DeCotis Specialty Insurance Expands Commercial Lines Team

Providence, RI — DeCotis Specialty Insurance is pleased to announce the addition of two new Commercial Lines team members: Lori Lyle (CIC, AAI), who takes on the role of Senior Commercial Lines Account Manager, and Jay Downie (CISR), who joins DeCotis as a Commercial Lines Insurance Broker.

In his new role, Jay will work closely with his fellow team members and DeCotis leadership to cultivate new business opportunities and fuel profitable growth across the firm’s Commercial, Professional, and Specialty Lines. Jay started his insurance career as an agency support specialist for a large national carrier nearly 17 years ago. Since then, he has gained a broad perspective of the industry, serving in a variety of sales, operations, and management roles, including spending many years working on the agency side. Most recently, Jay was a territory sales manager for The Hanover Insurance Group.

CEO Tom DeCotis says, “Jay is a dedicated industry professional with knowledge across a wide array of product lines. He is also a skilled problem solver that our agents will be able to count on to find solutions for their insureds. But what truly sets Jay apart is his ability to build strong relationships. He will be instrumental in helping us develop and maintain long-term connections with our existing agents and new partners.”

As Senior Account Manager in Commercial Lines, Lori’s primary responsibility will be to assist the firm’s production team with the evaluation and management of existing Commercial Lines accounts and new business opportunities. In this critical role, Lori will help market and place monthly renewals, prepare quote comparisons, assess policy submissions for gaps in coverage, and more. Lori joins DeCotis after spending nearly four decades on the commercial insurance retail side. Most recently, she served as client executive at Cross Insurance.

Tom DeCotis says, “Over her many years in the industry, Lori has developed expertise in client retention, cross selling, account rounding, and marketing. Her spirit of collaboration, strong analytical and negotiating abilities, and extensive commercial lines knowledge and account management skills make her an invaluable asset to our customers and our company.”

By adding these two well-established industry veterans to its Commercial Lines team, DeCotis enhances the wealth of knowledge already at the firm, which is widely recognized for its local expertise, fast decision-making, and exceptional underwriting and account placement capabilities.

According to Tom, “We offer our partners an incredibly broad spectrum of personal, commercial, professional, and specialty insurance products. But, as importantly, we also set an extraordinarily high service standard with our professional, personable, flexible, and efficient team. These two areas will continue to be our focus and help us build on our reputation of being the go-to resource for specialty insurance in the market.”

About DeCotis Specialty Insurance

Founded in 1989, DeCotis Specialty Insurance is an independently owned and operated surplus lines wholesaler and MGA, headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. DeCotis provides insurance agents with access to property, casualty, and specialty products in the surplus lines marketplace. Any wholesale broker can provide an agent with a quote, but for unprecedented underwriting knowledge, local expertise, and assistance making sure your insureds have the right solutions for their needs, team up with DeCotis.


DeCotis partners with Amica Insurance for Breakfast with Santa event.

DeCotis Specialty Insurance was delighted to partner with Amica Insurance, Core Studios, Jones Kelleher, and other Rhode Island-based businesses at the recent Breakfast with Santa to benefit Crossroads Rhode Island, a non-profit dedicated to helping homeless and at-risk individuals and families secure stable homes.