“More data means better underwriting, faster responses, and more accurate pricing”

Jett Abramson, Amwins brokerage

“Private equity is … funding extended litigation that wouldn’t have been possible in the past. A million-dollar claim today could easily become two million by the time it settles”

Helen Fry, Amwins Special Risk Underwriters

“The boom in E&S is real, driven by loss trends and the hardening casualty market we saw in 2020–2022. Our space has become more competitive and more creative”

Nick DelVino, Amwins Brokerage

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Building construction coverage amid uncertain times

Facing litigation spikes, labor shortages, and rising material costs, construction is leaning on the E&S market. Amwins’ leaders unpack the risks, innovations, and broker strategies reshaping construction casualty insurance

Read on

Jett Abramson

Amwins Brokerage

Helen Fry

Amwins Special Risk Underwriters

Nick DelVino

Amwins Brokerage

Industry experts

WITH FLUCTUATING material prices, labor shortages, and skyrocketing litigation costs, the construction industry’s current landscape is one marked by unpredictability. Amid this volatility, demand for casualty insurance is on the rise. Increasingly, that demand is being met by the excess & surplus (E&S) market. In a recent panel hosted by Insurance Business TV, Amwins specialists shared their insights into the market forces shaping construction casualty and the innovations reshaping insurance delivery in real time.

Amwins is the largest independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products in the US, dedicated to serving retail insurance agents by providing property and casualty products, specialty group benefits, and administrative services. Based in Charlotte, NC, the company operates through more than 138 offices globally and handles premium placements in excess of $44.5 billion annually.

Jett Abramson is an executive vice president at Amwins Brokerage. Based in Scottsdale, AZ, he leads a production team of broking and servicing professionals specializing in complex casualty placements. As Amwins’ national construction practice co-leader (Casualty), Abramson leads educational training and other initiatives to support Amwins’ construction industry practice group. He previously served as senior vice president at Bliss & Glennon where he built and managed their Brokerage division until they were acquired by Amwins in 2014. Jett holds a BS in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley as well as a CPCU designation.

Amwins Brokerage

Jett Abramson

Helen Fry joined Amwins Special Risk Underwriters in 2024 to build out Amwins’ exclusive casualty capabilities, starting with SRU Excess Casualty Sidecar, which launched in April 2025. In her role as senior vice president and head of casualty programs, she leads a team of underwriters and is responsible for managing broker relationships and bringing new solutions to market. Prior to joining Amwins, Fry spent 20 years at Nationwide E&S/Specialty, where she most recently served as vice president of brokerage underwriting focusing on construction. During her tenure, she led a team of underwriters in developing strategic business initiatives and played a pivotal role in product development and performance management. Prior to that, she served as claims director and claims manager, overseeing various teams and handling complex claims across multiple lines.

Amwins Special Risk Underwriters

Helen Fry

Nick DelVino is an executive vice president and casualty broker at Amwins. He is based in New York City and specializes in construction risks, serving as a producer and team lead while soliciting new business and advising on construction liability programs. Having started his insurance career as a claims assistant, DelVino has spent more than a decade mastering client service skills that encompass a wide variety of wholesale brokers’ responsibilities. He is an alumnus of Amwins’ Broker Development Program for emerging leaders, which enabled him to elevate his career and begin managing a book of business. DelVino has held multiple leadership positions within the New York chapter of The Institutes CPCU Society, most recently president from 2023 until 2025. He has earned the Business Insurance Break Out Award and the Insurance Brokers Association of New York (IBANY) Emerging Leader of the Year designation.

Amwins Brokerage

Nick DelVino

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Fighting for the customer

The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.

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Stewart Saunders

Heritage Bank

Darren McLeod

Beyond Bank

Fernando Lemos

Bank Australia

Industry experts

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Bank Australia

Fernando Lemos

Beyond Bank

Darren McLeod

Heritage Bank

Stewart Saunders

In Partnership with

Fighting for the customer

The customer owned a bank saw a huge boost after the Hayne Royal Commission. One year on and their market share is growing as customer continue to see their value.

Read on

Stewart Saunders

Heritage Bank

Darren McLeod

Beyond Bank

Fernando Lemos

Bank Australia

Industry experts

Beyond Bank

Darren McLeod

Heritage Bank

Stewart Saunders

Bank Australia

Fernando Lemos

Published August 25, 2025

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“The construction market overall has remained active, but the key theme we’re seeing is uncertainty,” said Nick DelVino, executive vice president of casualty at Amwins. “According to US Census Bureau data, overall construction spending dipped slightly in June, down 0.3 percent. There are areas of strength; for example, civic and infrastructure work, driven by federal spending, continues, although bureaucratic and material delays are slowing things down. We’re also seeing a mini-boom in data-center construction and ongoing demand in distribution-related builds, especially across Sun Belt states. “However, residential construction is more complex. Demand is strong, particularly in southern states with developer-friendly policies, but elevated interest rates and material costs have kept actual construction activity from matching demand.”

While supply chains have stabilized somewhat post-COVID, potential tariffs and regulatory uncertainty have made material costs less predictable once again. This environment of stop-start growth and unpredictable costs is exactly the type of risk profile that E&S carriers are built to handle. Labor and litigation: twin challenges for the construction sectorJett Abramson, executive vice president and national construction practice leader – casualty at Amwins, pointed out that labor shortages are another source of pressure. “Trade school enrollment is starting to pick up, which is good. But right now, we just don’t have enough people trained for these trades,” Abramson said. “That’s putting additional pressure on the industry’s ability to meet residential housing demand.”

At the same time, legal pressures are increasing. Helen Fry, senior vice president and head of casualty programs at Amwins Special Risk Underwriters, highlighted how litigation funding is transforming claims into high-stakes battles. “Private equity is also investing, funding extended litigation that wouldn’t have been possible in the past,” Fry noted. “That allows plaintiffs to hire better experts and drag cases out longer, increasing the cost of claims. A million-dollar claim today could easily become two million by the time it settles.”

She also noted the growing sophistication of the plaintiff bar, which is using coordinated tactics to sway juries and increase settlements. Combined with inflation and rising material costs, this has caused claim costs to spike – pushing many standard carriers to scale back their participation in high-risk layers.

That shift is being driven by the E&S sector’s flexibility, deep specialization, and creative problem-solving capabilities. “We were once seen as a ‘necessary evil’ for tough risks, but that’s changed,” Abramson continued. “Now, strategic retailers partner with wholesalers like us not just for access, but for expertise and efficiency. Standard carriers have pulled capacity or raised prices, and at certain attachment points, we’re now more competitive.” DelVino echoed that point: “The boom in E&S is real, driven by loss trends and the hardening casualty market we saw in 2020–2022. That led to a flood of new capacity, especially from private equity, chasing elevated premiums. Our space has become more competitive and more creative.” Amwins, for its part, has gone “all in” on specialization, including within the construction segment. “Our

The underwriting process itself is also evolving. As Fry explained, lenders are placing increasingly complex demands on insurance policies, many of which exceed what standard carriers can legally or practically offer. “E&S can be more flexible, which is a huge advantage,” she said. Another red flag underwriters are watching is reported revenues. “It’s hard to predict actual revenues due to tariffs, inflation, and supply chain delays, so we now audit excess policies more frequently,” Fry said. “If revenue projections don’t align with past performance, underwriters will ask more questions and may charge more if they feel exposure is underreported.”

Amwins’ collaborative, strategic approach to construction riskIn such a nuanced environment, collaboration is key. Abramson described how Amwins fosters a culture of constant communication, sharing insights across product lines, geographies, and specialties. “I personally get multiple emails or calls a day from colleagues asking about markets or coverage structuring,” said Abramson. “That knowledge-sharing makes a huge difference. No one sees everything every day. But as a network, we do.” DelVino emphasized the importance of engaging early with clients and carriers, particularly on challenging accounts.

“We’re setting up pre-underwriting calls, strategizing on submissions, and building trust across the value chain,” he said. “But to do that effectively, you need to work with true specialists who understand the market niche, like New York labor laws or California construction defect risks.” Product development is another area where Amwins is stepping up. Fry highlighted their recent launch: a quota-share excess casualty program that helps plug gaps where standard carriers have pulled out. “We’re constantly innovating to help our brokers build towers to $50 million, $100 million, or more, depending on project needs,” she said. DelVino and Abramson both stressed the role of data in shaping smarter decisions. Amwins aggregates data from billions of dollars in construction placements, offering powerful insights into pricing trends, limit benchmarking, and exposure analysis.

“Even on individual deals, more data means better underwriting, faster responses, and more accurate pricing,” said Abramson. Fry added that data also helps identify programmatic gaps and inform future product development. “That data also helps us build better programs, find gaps in the market, and support the capacity providers who back us,” she said. Despite the growing role of analytics and technology, all three leaders emphasized that relationships remain central to success in E&S.

Through strategic underwriting, data-driven decision-making, and long-standing carrier relationships, Amwins helps brokers and retailers navigate the construction casualty market with confidence. As construction projects become more complex and insurance needs become more specialized, the value of experienced wholesale partners becomes increasingly clear. Amwins is leading the charge by combining market specialization with data-backed precision and deep-rooted relationships across the value chain. For more information on Amwins' construction insurance capabilities, contact your Amwins broker or visit amwins.com/construction.

Admitted market retrenchment in property-cat, construction, trucking

Social inflation and nuclear verdict concerns pushing casualty into E&S

Fast product launches for emerging risks: cyber, renewable energy, AI liability

Growth drivers in E&S

Sources: CIAB Market Survey Q2 2024; Fitch Ratings, “US Excess & Surplus Lines Market Outlook,” 2024

Legal challenges =

Claim costs

Labour supply =

Residential housing demand

Construction sector pressures

underwriters are aligned with that strategy, and we’re better equipped to handle complex, loss-prone business as a result,” he added.

“We stay close to our carriers: we know what they want, what they can do, and what they’re worried about,” said Fry. “That trust lets us negotiate smarter and place tougher deals.”

Not just the ‘market of last resort’ – how E&S is stepping upAs traditional carriers retreat from volatile classes of business, the E&S market is expanding to fill the void. “A decade ago, E&S represented about 10 percent of commercial lines premium. Today, it’s 20 percent, and growing,” said Abramson.

Legal challenges =

Claim costs

Labour supply =

Residential housing demand

Construction sector pressures

Source: Dowling & Partners