Deciphering the Surety Space with Kara Skinner

Kara Skinner is a third-generation surety professional with an extensive background in surety, helping clients understand and obtain surety credit. Over the years, Kara has worked with many surety companies, retail agents, obligees, attorneys, engineers, and contractors. She has managed the surety bond department of a major insurance wholesale brokerage. Kara is a past President of the Surety Association of Washington, a member of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers, and an active member of several committees of other insurance and construction organizations. In this episode of the In The Know podcast, Chris Hampshire and Kara dive into all things surety, including the process of how it works and how the 4,000-year history of surety is shaping the future of the industry.

Key Takeaways

• From ballerina to bonds, Kara is a third-generation surety professional.

• Surety is a financial product more than an insurance product.

• The surety process from both the commercial side and performance and payment bonds.

• An overview of the current state of the surety industry.

• The most exciting elements of the surety aspect of the insurance industry.

• Insights into the benefits of being a third generation in surety.

• Kara’s advice for going out on your own, especially as a woman in the industry.

• Lessons learned from forming her own business, starting with relationships.

• The value of getting involved in professional organizations.

• Sharing information about bonds so that everyone can access them.

• Teaching, for Kara, started as a marketing idea.

• Kara’s advice for anyone considering a career in surety.

• Being a female CEO in a male-dominated industry.

• Ideas for better supporting women of color in the industry.

• Addressing the talent gap in the insurance industry.

• The future of surety relies on its 4,000-year history, which includes typewriters.

• A look to the fast-moving future of insurance.

• Kara’s relationship advice for her early career self.

Quotes

• “I like to say that surety is the opposite of insurance.”

• “The idea in surety is that we underwrite to zero losses.”

• “Surety is an exciting part of the insurance industry because it’s really different.”

• “Going out on your own isn’t for everybody. It’s a lot of work, but I love it.”

• “This is such a unique and different product that everyone needs to know about it.”

• “I want to get other agents as excited about surety as I am.”

• “The concept of surety has been around for 4,000 years. It’s the most archaic part of the insurance industry.”

• ‘The future is coming faster and faster, and we need to be ready for it.”