Surplus Line Association of Illinois

What Surplus Line Association of Illinois does

The Surplus Line Association of Illinois (SLAI) is a statutory nonprofit organization created by Illinois law in 1985 to serve as the official intermediary between the Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) and Illinois-licensed surplus line producers. Operating exclusively within Illinois, SLAI consolidates regulatory reporting that producers were previously required to submit individually to the DOI on a monthly basis. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors drawn from Illinois surplus line brokers, with David Ocasek serving as Executive Director, and is self-funded through membership dues and stamping fees rather than external investment.

SLAI's core technology is the Electronic Filing System (EFS), a web-based portal where producers file policies and endorsements, calculate and remit surplus line taxes, and manage compliance documentation. The product portfolio extends beyond the EFS web application to include the SL Tax Calculator and Independent Procurement (IP) Tax Calculator for tax computation, alongside Batch Filing for high-volume producers and an API Filing capability for programmatic submissions. Reporting resources integrate links to the NAIC Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers, Lloyd's U.S. offices, and A.M. Best ratings, while Bulletin issuances and educational resources support regulatory interpretation and member training.

The business model is a subscription-equivalent recurring revenue structure derived from producer membership dues and per-transaction stamping fees, with no external equity or commercial funding. The customer base is horizontal, comprising Illinois-licensed surplus line producers (drawn from brokerages such as Alliant, Aon, AmWins, CRC, and RT Specialty, alongside long-tail independent brokers), with downstream demand tied to insureds seeking specialty or non-admitted coverage. Because of its statutory mandate, SLAI faces no direct market competitor within Illinois for its core compliance filing function.

Name

Surplus Line Association of Illinois

Legal name

Surplus Line Association of Illinois

Website

https://slai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Surplus Line Association of Illinois (SLAI) is a statutory nonprofit created by Illinois law in 1985 that operates the Electronic Filing System (EFS) to consolidate regulatory filings, tax remittance, and compliance reporting for Illinois-licensed surplus line insurance producers on behalf of the Illinois Department of Insurance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Regulatory Compliance Services

NAICS

Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Surplus Lines Property (CAT/High-Hazard) (FSAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Surplus line insurance
• Insurance regulatory compliance
• Electronic filing system
• Stamping fee services
• Insurance producer membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Stamping Fees: Self-funded body financed through membership dues and stamping fees collected from surplus line producers. Created by statute in 1985, the Association operates as a self-regulated entity.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Surplus Line Association of Illinois operates an Electronic Filing System (EFS) that enables Illinois-licensed surplus line producers to electronically submit surplus line policies, endorsements, and tax documents to the Illinois Department of Insurance. The Association also collects stamping fees, provides surplus line tax calculation tools, publishes regulatory bulletins, and delivers compliance education and procurement rule guidance to producers operating in the Illinois surplus line market.

Product overview

The Surplus Line Association of Illinois (SLAI) operates a unified regulatory compliance platform centered on the Electronic Filing System (EFS), which serves as the primary interface for surplus line producers to file policies, remit taxes, and satisfy state reporting requirements. The product portfolio includes the EFS web application, supplemented by the SL Tax Calculator and IP Tax Calculator for tax computation, and the Batch Filing and API Filing modules for high-volume and automated filing workflows. SLAI Membership provides additional member services including education and advocacy. The organization functions as a self-regulated liaison between the Department of Insurance and surplus line producers, facilitating compliance with Illinois surplus line law.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electronic Filing System (EFS)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Illinois Department of InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 1985SLAI was created by statute at the request of the Illinois Department of Insurance to serve as a liaison between the DOI and surplus line producers. SLAI reports collected data to the DOI on a monthly basis, consolidating all reporting that was previously done by individual producers.
• Illinois LegislaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 1985The Illinois Legislature passed the bill creating the Surplus Line Association in 1985. The Department of Insurance submitted the draft bill to the Insurance Committee, and various surplus line producers testified before legislative committees during deliberation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Surplus Line Association of California (SLAC): State-level surplus line stamping office for California performing the same statutory intermediary role between the California Department of Insurance and surplus line producers that SLAI performs for Illinois; directly comparable operating model and regulatory mandate.
• Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO): Florida's statutory surplus lines service office that processes policy filings, taxes, and stamping fees through an electronic platform analogous to SLAI's EFS; directly comparable regulatory intermediary function in the surplus line insurance ecosystem.
• Surplus Lines Association of Oregon: Oregon's statutory stamping/oversight body for surplus line insurance, performing analogous liaison duties with the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation; directly comparable to SLAI's state-level role.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC): The U.S. standard-setting and regulatory-support body for state insurance regulators; SLAI integrates with NAIC resources (e.g., Quarterly Listing of Alien Insurers) and operates within the NAIC's broader surplus lines framework governed by the NRRA.
• Aon plc: Global insurance brokerage represented on SLAI's board through Aon Risk Solutions; operates in the surplus line placement space as a major producer filing through SLAI's EFS, making it a closely linked participant in the same ecosystem.
• AmWINS Group, Inc. Specialty wholesale insurance broker with surplus line placements filed through SLAI and a board seat (AmWINS Brokerage of the Midwest); a key customer/member cohort for SLAI's filing platform.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Large U.S. insurance brokerage whose executive holds the SLAI board chair; places surplus line business through Illinois producers and interacts with SLAI's regulatory reporting platform at scale.

Regional players

• CRC Insurance Services: Specialty wholesale insurance broker represented on SLAI's board, focused on surplus lines and E&S placements; a peer participant in Illinois surplus line distribution that depends on SLAI's stamping and tax infrastructure.

Others

• Insurance Marketplace Standards Association: Industry-funded ethics and best-practices body for insurance distribution; adjacent to SLAI in serving as a self-regulatory marketplace organization supporting insurance producers, though focused on ethics standards rather than statutory filing.

Emerging players

• National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR): Not-for-profit affiliate of the NAIC that supports electronic insurance producer licensing across states; comparable as a centralized compliance utility operating adjacent to SLAI in producer-level insurance regulatory infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ILSurplusLine
• Facebookfacebook.com/slaillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surplus-line-association-of-illinois
• Instagraminstagram.com/slaillinois

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surplus Line Association of Illinois