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 Association of California, who said surplus lines premiums in 2020 in California grew 22.7%, while the surplus lines item count grew 8%, despite the pandemic that gripped the world.
The disparity in premium and item growth points to a potential hardening market, McKay added.
He was speaking during the group’s annual meeting held virtually in early February.