Kinsale Capital Group: Agent's Guide 2026

Kinsale Capital Group is a pure-play excess and surplus lines carrier that has grown rapidly by doing one thing well: writing the risks that standard-market carriers decline. With approximately $1.6 billion in net premiums written (and $2 billion in gross written premiums), an AM Best A (Excellent) rating, and a technology-forward operating model, Kinsale has become one of the most important E&S carriers for agents who encounter hard-to-place risks. If you hold a surplus lines license and regularly deal with accounts that standard carriers will not touch, Kinsale should be on your short list of E&S markets.

Important: Kinsale is a surplus lines carrier. All policies are non-admitted, meaning they are not backed by state guarantee funds. Agents must hold a valid surplus lines license in their state to place business with Kinsale. Surplus lines taxes apply to all policies.

TLDR: Kinsale Capital Group (NYSE: KNSL) holds an AM Best A (Excellent) rating and has grown to approximately $1.6 billion in net premiums written (and $2 billion in gross written premiums), making it one of the fastest-growing E&S carriers in the United States. The carrier focuses exclusively on surplus lines business across casualty, property, professional liability, construction, environmental, healthcare, and life sciences. Ideal for agents with a surplus lines license who need a responsive, technology-driven E&S market for risks that admitted carriers decline.

Company Overview

Kinsale Capital Group, Inc. (NYSE: KNSL) was founded in 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, by a team of experienced E&S underwriters who saw an opportunity to build a surplus lines carrier from the ground up using modern technology. In the years since its founding, Kinsale has grown from a startup to one of the largest and most profitable pure-play E&S carriers in the United States, reaching approximately $1.6 billion in net premiums written and $2 billion in gross written premiums.

Kinsale's growth trajectory is remarkable. The company went public in 2016 and has delivered consistently strong financial results, with a combined ratio that has regularly outperformed the broader E&S market. This profitability reflects Kinsale's disciplined underwriting approach and its low-cost operating model, which relies on technology rather than large staffs to process submissions and issue policies.

AM Best affirms Kinsale's Financial Strength Rating at A (Excellent) with a stable outlook. The A rating reflects strong risk-adjusted capitalization, favorable operating performance, and a focused business profile within the E&S segment. For agents, the A rating provides confidence that Kinsale has the financial strength to pay claims on the hard-to-place risks it writes. While the A rating is one notch below the A+ rating held by carriers like Selective or The Hartford, it is a strong rating that reflects Kinsale's relative youth and rapid growth.

What distinguishes Kinsale from other E&S carriers is its pure-play focus. Unlike diversified carriers that write both admitted and surplus lines business, Kinsale writes exclusively on a surplus lines basis. This means every underwriter, every system, and every process at Kinsale is designed for the E&S market. There is no internal competition between admitted and non-admitted business, and the carrier's entire organization is aligned around writing and servicing surplus lines policies.

Kinsale's operating model is also distinctive. The company operates with a lean staff relative to its premium volume, using proprietary technology to handle submissions, pricing, policy issuance, and claims. This efficiency translates into competitive pricing for agents and strong margins for the company -- a combination that has fueled Kinsale's rapid growth.

Products and Appetite

Kinsale writes across a broad range of E&S casualty, property, and specialty lines. The carrier's appetite is designed to fill the gaps that standard-market carriers leave when they decline or non-renew risks.

Casualty

Kinsale's casualty division is the carrier's largest line of business. The program covers general liability, excess casualty, and umbrella for a wide range of classes that standard carriers avoid. This includes businesses with higher-hazard operations, adverse loss history, new ventures in difficult classes, and industries with unique liability profiles. Common casualty classes include contractors (especially higher-hazard trades), hospitality, entertainment venues, sports and recreation, security companies, staffing firms, and social services organizations.

Commercial Property

Kinsale writes commercial property on a surplus lines basis for risks that standard carriers decline due to building condition, occupancy, location, loss history, or coverage requirements. The property program covers buildings, business personal property, and business income. Common E&S property risks include vacant properties, older buildings, mixed-use occupancies, properties in coastal or catastrophe-prone areas, and accounts with adverse loss history.

Professional Liability

Kinsale's professional liability program covers professional services firms that standard carriers find difficult to underwrite. This includes miscellaneous professional liability, technology E&O, media liability, and other specialty professional lines. The program targets firms with unique professional exposures, newer firms without established track records, and professionals in industries where admitted-market options are limited.

Products Liability

Kinsale writes products liability for manufacturers, distributors, and importers whose products create unique liability exposures. The program covers risks that standard carriers avoid due to product type, country of origin, or claims history. Common classes include dietary supplements, cosmetics, consumer electronics, sporting goods, and other consumer products.

Life Sciences

The life sciences division covers pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, biotech firms, clinical research organizations, and related businesses. These risks often have complex liability profiles that standard carriers cannot accommodate, making E&S coverage through Kinsale a practical option.

Healthcare

Kinsale writes healthcare liability for facilities and practitioners that fall outside standard-market appetite. This includes allied healthcare professionals, substance abuse treatment facilities, behavioral health providers, home health agencies, and other healthcare operations where admitted-market options are limited or unavailable.

Construction

Kinsale's construction program covers contractors and construction-related risks on a surplus lines basis. The program writes general liability, excess liability, and builders' risk for contractors in higher-hazard trades, contractors with adverse loss history, and construction projects that standard carriers decline. This includes roofing, demolition, structural steel, environmental remediation, and other trades that many admitted carriers exclude from their appetite.

Environmental

Kinsale writes environmental liability for contractors, consultants, and property owners with environmental exposures. The program covers pollution liability, remediation contractors, environmental consultants, and related risks.

Excess Casualty

Kinsale's excess casualty program provides additional layers of liability protection over primary policies. The excess program is available over Kinsale primary policies as well as over policies issued by other carriers. Excess casualty is an important offering for accounts that need higher limits than the primary policy provides, particularly in litigious industries.

Target Classes and Sweet Spot

What Kinsale writes well: Hard-to-place risks that standard-market carriers decline. This includes high-hazard contractors, hospitality and entertainment venues, products liability for manufacturers and importers, professional liability for newer or specialized firms, property risks with adverse characteristics, healthcare facilities, environmental exposures, and any class where an agent has received a declination from admitted carriers.

Premium range: Kinsale writes accounts across a broad premium range, from small E&S risks to larger programs. The carrier's technology allows it to profitably handle smaller E&S accounts that some competitors find uneconomical.

New ventures: Kinsale is willing to write many new ventures on a surplus lines basis, which is particularly valuable since standard carriers often decline new businesses in higher-hazard classes. The E&S market's pricing flexibility allows Kinsale to rate new ventures appropriately rather than declining them outright.

What they avoid: Standard-market risks that belong with admitted carriers. Kinsale focuses exclusively on E&S business and does not compete for risks that The Hartford, Travelers, Erie, or other standard carriers write comfortably. If a risk can be placed in the admitted market at a reasonable price, it does not belong at Kinsale.

Geographic focus: All 50 states on a surplus lines basis. Kinsale's national footprint allows agents anywhere in the country to access the carrier's E&S programs, subject to state surplus lines filing requirements.

Quoting and Technology

Kinsale's technology platform is a core competitive advantage and one of the reasons the carrier has grown faster than most E&S peers.

Kinsale Online portal: Kinsale's proprietary online portal allows agents to submit risks, track submissions, receive quotes, bind coverage, and manage policies digitally. The portal is designed for speed and efficiency, reflecting Kinsale's technology-first operating model. Agents can submit new business and receive quotes without the phone calls and email chains that characterize many E&S placements.

Turnaround times: Kinsale's technology-driven model produces faster turnaround than many E&S competitors. Standard submissions in the carrier's core appetite can receive quotes within one to three business days. More complex or larger accounts may take longer, but Kinsale's processing speed is consistently cited by agents as an advantage over traditional E&S carriers that may take a week or more to respond.

Submission process: The submission process through Kinsale Online is straightforward. Agents upload completed applications, supplemental information, and loss runs through the portal. Kinsale's underwriters review submissions and respond through the same platform, creating a digital record of the entire underwriting conversation.

Binding authority: Binding is handled through the Kinsale Online portal after quote acceptance. The carrier issues policy documents digitally, and agents can access policy documentation through the portal.

Surplus lines filing: Because Kinsale is a non-admitted carrier, all policies are subject to surplus lines tax and filing requirements in the insured's state. Agents are responsible for surplus lines filings, stamping office submissions, and tax remittance as required by their state's surplus lines regulations.

Commission Structure

Kinsale's commission rates reflect the E&S market's typical compensation structure, which is generally higher than standard-market commissions:

• E&S casualty: ~15-20% new and renewal
• E&S property: ~15-20% new and renewal
• Professional liability: ~15-20% new and renewal
• Excess casualty: ~10-15% new and renewal
• Specialty programs: Varies by program, typically ~15-20%

E&S commission rates are typically higher than standard-market rates because surplus lines placements involve additional work, including diligent search requirements, surplus lines filings, and tax remittance. Kinsale's commission rates are competitive with other major E&S carriers.

What agents say about compensation: Agents appreciate Kinsale's competitive commission rates and the efficiency of the carrier's payment processes. The higher E&S commissions help offset the additional administrative work required for surplus lines placements.

Appointment Process

Accessing Kinsale requires a surplus lines license and a broker registration:

1. Surplus lines license: Before you can place business with Kinsale, you must hold a valid surplus lines license in your state. If you do not have one, contact your state insurance department for licensing requirements and application procedures.
2. Register as a broker: Visit the Become a Broker page to register with Kinsale. The carrier uses the term "broker" rather than "agent" because surplus lines business is placed through licensed surplus lines brokers.
3. Requirements: You need a valid P&C license, a surplus lines license, E&O coverage, and a demonstrated need for E&S market access. Kinsale evaluates your agency's surplus lines production and the types of risks you are looking to place.
4. Approval timeline: Broker registration with Kinsale is typically faster than traditional carrier appointments, often completing within one to two weeks. The carrier's technology-driven model extends to its onboarding process.
5. Wholesale broker access: Many agents access Kinsale through wholesale brokers rather than directly. If you do not hold a surplus lines license or prefer to work through a wholesaler, established E&S wholesalers maintain active relationships with Kinsale and can submit risks on your behalf.

Claims Handling

Kinsale's claims operation reflects the carrier's lean, technology-focused operating model.

Reputation: Kinsale has a solid claims reputation considering its relatively young history. The carrier handles claims for difficult and higher-hazard risks, which means claims can be more complex and contentious than typical standard-market losses. Agents report that Kinsale's claims team is responsive and professional in handling these challenging claims.

Process: Claims are reported through the Kinsale Online portal or by phone. The carrier assigns claims to internal adjusters and manages the claims process through its technology platform. For property claims, Kinsale uses independent adjusters and engineering firms as needed based on claim complexity and geography.

Technology: Kinsale's claims technology mirrors its underwriting technology -- lean, digital, and efficient. The carrier uses its proprietary systems to track claims, communicate with claimants and agents, and manage reserves. This technology-driven approach allows Kinsale to manage claims costs effectively despite handling inherently more complex E&S risks.

What agents say about claims: Agent feedback on Kinsale's claims handling is generally positive, with agents noting the carrier's responsiveness and professionalism. Some agents observe that claims on E&S policies can take longer to resolve than standard-market claims due to the inherent complexity of the risks, but this is typical across E&S carriers rather than specific to Kinsale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a surplus lines license to work with Kinsale?

Yes. Kinsale is an excess and surplus lines carrier, and all its policies are non-admitted. You must hold a valid surplus lines license in your state to place business directly with Kinsale. If you do not have a surplus lines license, you can access Kinsale through a licensed wholesale surplus lines broker who will handle the filing and compliance requirements on your behalf.

What does it mean that Kinsale is a non-admitted carrier?

Non-admitted means Kinsale's policy forms and rates are not filed with or approved by state insurance departments. This gives Kinsale the flexibility to write risks and design coverage that admitted carriers cannot. However, non-admitted policies are not covered by state guarantee funds, so policyholders do not have guarantee fund protection if the carrier becomes insolvent. Kinsale's AM Best A (Excellent) rating provides financial strength assurance, but agents should make clients aware of the non-admitted status and its implications.

When should I submit a risk to Kinsale instead of a standard carrier?

Submit to Kinsale when a risk has been declined by admitted-market carriers or when you know from experience that the class, loss history, or exposure profile is unlikely to find a home in the standard market. Common triggers include high-hazard operations, adverse loss history, new ventures in difficult classes, unusual coverage requirements, and industries that standard carriers have exited. Most states require a diligent search of the admitted market before placing surplus lines coverage.

How does Kinsale compare to other E&S carriers?

Kinsale differentiates itself through technology and operating efficiency. While established E&S carriers like Lexington, Scottsdale, and Lloyd's syndicates offer broad capacity and long track records, Kinsale's technology platform provides faster submission processing and quoting turnaround than many traditional E&S markets. Kinsale's rapid growth and consistently strong combined ratios suggest that the carrier's model is working. For agents who value speed and digital workflow in their E&S placements, Kinsale is a strong choice.

Does Kinsale write small E&S accounts?

Yes. Kinsale's technology-driven model allows the carrier to profitably write smaller E&S accounts that some competitors find too expensive to handle. This is a meaningful advantage for agents who encounter hard-to-place risks across a range of account sizes. Whether the premium is $5,000 or $500,000, Kinsale's platform can process the submission efficiently.