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Conditional non-renewal notices aren’t going anywhere, even in a softer market. Derek walks through the three reasons carriers send them, why open loss control recommendations are the usual culprit, and how to get ahead of the letter before your client opens it. You’ll hear how to ask underwriters for an advance draft, how to forward the notice to your client first, and how to make sure bad news is never a surprise. Brokers, buyers, and carriers all get something practical here. Practitioner-led. No b******t. Nothing to sell.

Every morning in county jail, I woke up on a metal park bench covered in tissue paper, and every morning it hurt. Then one day it stopped. In this episode of Commissions to Convictions, I talk about how your body adapts, and why I wish I’d learned that before I spent years fighting every change, fee, and rule I didn’t like. I share a story from my own brokerage career: a surplus lines broker fee I refused to add, complained about, and told my team to ignore, only to find that when it finally went on, nothing happened. Sometimes the hill isn’t worth dying on. If you’ve ever dug in on something that, a few renewals later, no longer bothered you, this one’s for you. The Wolf of Property & Casualty is a practitioner-led podcast for brokers, buyers, and carriers. No b******t.

Want to look like you belong at your client’s facility? Start with what’s in your trunk. I found a box of gear in my garage from my broker days, and it turned into a list of the tools of the trade that show customers you’re a risk professional and not just someone selling insurance. We cover what to know before a carrier loss control visit (NDAs and sign-in sheets), why a hard hat signals you take risk seriously, the jewelry rules for food facilities, why you should own a safety vest, steel toes that don’t look like work boots, and the “clapper” story I’d rather forget. Whether you’re a broker or a carrier, bring the gear, skip the awkward moment, and earn credibility before the meeting starts. The Wolf of P&C is a practitioner-led podcast for brokers, buyers, and carriers. No BS. Nothing to sell.

Carriers can’t price convective storms by zip code, so wind/hail risk is being pushed back to your clients through percentage deductibles. A 2% deductible on a $50M location means $1,000,000 of retention. Derek explains why this is happening, how percentage deductibles really work, and how wholesale deductible buy-downs can bring a $1M retention down to $250K, including typical pricing, the payback math, and why you should quote the option in writing even when it costs more. He also covers why brokers should learn roofing, and how to use the incumbent carrier to help fund the buy-down. Practitioner-led, no BS, nothing to sell.

Parametric insurance works more like a bet than a traditional policy. Instead of paying for a documented loss, it pays a pre-agreed amount when a defined trigger is hit, like a Category 4 hurricane in specific zip codes or 60 mph winds at a named location. Derek walks through how it differs from indemnity coverage, a coastal hurricane example, a Midwest wind/hail deductible example on a $100M warehouse, stepped payouts, common triggers, and how to bring it up with clients by working with your wholesaler. It won’t fit every account, but knowing it makes you the broker who educates.

Your client’s newest loss year is never as clean as it looks. In this episode, Derek explains loss triangles in plain language and shows how a fictitious account’s $480K of reported losses projects to roughly $978K at ultimate. Starting from the experience mod’s “green year,” he walks through how late reporting and claim development change the picture, how age-to-age factors combine into a cumulative factor, and how to build a simple triangle from your client’s own loss runs. He also covers how to ask underwriters for their development factors and what to watch for when you compare them to yours, especially on long-tail lines like product liability and workers’ comp, loss sensitive programs, and group captives. For brokers, buyers, and carriers who want a practical way to build credibility and challenge rating. The graphic from the episode is on our YouTube channel. The Wolf of P&C: practitioner-led, no pitch.

Actual loss sustained business income means no worksheet, no coinsurance and no dollar limit. Derek walks through four considerations for brokers (time period, extra expense, coinsurance, and burden of proof), plus three carrier realities, including why ALS often costs more than a stated limit. A practical listen for brokers, buyers and carriers who quote or buy business income coverage.

Buyers are CFOs, so talk like one. Derek walks through payback period as a simple, consistent way to evaluate deductible and SIR changes. Under five years is generally worth it; over five, the premium savings don’t justify the extra risk. He runs two property examples ($10K to $25K deductible, $5,000 vs. $2,500 in savings) and explains why you should quote multiple deductibles on every account, even in a soft market. Short, practical, and easy to use on your next renewal.

I spent the summer on an apology tour, meeting former customers to apologize for my disruption. What they told me had nothing to do with price or coverage. They missed my opinion. In this episode, I break down why brokers practice insurance and why that means taking a position, putting it in writing, and defending it. I walk through the premium summary format I used at every renewal: expiring, renewal, and a third column with my recommended program. You’ll hear how I use payback-period analysis for deductibles, how I approached wind/hail and umbrella conversations, and why raising new coverages mid-year is expected, not pushy. If you’re a broker who wants to be an advisor instead of a quoter, or a buyer who wants to know what to expect from yours, this one’s for you.

Every sales organization has an invisible hand: a motivator that isn't on the comp plan, but shapes how people behave. For me, it was the chance to earn equity as a partner in an insurance brokerage. It made me better, and it made me ruthless, overworked, and a little maddened. In this Commissions to Convictions episode, I use Adam Smith's invisible hand theory to unpack the hidden incentives in sales and P&C, and why you need to know what you're willing to do for them.

OSHA is a four-letter word, and Derek loves it. Drawing on years working with manufacturers and food producers, he covers the truths about OSHA that brokers and buyers need to know: why most mock audits fall short, what triggers an inspection, how to handle an unannounced visit, and why citations aren't insurable. He also explains why the smartest move isn't always paying the fine. Sometimes it's negotiating the citation down from willful to serious so you're not on OSHA's radar next time. A practitioner-led, no-BS episode for brokers, buyers and carriers.

Buying a company? The first question any insurance professional should ask is: stock sale or asset sale? In this episode of The Wolf of Property & Casualty, Derek Laczniak breaks down how deal structure changes the insurance conversation for buyers, sellers, and the brokers who serve them. He walks through why buyers push for asset sales and sellers push for stock sales, and what each means for the insurance program. In this episode: Why "just add it by endorsement" can get you non-renewedWhy an asset purchase should be treated like new businessHow the ERM-14 and experience mods can follow you into a dealOccurrence vs. claims-made policies in a stock saleHow seller tail policies protect buyers from liabilities they can't uncover in diligenceHow to turn deal chaos into an opportunity to expand an account

Derek's been fielding compensation questions from brokers nationwide lately — especially with the USI/Aon deal shaking up the industry — so this episode breaks down exactly how insurance producers get paid. No advocacy for one structure over another, just the real mechanics. Inside this episode:• The three types of commission "bands" — new business, renewal, and inherited/transferred accounts• Why new business typically pays 25–50% vs. 15–30% at renewal• How "draws" work for new producers (the stair-step salary guarantee) and mature producers (the confidence-interval smoothing method)• A real walkthrough of what a $1M commission book actually pays a producer — and where the other 80% goes• The tradeoffs of "own your book" models vs. traditional agency structures• How team selling affects your split No b******t, practitioner-led talk for brokers, buyers, and carriers. If you've ever wondered what's actually behind a broker's paycheck, this one's for you.

Derek shares the "mess hall" lesson from a former mentor: the peer group you talk with — good or bad — shapes what you end up believing. He traces it from his three and a half months in county jail, where ten minutes at the wrong table can turn you against people who turn out to be nothing like the reputation, to the negativity bandwagon he sees among producers and managers in insurance sales orgs. A reflection on association, gratitude, and controlling what you let echo in your own mess hall.

Carriers can't get rate in today's soft property market — so they're going after values instead. Derek walks through how to use four independent construction cost indexes to challenge inflated trend assumptions from underwriters, plus his take on why 90% (not 100%) insurance-to-value is often the right call for accounts with a spread of risk.