Applied Specialty Underwriters® provides customized General Liability, Excess Liability, and Property Insurance products in the E&S markets nationwide via appointed wholesalers. The practice group currently offers the following products on both a primary and excess basis:
Applied Specialty Underwriters is led by its President, Christopher Day, CPCU.
Chris has held a succession of top positions in the Property and Casualty field during his more than 30-year career in which he has been responsible for more than $2.5 Billion in premiums. Most recently, he served as President of the Casualty Group at Tokio Marine HCC and, before that, as President, Primary Casualty, for Navigators Group, Inc. Mr. Day has also served as National Product Director - Specialty Primary Casualty for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.
Applied Surety Underwriters specializes in writing all forms of surety bonds. The practice group targets Commercial Surety Bonds and Contract Surety Bonds.
Joshua Betz is President of Applied Surety. He brings 25 years of experience in underwriting and managing surety programs. Prior to founding Applied Surety Underwriters, Josh spent 14 years as president of Argo Surety, where he created one of the top 10 surety operations in the world from its startup phase. Before joining Argo, Josh held leadership roles in the surety space managing large commercial and contract surety clients at Travelers, CNA, and Reliance Surety. Josh has garnered the respect of agents, clients, reinsurers and underwriting associates because of his relentless drive and focus on excellence and innovation.
Applied Financial Lines United States® provides a variety of financial and professional liability insurance products throughout the United States. These products are offered to a range of clients from small contractors to large publicly traded entities. The practice group currently offers the following products on both a primary and excess basis:
Stephen McGill leads and is President of US Financial Lines practice group. He has over 30 years of financial lines experience.
Prior to founding Applied Financial Lines, he served as Chief Underwriting Officer of AIG’s Validus Specialty Group. Prior to that, he was the group head of professional lines at ARGO. His long career in the industry also includes positions at XL, Catlin, Executive Risk, Alexander & Alexander, and Sedgwick. He holds an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated from Allegheny College with a bachelor of science degree.
Steve drew upon his expansive professional network to cultivate a team that is considered the best in the industry in their respective areas. The individual product leaders all bring 20+ years of experience in professional liability and all have developed programs from the ground up at multiple stops.
First Specialty XS® specializes in retail-focused excess casualty insurance for Fortune 5000 companies and comparable National Accounts within several industry segments, including Consumer Products, Construction (Project & Practice), Real Estate, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Retail, and more.
Patrick has 28 years of underwriting experience, including Excess Casualty leadership positions at Zurich North America, as Vice President at AIG’s Starr Excess, Senior Vice President at Allied World, and as Head of Excess Casualty at the Ascot Group; having successfully built and managed platforms in Bermuda, New York, and London, becoming market leaders across dozens of segments in the arena of Fortune 1000 casualty.
Rivington Commercial Auto® provides coverage for large trucking risks.
The practice group focuses on quality risks on a primary basis:
Rivington Commercial Auto is led by Sal Orso. Sal has over 25 years in the insurance industry, and began his career in the auto insurance residual market working for the Robert Plan Corp. He joined AIG in 2002 as a business analyst and project manager for AIG’s Private Client Group focusing on Personal Auto throughout 49 states. In 2008, Sal managed the US Excess Liability and Automobile lines of business representing almost $300M in gross written premium. He later served as the Vice President/Underwriting Manager for AIG’s Premier Client Solutions.
Concept Special Risks® is expert in the assessment, pricing and administration of yacht insurance business, and the practice group offers the following products on a primary and excess basis:
Concept Special Risks is led by Tony Usher. Tony has held a succession of positions in the insurance industry during his more than 50-year career. Most recently, he served as the Director of T.L. Dallas (Group) Ltd.
Applied Underwriters Aviation® focuses on the US Aviation market for Aircraft Hull, Aircraft Liability, Aviation Products Liability, Commercial General Liability and Workers’ Compensation in the following segments: Aerospace Products Liability, Airlines, Airports, Commercial Aviation/Charter Operations, and Corporate Aviation.
Steve Allen leads and is President of the Aviation practice. He has over 30 years’ experience in aviation, including duty as an operational Air Force Pilot. His education includes a BBA, MA, MBA and JD. Mr. Allen’s previous leadership experience includes service in the USAF, as an Aviation Attorney, as Head of Complex Claims at AIG, and as Head of Aviation at QBE.
Rivington Environmental® provides package policies for environmental businesses and standalone pollution policies.
The business is split up between two different types of pollution liability coverages:
Rivington Environmental is led by Cynthia Worthington.
Cynthia brings 29 years of experience in Environmental Underwriting. Most recently, she served as the Vice President of Environmental Underwriting at Colony Specialty Insurance Company.
Matthew manages Rivington Environmental’s EIL Team, leveraging his 17-year background in environmental underwriting and 8 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry. Before joining Rivington, he helped develop Colony Specialty Insurance's EIL Program and contributed as an Underwriter at Freberg Environmental Insurance.
Applied Entertainment & Sports® focuses on the Entertainment, Media & Sports insurance market. The practice group serves the Film, Television, DICE & Rental House, Touring & Events, Sports, Media, High Net Worth, and Contingency industries, and currently offers the following products:
Jerid brings over 30 years’ experience in the industry. Prior to founding the practice group, he was president of Real Media Insurance Services, Managing Director & Founder of Alive Risk, and Senior Director at Allianz/Fireman’s Fund’s Global Entertainment & International Division. He has crafted custom insurance programs for some of the world’s largest promoters, sports operations and event organizers. He has exhaustive experience in negotiating reinsurance for both facultative and treaties.
Tim has 20+ years of Entertainment experience and co-founded Alive Risk with Jerid and was instrumental in creating their Delegated Authority Program including the development of the platform and underwriting guidelines. He most recently served as Executive Vice President of Reel Media Insurance Services where he oversaw various underwriting programs including the Motorsports Program, Surplus Lines Program, and handled large Event Cancellation & Non-Appearance placements.
Blue Ridge Specialty® specializes in trucking-related risks nationwide focusing on distressed fleet accounts.
Shane had several years of experience as a Transportation Underwriter with Canal Insurance Company prior to founding Blue Ridge. He also previously served as a Commercial Sales Representative for Progressive Insurance and as Marketing Director for a national wholesale agency and program manager, leading their efforts for the distribution and underwriting of program business.
Mike worked at Canal Insurance Company for over seven years before founding Blue Ridge. His tenure at Canal provided him opportunities to manage portions of their Marketing and Underwriting operations along with the opportunity to work directly with three Program Managers to monitor their programs and help facilitate their success. Prior to Canal, Mr. Gordon had a 15-year career as a Claims executive with Nationwide/Scottsdale Insurance.
Rivington Middle Market® Property offers commercial property insurance written on a shared and layered basis.
Rivington Middle Market Property is led by John Dowling. John has held a succession of top positions in the Property field during his more than 30-year career in which he has been responsible for more than $1 Billion in premiums. Most recently, Property Manager for W.R. Berkley, before that, as Senior Vice President, for Travelers Insurance Company.
Applied Warranty & Insurance Services® designs extended warranty and insurance solutions that meet the distinct needs and demands of their retail clients.
The practice group currently offers the following products:
Jose Luis Menéndez is the President and CEO of Applied Warranty Insurance Services. Jose previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Insurance Officer as part of his 17-year career at Generali’s US and UK insurance operations. In total, his 42 years in the property and casualty insurance industry lays the foundation for the AWIS team’s wide-ranging knowledge and real-world experience in product and business development. Jose has served as a senior C-Level executive for major domestic and international insurers for the majority of his career.
Applied Financial Europe® focuses on several specialty lines in the European Union, the Middle East, and other countries in the region. The practice group started by acquiring the renewal rights to StarStone’s financial lines book of business which provided a solid basis in the EU and Middle East markets. The following products are offered on both a primary and excess basis:
Jeroen started his career at XL Insurance in the International Financial Lines based in Paris and focusing on the French, German, and Benelux markets. He joined Catlin to build a successful Financial Lines book in Europe from 2008 to 2015. In 2015, a new challenge awaited him at Starstone International, where he had the opportunity to restructure the existing Financial Lines portfolio and set a foundation for profitable growth.
As Jeroen built the StarStone program, he created a team of highly skilled professionals that he has brought with him to Applied Financial Lines International. This team has expansive experience in professional indemnity in countries in and around the European Union. This team helped set the foundation of success at StarStone and continues to do the same at AFL.
Verist® is a provider of holistic insurance and risk management solutions for commercial lines clients. Focused on industry specialization and underwriting acumen, the practice group takes a more comprehensive approach to insurance and risk to provide clients with customized risk management solutions. The practice group uses digitization and data intelligence to optimize the transfer of risk from our clients to insurers and capital markets. The following are industries served by their product lines:
Michael Chang has over 25 years of experience leading underwriting and broking operations across global insurance markets. His background includes senior leadership roles at Sompo International, where he built Global Risk Solutions into a $1.4 billion enterprise, and at WTW, where he served as Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Risk and Broking for North America. He founded Verist in 2025, a Managing General Underwriter majority-owned by United Risk Group, comprising 29 specialized programs operating across more than 30 offices worldwide.
Applied Fine Arts & Collections® provides all-risk coverage of collectibles for personal, institutional, and commercial clients. Coverage is offered worldwide and includes in transit losses, accidental damage, and diminution in value. Types of collectibles covered include: Fine art, Jewelry, Collector Automobiles, Musical Instruments, Silverware, Furs, Rare Stamps and Coins, Collectible Firearms, Wine, and Taxidermy.
Ron is President and Founder of Applied Fine Art & Collections. Previously, Ron spent 13 years overseeing the private collections portfolio at AIG Private Client Group, one of the largest high net worth divisions in the personal lines industry. Additionally, Ron worked as a professional liability underwriting manager for hedge funds and security broker/dealers at AIG’s financial institutions division.
Ron’s executive team has been with him in prior stops and was a part of building one of the largest and most desirable collections insurance portfolios in the personal lines industry.
Applied Underwriters Aerospace® offers insurance products for the aerospace industry. The Aerospace practice group currently offers the following products:
Jon Lewis leads the space team as President with the combined experience of both insurance and space. Starting with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, he spent seven years as a propulsion engineer at NASA. Sixteen years ago, he made the move to space underwriting and is a member of the Space Risks Study Group for the International Union of Aerospace Insurers.
Applied Home National Underwriters® provides customized homeowner solutions in E&S markets nationwide via select appointed wholesalers and retailers.
Brian leads Applied Home National’s operations, driving growth, profitability, and portfolio management. Previously, he launched non-admitted personal lines programs at Rivington Partners and managed a $750M portfolio as VP of Business Development at NatGen Premier. With extensive experience at National General, ACE Private Risk, and Chubb, he’s known for his leadership in business development, product management, and underwriting.
Applied Logistics Underwriters® makes navigating the complexities of logistics insurance easier for brokers. By specializing in tailored coverage and through the application of robust in-house technological advances we help you secure the best possible protection for your clients. Insureds can count on precision-driven underwriting and risk management solutions, ensuring their business is always protected, no matter the challenge.
The Highlights:
Shippers Interest
Carriers Legal Liability
Freight Forwarders Legal Liability (Contingent Cargo Liability)
Freight Forwarders Errors & Omissions
Warehouse Legal Liability
Alex’s 20+ years underwriting in the marine and logistics insurance industry equip him with the expertise to help brokers offer best-in-class solutions to their clients. His focus on leveraging data and technology ensures that your clients benefit from strategies designed to predict and mitigate risks in the most efficient way possible.
Applied Crisis Underwriters® provides comprehensive coverage across Political Violence and War Risks in Aviation, Cargo, and Marine. A bespoke underwriting model, powered by the latest AI technology, streamlines underwriting and provides tailored solutions for clients. The practice offers the following products:
Henry has been in the war and political violence market over 20 years and started the Political Violence & Aviation War division at an Argo Syndicate at Lloyds. He served at Westfield Specialty Insurance, London (2020-2024) as Head of Political Violence and War, and at Talbot Underwriting, London (2004-2020) as a Hull & War Underwriter, Terrorism & War Underwriter, and Senior Class Underwriter.
Joe has 17 years of experience, including at Validus Specialty, NYC (2017-2024) as Senior VP - Head of War and Terrorism USA; Talbot Underwriting, London (2015-2017), Class Underwriter; Liberty Specialty Markets, London (2012-2015), Deputy Class Underwriter; and Lancashire Insurance Group, London (2007-2012), Assistant Underwriter.
Applied Credit Underwriters® provides specialised credit, contract frustration, and political risk coverage for international transactions, protecting clients from non-payment, sovereign interference, and other cross-border exposures. Its programmes support banks, investors, and multinational corporations operating in volatile or emerging markets as well as credit insurance in industrialised nations —providing clarity, stability, and confidence in global commerce.
The Practice offers the following products:
Bernie de Haldevang leads the Applied Credit Underwriters team, which has more than 100 years of combined experience in this nuanced segment of risk management. His career includes CEO, Board and senior leadership, broking and underwriting roles at Lloyd’s syndicates, corporate carriers and multilateral institutions including at BPL-Global, African Trade & Investment Development Insurance, Canopius, Aspen, Wellington Underwriting and Atrium, where he specialised in structured trade and investment protection across international markets and led a broad range of Specialty lines.
Applied Affinity Underwriters® provides a broad range of Accident & Health and Affinity insurance solutions designed for adaptability across global markets. The practice emphasizes strategic alliances and distribution partnerships, combining traditional and alternative channels to reach consumers and businesses efficiently. Products are delivered through brokers, affinity groups, and digital platforms, ensuring seamless integration and scalable growth opportunities for partners. The practice group portfolio includes:
Anna Clarving is a senior insurance executive with more than 18 years of experience across the European and Nordic markets. She has built a strong track record in digital transformation, strategic partnerships, and program growth initiatives. Prior to Applied Affinity, she held senior roles with Chubb, Zurich, and Aon.
Fredrik Müntzing is an experienced underwriting leader specializing in Accident & Health, technical product design, and distribution innovation. Before joining Applied Affinity, he served as Head of Product & Underwriting at Europeiska ERV, ERGO, and previously held senior underwriting positions at Chubb and Allianz, including Head of Underwriting, Accident & Health for Northern Europe.
First Accident & Health® partners with top-rated insurers, distributors, and benefit providers to build and scale alternative A&H programs with speed and precision. We bring decades of product development, underwriting expertise, and distribution insight to help organizations unlock new market opportunities and deliver meaningful value to their customers. From concept through execution, we streamline implementation, strengthen carrier and distribution relationships, and ensure every program is built for compliance, efficiency, and long-term growth.
The practice group currently offers the following products and services:
Chris Howard has spent his career shaping specialty insurance programs across credit, direct response, extended warranty, mobile device protection, and Accident & Health. He focuses on helping insurers and distribution partners accelerate product development while maintaining disciplined underwriting and scalable operations.
At First Accident & Health, Chris manages full lifecycle A&H programs, aligning carriers with the right channels and building solutions that not only address market needs but create long-term value and sustainable growth.
Ron Lefkoski brings deep expertise in program-based insurance, having led product design, distribution strategy, and operational execution across carriers and agencies. He is known for connecting innovative solutions with the right channels to deliver measurable results.
At First Accident & Health, Ron focuses on designing and scaling alternative A&H programs that combine strategic oversight, disciplined execution, and long-term performance, ensuring each initiative drives enduring value for clients and partners.
As Founder and CEO of Thriver, Matt Mayberry brings more than 20 years of experience in financial services, with over a decade in the specialty MGA sector. He leads the development of distinctive risk solutions, including Thriver’s proprietary Security Deposit Waiver for multifamily housing. His background spans medical reinsurance, parametric weather products, and deposit alternative insurance.
Matt holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.B.A. from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Applied Underwriters Title Services delivers risk reduction, compliance oversight, and seamless efficiency – all backed by secure technology, attorney-friendly tools, and a commitment to exceptional service. From closings to connections, we add value at every step.
What you can expect:
Jeff has over two decades as Owner/President of Kelly Associates Real Estate, Inc., the #1 real estate brokerage in the Darien/New Canaan luxury market. As a former NYC attorney, Jeff possesses a deep understanding of all aspects of real estate transactions and real estate markets. After 20 years of steady growth, Jeff negotiated a successful sale of Kelly Associates to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in 2017. Jeff has since returned to practicing law and leading Applied Underwriters Title Services.
