecting between the Standard, Plus, and Advantage general liability programs (each with different class code and years-in-business requirements) to quoting Tools & Equipment (Inland Marine) and Builders Risk (up to $2 million TIV). She/He shows how a quote is built in real time: class codes, subcontractor costs, limits, self-insured retention, endorsements, and multi-state coverage, plus how excess gets layered onto an existing GL policy.

Also touched on: how apps move through underwriting (instant approval vs. manual review), the e-sign process through DocuSign, what a bound policy packet looks like, and how brokers can track every stage from quote to bind inside the platform.

Want to see how fast a construction quote can move from keystroke to bound policy? Check out ISC's Construction Program and get a quote started.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Have a general contractor client asking about workers' comp? Check out ISC's Ghost Policy & General Contractor Program and get a quote started.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed. 

In this episode, Marquam Wolfe, VP of ISC's Marine Division, breaks down ISC's General Marine Cargo program: first-party goods-in-transit coverage for anything moving by ship, truck, plane, or train, with per-conveyance limits up to $20 million and the ability to extend into warehouse storage, both owned and third-party. He explains why pricing is driven by shipping volume rather than limit size, how selling price valuation protects an insured's bottom line on a loss, and why "who's covering your goods in transit?" is a question most clients have never been asked.

Also touched on: what's out of appetite (tobacco, alcohol, jewelry, household goods movers), how to spot this exposure inside a client's existing property or BOP account, minimum premium and commission structure, and how fast quotes and indications can turn around.

Have a client shipping goods who's never had this conversation? Check out ISC's General Marine Cargo program and get a quote started.

Learn more about ISC's programs at iscmga.com.

Ready to write more business? Get appointed today for fast quotes, dedicated underwriting support, and access to programs your clients need— call (760) 599-7242 or visit iscmga.com/get-appointed.