ISC Podcast

ISC MGA
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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. Aug 19

    ISC Entertainment (Formerly Abacus): What's Changing for Film Production Insurance

    There's one exclusion that came up in nearly every conversation Ashley Gonzalez had with trading partners this year: the unattended vehicle exclusion on production policies. It's finally gone, at least on one of ISC Entertainment's products, and getting more flexible everywhere else. 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.

  2. Aug 19

    NTSB Investigators Keep a Bag Packed by the Door for This Reason

    The Key Bridge disaster in Baltimore is usually called a "collision." Technically, it wasn't. A collision is two moving vessels striking each other. What happened in Baltimore was an allision: a moving vessel hitting a stationary object. It's a small distinction that says a lot about how precisely the NTSB has to define what actually happened before anyone can talk about fault or prevention. 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.

  3. Aug 19

    The $250K Generator That Exposed a Cargo Insurance Gap

    The first trucker's GL claim Craig Moss ever saw wasn't a crash. A driver said something inappropriate to a receptionist at a loading dock, she filed a complaint, and the claim got paid out under personal and advertising injury. No wheels involved at all. In this episode, Craig Moss, VP of Wholesale (Transportation) at ISC, breaks down the three ancillary coverages that round out a trucking account beyond auto liability: motor truck cargo (covering the freight itself against theft, collision, fire, and load spills, required by nearly every broker and load board, with a typical base limit of $100,000 that needs to scale up for high-value commodities), physical damage (comp and collision for owned equipment, plus non-owned trailer coverage for trailers a trucker pulls but doesn't title, including a real example of a $60,000 reefer trailer insured for only $30,000), and trucker's GL (off-premises business liability for incidents at a yard, dock, or customer location, not auto-related, and often surprisingly cheap for the protection it provides). He also walks through a cautionary example: a broker who scheduled a $250,000 generator under a $150,000 cargo limit, and why that gap is an E&O claim waiting to happen. Also touched on: how FMCSA cargo requirements work for household goods movers, gap coverage on financed or leased equipment, and how to ask clients the right questions about trailer values and non-owned exposure before a claim forces the conversation. Have a trucking client running without one of these three coverages? Check out ISC's Transportation 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.

  4. Aug 19

    USTR Fees on Chinese-Built Vessels: A Guide for Insurance Brokers

    Shipping rates have dropped for 14 straight weeks. That sounds like good news for shippers, and it is, for now. But new USTR fees on Chinese-linked vessels are about to hit, and roughly 45% of the world's bulk carrier fleet is exposed, simply because China builds the majority of the world's bulkers. 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.

  5. Aug 12

    ISC Construction Program: Auto-Bind a GL Policy in 15 Minutes

    A completed construction GL application, signed through e-sign, can auto-bind on ISC's platform in about 15 minutes. No underwriter has to touch it. 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.

  6. Aug 12

    Cruise Ship Insurance Risks: What Underwriters Need to Know About Safety, Health & Emerging Exposures

    If a cruise ship suffers a serious medical emergency or mechanical failure in the Arctic or Antarctic, help isn't a quick call away. There's often no salvage tonnage in range, no aircraft or helicopter within reach, and rescue can take days. It's one of several risk factors most people never think about until a claim forces the question. 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.

  7. Aug 12

    Excess Liability Insurance for Truckers: When $1 Million Isn’t Enough

    A trucker scrapes a parked vehicle. The property damage is $2,700. The payout is $1.2 million. That gap between what looks like a fender bender and what a court actually awards is exactly why excess liability exists, and why most truckers don't think they need it until the day they desperately do. 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.

  8. Aug 12

    Construction General Liability Insurance: Quote & Bind Fast with ISC

    No Accords. No email chains. No waiting on an underwriter to open your submission. On ISC's OMGA platform, a construction GL quote can go from a class code to a bound policy in one sitting, and the platform itself is always free to use. 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.

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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
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ISC Podcast
  • Show Website
    ISC Podcast