Hard-To-Place Risks: How ISU Steadfast Members Get the Market Access Others Don’t

Ask independent agents what keeps them up at night, and it's not necessarily a lack of leads or referrals. It's getting those accounts placed. Coastal property. Cyber risks from a new business. Contractors without clear documentation. Cannabis operators. Habitational accounts. These are the types of gray-area risks that carriers are declining more often.

When a hard market shuts doors, however, ISU Steadfast can open new ones. By giving members broader market access, exclusive carrier relationships, and tools like the CL Submission Engine, membership in the ISU Steadfast network equips agencies to win business others can't.

Key Takeaways

• Placing tough risks is getting harder. Coastal property, cyber, construction, and habitational accounts face more carrier declines.
• Rising reinsurance costs and shrinking underwriter access are forcing more business into the E&S market — often with lower commissions.
• Limited market access leads to delays, higher premiums, lost revenue, and increased E&O exposure.
• ISU Steadfast gives members access to exclusive markets, smarter quoting tools, profit sharing on tough risks, and a national peer network — all without giving up independence.
  
  
  

What's Fueling the Hard-To-Place Risk Surge?

Today's hard market is reshaping how and where business gets written. Four forces, in particular, are driving more business into hard-to-place territory.

Carrier Retrenchment

Carriers are pulling back on what they'll write, especially around property, construction, and CAT-exposed accounts. An agency with a long-time coastal client might suddenly find its go-to market walking away after a string of hurricane losses. Even well-documented risks are being met with no appetite for the business.

Reinsurance Pressure

Rising reinsurance costs are flowing downstream. To protect their own books, carriers are cutting capacity, tightening terms, or attaching higher deductibles. Agents feel the squeeze when a renewal comes back priced well above last year’s premium, often with less coverage in return.

Excess & Surplus Market Growth

The surplus lines sector continues to grow, with mid-year premium increasing 13.2% from 2024  reaching $46.2 billion in 2025,. Retail agents are seeing more business, especially those in higher-risk classes, moving into the E&S market, often with lower commissions and fewer relationship-based placements.

Shrinking Underwriter Access

With appetites narrowing, agencies without the volume or leverage of a larger network struggle to get in front of the right decision-makers. You send in a submission, and instead of a conversation with an underwriter, you get a quick declination email, leaving little room to advocate for your client.

The Hidden Cost of Limited Market Access

When tough risks stall out, the impact on an agency goes far beyond that single account. Revenue takes a hit when commissions shrink or profit sharing vanishes, and clients often see higher premiums when wholesale brokerage fees are involved. Delays that stretch out the time it takes to bind only add to the pressure.

Even the best-run agencies face the uncomfortable position of explaining coverage gaps, which not only increases errors and omissions exposure but also puts hard-earned client trust on the line. Over time, a reputation you’ve built on responsiveness and accountability can be shaken by circumstances that have less to do with skill and more to do with limited access.

ISU Steadfast Can Help You Place the Business Others Can't

You don’t have to sell out or get absorbed by a larger broker to compete in this market.

By joining forces with other independents through ISU Steadfast, you keep your autonomy while gaining the reach and tools that make tough placements possible.

Here's how our members are turning those “hard to place” accounts into wins:

Enhanced Carrier Access

As part of ISU Steadfast’s network, you can tap into both admitted and non-admitted markets — including exclusive access to Lloyd’s of London through HWS Specialty, a company in the Steadfast Group. You’ll also benefit from ISU’s consolidated production agreements. That long-time contractor or coastal property client suddenly has real options on the table.

Smarter Quoting and Binding

The CL Submission Engine allows you to quote and bind across multiple carriers in one place. For mid-market commercial lines, that efficiency reduces the back-and-forth and keeps clients confident that you’re moving quickly on their behalf.

Consistent Profit Sharing

While many agencies see margins disappear in the E&S space, ISU Steadfast members gain steadier profit-sharing opportunities, even on volatile lines.

Peer Knowledge at Your Fingertips

ISU Steadfast membership connects you with producers across the country who are placing the same risks. A quick call can turn a dead-end submission into a path forward, with insight you wouldn’t find on your own.

ISU Steadfast levels the playing field. You don't have to sacrifice your independence to compete for challenging accounts. With ISU Steadfast, you gain access to carriers and markets that would otherwise be out of reach, through a network that combines the scale of many agencies with the strength of local expertise.