RLI Corp
RLI Corp is a U.S. specialty property and casualty insurer and surety bond provider, underwriting eleven niche lines through independent agents, brokers, and MGAs across all 50 states, and serving commercial businesses, contractors, and select personal lines customers.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1965
- HeadquartersIllinois City, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What RLI Corp does
RLI Corp is a U.S. specialty property and casualty insurance and surety bond company, founded in 1965 in Peoria, Illinois, and listed on the NYSE under ticker RLI. The company underwrites a diversified portfolio of specialty risks across eleven product lines — commercial casualty, commercial property, construction, entertainment and amusement, executive risk products, inland marine, ocean marine, personal lines, professional services firms, transportation, and surety bonds — distributed exclusively through independent retail agents, wholesale brokers, managing general agents and underwriters, program administrators, and aggregators in all 50 U.S. states, with a direct portal for personal umbrella. RLI operates through three core insurance subsidiaries (RLI Insurance Company, Mt. Hawley Insurance Company, and Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company), all rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best following a February 2026 upgrade, and has delivered 30 consecutive years of underwriting profitability alongside 50 consecutive years of dividend increases.
The company's go-to-market is a multi-channel wholesale/retail brokerage model with quote-based pricing determined by risk assessment and underwriting criteria, billed annually. Revenue is generated from gross premiums written across property, casualty, and surety products and from net investment income on the company's investment portfolio; FY2024 total consolidated revenue was $1,770 million with Q1 2026 gross premiums written of $503 million (up 3% year-over-year) and net investment income of $42.3 million (up 15% year-over-year). Underlying technology includes telematics for transportation underwriting, AI-driven underwriting and pricing tools consuming external consumer data, and a February 2026 strategic partnership and equity investment in AI-enabled underwriter Kettle to power multi-peril commercial property and wildfire risk modeling using satellite data. RLI also offers direct online policy management for personal lines via mypolicy.rlicorp.com.
Operationally, RLI employs 1,001–5,000 people across 18 U.S. office locations and runs an employee-ownership culture via ESOP and LTIP, with employees and insiders collectively owning roughly 9% of the company. The senior team is led by President and CEO Craig Kliethermes, supported by COO Jen Klobnak, CFO/CIO/Treasurer Aaron Diefenthaler (effective January 2026), CLO Jeff Fick, Chief Claim Officer Cory Figiel (effective April 2026), and a deep bench of product-line presidents and vice presidents. The board includes former senior executives from Chubb, Travelers, QBE North America, State Auto, and XL Insurance, reinforcing underwriting and actuarial discipline.
RLI Corp firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RLI Corp
- Legal name
- RLI Insurance Company
- Website
- https://rlicorp.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1965
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- RLI Corp is a U.S. specialty property and casualty insurer and surety bond provider, underwriting eleven niche lines through independent agents, brokers, and MGAs across all 50 states, and serving commercial businesses, contractors, and select personal lines customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where RLI Corp is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Illinois City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices18 records
Markets served
RLI Corp business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Insurance Premiums: Gross premiums written from property, casualty, and surety insurance products. Q1 2026 gross premiums written were $503 million, up 3% year-over-year. Full-year 2024 total consolidated revenue was $1,770 million.
- Net Investment Income: Investment income from the company's investment portfolio. Q1 2026 net investment income was $42.3 million, up 15% year-over-year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Specialty insurance products offered through retail and wholesale distribution channels |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
RLI Corp product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RLI Corp underwrites and distributes a diversified portfolio of specialty property and casualty insurance products and surety bonds through its insurance subsidiaries (RLI Insurance Company, Mt. Hawley Insurance Company, and Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company). Core offerings span commercial casualty, commercial property, construction, executive risk, inland and ocean marine, transportation, professional services, entertainment, surety, and select personal lines. Products are distributed exclusively through independent agents, brokers, managing general agents (MGAs), managing general underwriters (MGUs), and program administrators across all 50 U.S. states.
Product overview
RLI Corp is a specialty property and casualty insurance company offering a diversified portfolio of insurance products and surety bonds through a network of retail and wholesale agents and brokers across all 50 U.S. states. The company's product portfolio consists of core specialty insurance lines (Commercial Casualty, Commercial Property, Construction, Entertainment and Amusement, Executive Risk Products, Inland Marine, Ocean Marine, Personal Lines, Professional Services Firms, and Transportation), supplemented by surety bond solutions (Commercial Surety and Contract Surety), and personal insurance products (Personal Umbrella, Home Business, and Track Day insurance). The company operates through three main insurance subsidiaries: RLI Insurance Company, Mt. Hawley Insurance Company, and Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company, all rated A++ (Superior) by AM Best.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RLI Executive Products Group: Executive risk protection products including D&O, EPL, Fiduciary liability coverage
- Contrac Pac
- Contrac Pac QuickWrite
- Executive Plus
- TrackDay
- SafeFleet
- RLI Safety Solutions
Products and services
- Commercial Casualty Insurance Specialty casualty coverage including contractor's liability, environmental, excess commercial liability, general liability, and products liability for commercial businesses.
- Commercial Property Insurance Wholesale commercial property insurance products for agents and brokers covering multi-peril and wildfire risks.
- Construction Insurance Specialty construction insurance including the Contrac Pac package product and Contrac Pac QuickWrite for general and artisan contractors.
- Entertainment and Amusement Insurance Bundled coverages for entertainment venues including amusement parks, theme parks, carnivals, fairs, festivals, and family entertainment centers; provides commercial general liability, excess liability, inland marine, property, and commercial auto coverage.
- Executive Risk Products Directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, fidelity, fiduciary, and professional liability coverage for executives, corporations, nonprofits, and private equity firms.
- Inland Marine Insurance Builder's risk and installation, contractor's equipment, data and broadcasting systems, mobile property, and property in transit coverage.
- Ocean Marine Insurance Marine cargo, hull protection and indemnity, marina/boatyard/dealership, marine artisans liability, marine contractors liability, and marine general liability coverage.
- Personal Lines Insurance Personal insurance including Hawaii homeowners, home-based business, and personal umbrella policies for individuals and families.
- Professional Services Firms Insurance Design professionals and miscellaneous professional liability (E&O) coverage for professional services firms.
- Transportation Insurance Commercial specialty auto, E&S auto, moving and storage, public transportation, and trucking insurance coverage including telematics and AI-camera premium discounts for fleet operators.
- Commercial Surety Bonds Account-based and transactional commercial bond solutions for individuals and businesses across diverse industries.
- Contract Surety Bonds Performance and payment bonds for experienced small and medium-sized contractors.
- Personal Umbrella Insurance Extra layer of liability protection above and beyond existing limits of homeowners and auto policies for individuals and families; available direct via mypolicy.rlicorp.com.
- Home Business Insurance Protection for business liability and inventory for home-based businesses.
- Track Day Insurance Coverage for vehicle damage during High Performance Driver Education events.
- Multi-Peril Commercial Property Insurance (Kettle Partnership) Multi-peril commercial property coverage with AI-enabled wildfire risk modeling for commercial properties in California and Nevada, underwritten by Mt. Hawley Insurance Company through partnership with Kettle.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30 consecutive years of underwriting profitability
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use RLI Corp
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments11 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RLI Corp technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
RLI Corp partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hensel PhelpsminorHensel Phelps expanded small business engagement initiatives including Head Start Bonding Program where RLI Corp serves as a surety partner. RLI provides bonding access through the program along with The Barbour Group, aiming to build subcontractor capacity through operational support, training webinars, and collaboration to mitigate project risk and improve bid competitiveness.
- KettlecorePartnership with AI-enabled insurance underwriter Kettle to launch multi-peril commercial property insurance covering wildfire and all other perils for commercial properties in California and Nevada. Coverage underwritten by Mt. Hawley Insurance Company. RLI also made a strategic equity investment in Kettle to accelerate AI-enabled firm's growth and advance risk modeling and underwriting capabilities. The deal validates Kettle's low loss ratio model using AI and satellite data for wildfire risk modeling.
- The Barbour GroupminorSurety partner alongside RLI Corp in Hensel Phelps' Head Start Bonding Program for subcontractor capacity building.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
RLI Corp competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kinsale Capital Group: Excess and surplus lines specialty insurer focused on small-to-mid-market commercial risks with industry-leading combined ratios, competing most directly with RLI's E&S Casualty Brokerage Group.
- Hanover Insurance Group: Specialty P&C carrier with strong positions in commercial lines, marine, and personal lines distributed through independent agents, sharing RLI's agent-driven specialty distribution model.
- Markel Corporation: Specialty insurer operating across casualty, marine, energy, professional liability, and other niche lines, with a long-term holding company model and emphasis on underwriting discipline similar to RLI's approach.
- American Financial Group: Specialty P&C insurer with a major surety bond franchise and specialty property/casualty operations, overlapping with RLI's Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company and core specialty P&C segments.
- James River Group Holdings: Specialty P&C insurer with significant E&S casualty and commercial auto exposure, overlapping with RLI's E&S and Transportation segments though smaller in scale.
- Arch Capital Group: Specialty insurer and reinsurer with strong franchises in construction, executive risk, marine, and professional liability, competing in many of the same specialty niches as RLI.
- W. R. Berkley Corporation: Diversified specialty P&C insurer organized across multiple niche operating units including construction, executive risk, marine, and professional liability, closely mirroring RLI's specialty segment structure.
Broad incumbents
- The Travelers Companies: Largest U.S. commercial P&C insurer with broad commercial and personal lines, overlapping RLI in construction surety and commercial casualty but operating across much wider mainstream markets.
- Cincinnati Financial: Standard-market P&C insurer distributed through independent agents, with overlapping commercial and personal lines and a long record of underwriting profitability analogous to RLI.
- Chubb Limited: Global specialty and large-account P&C insurer competing in executive risk, marine, and casualty where RLI operates, but serving much larger accounts across global geographies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RLI Corp social profiles
Digital presenceRLI Corp compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
RLI Corp financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RLI Corp leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
RLI Corp subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
RLI Corp funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RLI Corp M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RLI Corp
What does RLI Corp do?
RLI Corp underwrites and distributes a diversified portfolio of specialty property and casualty insurance products and surety bonds through its insurance subsidiaries (RLI Insurance Company, Mt. Hawley Insurance Company, and Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company). Core offerings span commercial casualty, commercial property, construction, executive risk, inland and ocean marine, transportation, professional services, entertainment, surety, and select personal lines. Products are distributed exclusively through independent agents, brokers, managing general agents (MGAs), managing general underwriters (MGUs), and program administrators across all 50 U.S. states.
Is RLI Corp a public or private company?
RLI Corp is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was RLI Corp founded?
RLI Corp was founded in 1965. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is RLI Corp based?
RLI Corp is headquartered in Illinois City, United States, in the North America region.
How does RLI Corp make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Insurance Premiums are the primary driver. The others are net Investment Income.
Who are RLI Corp's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kinsale Capital Group, Hanover Insurance Group, Markel Corporation, American Financial Group, James River Group Holdings, Arch Capital Group and W. R. Berkley Corporation. Broad incumbents are The Travelers Companies, Cincinnati Financial and Chubb Limited.
Does RLI Corp have an API?
No public API is recorded for RLI Corp.