But while new technologies are transforming the market, Kelly believes the fundamentals of E&S insurance remain unchanged: disciplined underwriting, strong broker relationships and clear communication with underwriters. “I’ve been with my firm for 23 years, and the last truly hard market I saw was in 2003,” Kelly said. “Back then, a hard market was defined, at least in our industry, as a situation where you could not get a domestic quote at all. The only place you could get a quote was somewhere like Lloyd’s – the real Lloyd’s in London.”
