The Excess and Surplus Insurance (E&S) marketplace represents a small, but important, segment of the overall insurance industry. Its function is to fill the gaps in the traditional insurance markets. When most people think of insurance, they think of the common forms that insure typical risks: automobile, housing and renters, life, health and, possibly, credit. While these policies are frequently advertised and sold, countless other insurance risks need coverage. Large boilers, nuclear reactors, cruise vessels and factories all require insurance. Companies that manufacture medical devices, work with toxic chemicals, or make dangerous materials like explosives or ammunition also need insurance.