National Specialty Underwriters, Inc. (NSU), headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, is a widely recognized program administrator specializing in niche market program administration. Best known for spotlighting the hospitality and healthcare industries, NSU pays close attention to its relationships with carriers, while delivering specialty knowledge, proprietary programs, and wholesale market access to retail brokers nationwide.

“We design proprietary programs for specific segments of the hospitality and healthcare industries,” states Elizabeth Babington, NSU vice president, program development and market management. “And when we use a program approach, we enhance our business relationships by providing in-house underwriting expertise. Meanwhile, our veteran sales force travels throughout regional territories in the U.S., meeting face-to-face with retail brokers to determine their individual needs. We also operate a specialized claims service unit, Certus Claims Administration, to handle the claims generated by our hospitality program. Certus is based in Camarillo, California. They adjust only hospitality claims, working on thousands of hotel liability and auto claims each year. They are recognized as the leading industry expert in their field of adjustment and litigation.

“NSU believes that building strong relationships with program business partners is vital in solidifying mutual success,” continues Babington. “That’s a major reason why we have roughly 30 key employees manning NSU regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Boca Raton, Florida.” NSU’s Bellevue home office has some 40 staff members on board.

Developing and maintaining solid rapport with business associates reflects the NSU management philosophy—from its very top. Chris Randall, the firm’s president, CEO, and founder, was one of the original board members of the Target Markets Program Administrators Association (TMPAA) when it was formed in 2001. “This program association is an extremely important industry organization,” says Randall. “The networking opportunities among agents, carriers, and vendors are very beneficial. The face-to-face contact with so many leaders at the two national meetings each year can’t help but build trust and continuity, and foster understanding of each other’s priorities.”

Elizabeth Babington also attends national TMPAA meetings regularly. “It’s amazing, and gratifying, what gets accomplished in a very short period of time at those Target Markets sessions,” she said. “The business relationships formed there are so valuable.”

Soon after opening for business in 1995, National Specialty Underwriters rapidly became the nation’s largest program manager specializing in property & casualty insurance for the lodging business category. While the industry continues to recognize NSU’s foremost standing in the hospitality program niche, insurance officials have come to recognize its growing prominence in the healthcare area, too. The basic principles applied to NSU’s well-respected hospitality program success are the same fundamentals now carried over to its relationship with the healthcare industry.

One of National Specialty Underwriters’ most prominent healthcare concentrations is its thorough coverage of medical imaging facilities. Known as Select Imaging, the program focuses on MRI, CT, ultrasound, x-ray, mammography, nuclear medicine, mobile imaging services, and other state-of-the-art medical technology. Included among program highlights are: in-house binding authority, $0 deductible option, and per location aggregate availability.

When analyzing and evaluating the services and benefits delivered by National Specialty Underwriters, companies need only observe the high level of regard displayed by their insurance industry colleagues. Elizabeth Babington explains:

“We are very proud of some important differentiators that enable NSU to stand out, beginning with the basics—our underwriting expertise, our sales quality, and our Best Practices recognition. NSU is one of just 15 companies recently awarded the prestigious Best Practices designation by the Target Markets Program Administrators Association. That honor is reflective of the quality that shows up in the culture of what we give our customers.

“Another honor that we accept with great pride is this one: being cited as one of the 100 best companies to work for in the state of Washington. And, just this year, the Insurance Marketing Communications Association presented us with its ‘Best of Show’ award for our marketing and public relations efforts in terms of overall internal communications. We believe that all of these citations, along with our continuous understanding of our business partners’ priorities, clearly reflect the culture and quality of National Specialty Underwriters and our experienced approach to program business.”