NASBP is Building Better in Multiple Areas
It was great seeing many of you at the Fall Meetings in Salt Lake City, UT and Charlotte, NC. Each meeting had its own character, and we tried something new to kick things off with “Cocktails and Convos,” an event that consisted of 90 minutes of roundtable discussions. Topics were selected in advance by attendees who were asked to choose a topic based on the issues they were currently facing or concerned with. There were a wide range of topics chosen:

• Tariffs and how they are affecting contractors and customs bonds
  • Cross-selling other surety or insurance products
  • Private equity
  • Reinsurance
  • AI and underwriting and agency impact and implications
  • The impact of today’s market on key underwriting indicators
  • How sureties can differentiate themselves

Each table was assigned one of the topics above, and each was moderated by a subject matter expert. Everyone shared their personal insight, making these discussions interesting and engaging. Participants walked away with the latest information on important industry issues. Feedback on these NASBP Fall Meeting events was positive. The only complaint I heard was that there wasn’t enough time allotted for the roundtable discussions. Expect to see more roundtables and other collaborative activities with industry experts at future NASBP events. For more information, see article about the 2025 NASBP Fall Meetings in this issue of Pipeline.

NASBP is Building Better on several fronts. Our Make Surety A Career program continues to grow. Most of us stumbled into surety. This program’s goal is to raise the profile of the surety industry with college students and make surety a sought-after vocation. Through the efforts of Matt Curran with Sompo, it will be presented at Susquehanna University this coming spring semester. We’re continuing to add other colleges to the list of those presenting the classes. Consider reaching out to the colleges and universities near you. We’re also working on ways to easily match students with agencies and sureties looking for new talent. If you’re interested in the program, there’s additional information on our NASBP.org site, under Education and Careers. You can also reach out to me at rcoon@scottins.com, Mark McCallum at mmcallum@nasbp.org, or Kat Shamapande at kshamapande@nasbp.org. We would like to have a steady stream of students joining us in this great industry.

As many of you are aware, we are working with the team at The Institutes RiskStream Collaborative to develop SuretyX, an effort to move bonds away from paper and into the digital world. By using blockchain technology, our goal is to be able to issue digital bonds in a secure, verifiable way that addresses the concerns of all parties to the bond. Members of the Collaborative are currently building teams of agents, sureties, prime contractors, and subcontractors to test the system by issuing bonds through a pilot program. This is a test environment–a bond issued as we do normally will cover the legal obligation–but the pilot will help us ensure the process works smoothly and as designed. Hopefully, we’ll be moving from the test environment to production soon.

I’d like to be sure you’re aware of these three upcoming NASBP events:

The NASBP Winter Surety School will be January 25 to 30, 2026 in Dallas, TX. We’re presenting Levels I and II for both Commercial Surety and Contract Surety. These classes are filling up quickly. If you’re interested in sending someone to (or attending) the School, I strongly recommend getting them (or yourself) signed up as soon as possible.

Surety is driven by legislation. If we want to remain viable, we need to remain visible. Our 2026 Federal Legislative Fly-in, offered jointly with SFAA, will be held February 24-25 in Washington, DC. For those who haven’t participated before, it’s an incredible experience. There is no fee to register, but once you’re registered, we will work to schedule meetings on Capitol Hill with congressional staff on your behalf. So, all you need to do is show up. There’s a program Wednesday afternoon to help give you an update of what’s happening on the Hill and provide you talking points on the topics important to our industry, followed by a welcome reception. Thursday is reserved for your meetings with Congressional offices and for a reception to wrap up that evening. Earlier this year, we had over 100 visits on the Hill at the 2025 Joint Fly In. It would be great to top that in 2026. The room block is open, so please reserve your hotel.  Registration will open in the coming weeks on theNASBP.org website.

The 5-15 Leadership Committee candidacy is a two-year program, with nominations for the 2026 class opening January 2026, after the two year candidacy is fulfilled candidates become full members of the 5-15 Leadership Comittee. Our 5-15 Leadership Committee members are encouraged to participate in all NASBP events and meetings, which include the Federal Legislative Fly-in. These 5-15 members have the unique opportunity to represent the surety industry with their state congressional delegation during the Fly-in and to meet with the leadership of the home office of CNA Surety. This meeting with a surety’s home office, held Thursday morning after the Fly-in, allows 5-15 candidate and members to build better relationships with key surety partners. The Committee offers similar opportunities over the course of the year and is focused on developing young agents into successful leaders for their companies and the industry. Please contemplate nominating someone to the 5-15 Leadership Committee candidacy. Find out more at NASBP.org.

We’ve got a lot going on to support NASBP members and help their clients. It’s all on our NASBP.org website. Take some time to explore it and to learn how you can be Building Better!

Robert Coon is Vice President – Surety at Scott Insurance in Greensboro, NC. He can be reached at rcoon@scottins.com or 336.510.0072.