ISC Podcast

ISC MGA
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Business

Insurance insight, on your schedule. The ISC Podcast turns our most popular webinars into on-demand episodes — so busy brokers can catch product updates, market insights, and expert training without carving out time for a live session. Each episode delivers the same practical guidance you'd get in an ISC webinar, just in a format you can play during a commute, between meetings, or whenever it fits your day. New episodes publish regularly, covering the products, trends, and questions brokers ask us most. No sign-up, no live attendance — just listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or right from the ISC website. Tune in to stay sharp and current.

  1. Sep 3

    Lithium-Ion Batteries: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Bind

    Captain Andrew Kinsey, ISC Marine's loss control specialist, covers lithium-ion battery risk from two angles: underwriting cargo shipments containing lithium batteries, and safe use and handling once devices are already in the field. He starts with the distinction that matters for classification — a cell (like a coin battery or a AA-style rechargeable) is the building block, while a battery is multiple cells wired together at higher voltage — and why getting that right on a shipment matters for compliance with mode-specific rules: 49 CFR 173.185 for US ground transport, CINS guidelines for ocean containers (developed with major carriers including Maersk, MSC, and CMA CGM, with Kinsey serving as the marine insurance rep on that panel), IATA for air, and PHMSA's compliance tool for cross-modal guidance. 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.

  2. Sep 3

    From Catering Halls to Snow Removal: What "Excess for Everything" Really Means

    Wendy Nowosiadly, SVP of Underwriting, who launched ISC's Excess for Everything program in 2020 alongside the primary contractors programs, and Mike York, who joined this year to expand the program beyond New York (where more than 80% of current premium comes from), cover how the excess program works and what gets a submission to the top of an underwriter's queue. ISC writes both supported (over its own primary programs, like Premier and Hospitality) and unsupported excess nationwide, with $5 million in capacity usable as either a lead excess layer directly over primary or a high excess layer over another carrier's buffer. Minimum premiums start at $7,500 for lead and $5,000 for high excess, mostly on Sutton Specialty's non-admitted paper, with New York Free Trade Zone admitted paper available for eligible risks. The program follows form to the primary in most cases and focuses on three core segments — construction (including action-over coverage), real estate/habitation (its fastest-growing segment, including vacant hotels and banquet halls), and hospitality (up to 75% liquor receipts, higher in areas with strong public transit) — though appetite extends into light manufacturing, retail, wholesale/distribution, grocery, and non-municipal snow removal. 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.

  3. Sep 3

    Guilty Until Proven Innocent: How Customs Investigates Country of Origin

    There's a tariff penalty on the books right now that Customs and Border Protection cannot reduce, waive, or negotiate under any circumstances: a flat 40% ad valorem charge, applied the moment CBP determines a shipment was rerouted specifically to dodge duties. 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.

  4. Sep 3

    How ISC Spots the Hidden Exclusion in Your Competitor's Quote

    A sports bar with a full entertainment setup and security on staff? Fine. Add a dance floor, and it's a decline. It's the kind of specific, learned-the-hard-way underwriting nuance that only comes from decades in one niche. 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.

  5. Sep 3

    Small Reactors, Big Risks: Nuclear Power’s Future and the Insurance Challenge

    Captain Andrew Kinsey, ISC Marine's loss control specialist and a former risk engineer on nuclear waste treatment projects at Hanford and Savannah River, gives a global tour of nuclear power's current state and where new reactor technology is heading. He opens with the basics that make nuclear compelling on paper: a thousand-megawatt plant needs just over one square mile of land (far less than wind or solar for the same output), a thimble-sized uranium pellet produces as much energy as three barrels of oil or half a ton of coal, and the IAEA projects global nuclear capacity will grow 2.5x by 2050 across the 31 countries currently running 419 reactors. He also doesn't dodge the reputational and financial baggage — Chernobyl and Fukushima shaped public perception, and the Vogtle 3 and 4 project in Georgia ran seven years late and helped push Westinghouse into bankruptcy, the kind of cost overrun that scares off commercial investment. 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.

  6. Sep 3

    Special Event Insurance for Holiday Parties, Galas, and New Year's Eve

    Ashley Gonzalez (VP, Entertainment) and Deanna Allen (AVP, Entertainment) close out the year with a rundown of ISC Entertainment's special event program, timed for the stretch of galas, parades, and New Year's Eve parties that keep brokers busiest. ISC Entertainment, formerly Abacus, has been in the space over 35 years and now covers 400+ types of events across three buckets: live entertainment (touring acts, concerts, comedians), standard special events (parties, conferences, weddings, galas), and sports & leisure (anything with a ball, from pickleball to marathons). Coverage runs domestically through Zurich and abroad through Lloyd's, with inland marine up to $25 million, GL, hired/non-owned auto, umbrella up to $5 million, host liquor liability, work comp, and accident medical — available as a short-term policy (up to 90 days) or a renewable annual, the latter useful for events that recur every year, like a parade. 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.

  7. Sep 3

    Tariffs and Trade Volatility: How Global Supply Chains Are Adjusting

    Most shipping containers that leave a US port for Asia go back completely empty. It's a simple, visible symptom of the US trade deficit, and just one of several ripple effects Captain Andrew Kinsey walks through in this installment of ISC's ongoing tariff series. 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.

  8. Sep 3

    The Cargo Exposure Sitting in Your Book That No One's Ever Asked About

    Marq, an underwriter with ISC Marine (three years underwriting cargo at Allianz, then a decade as a national cargo broker at Willis before joining ISC), walks through general cargo — also called general marine cargo or ocean cargo, though the name is a holdover from when international commerce moved almost entirely by vessel. At its core, it's first-party goods-in-transit coverage: imports and exports, domestic and foreign inland transit, and storage, though ISC can't write standalone storage or retail stock on the shelf (a warehouse attached to a retail location is a different story). Limits run up to $20 million per conveyance, and Marq flags a common misunderstanding: that limit isn't aggregated, so a $1 million transit limit applies per vehicle or vessel, even if several are moving simultaneously. Storage limits get deployed more conservatively — quoting a location over $10 million is rare, and natural cat perils (flood, earthquake, windstorm, wildfire) are a very conservative add. One detail that comes up often lately: tariffs and duties are already embedded in the cargo policy, not a separate purchase, which makes for a useful opening if a client's current coverage doesn't actually address it. 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.

See All (29)

About

Insurance insight, on your schedule. The ISC Podcast turns our most popular webinars into on-demand episodes — so busy brokers can catch product updates, market insights, and expert training without carving out time for a live session. Each episode delivers the same practical guidance you'd get in an ISC webinar, just in a format you can play during a commute, between meetings, or whenever it fits your day. New episodes publish regularly, covering the products, trends, and questions brokers ask us most. No sign-up, no live attendance — just listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or right from the ISC website. Tune in to stay sharp and current.

Information

  • Creator
    ISC MGA
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ISC Podcast
  • Show Website
    ISC Podcast