An insurance cluster is a group of insurance companies and professionals who pool their resources and expertise to offer a wider range of products and services to their clients. An insurance cluster can be valuable as you can access a range of products, services, and support resources.
Pro Tip
As an insurance representative, I am often asked about insurance clusters. They can be a good way to gain access to a range of insurance products, services, support, and resources. In this article, we will discuss the top insurance clusters in the industry, and the benefits of joining one.
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The Best Insurance Clusters For Starting An Agency
Below is a list of the best property and casualty insurance clusters for your agency to join. These 2022 rankings come from the Insurance Journal based on each cluster’s 2021 total property/casualty revenue.
Top 10 Agency Partnerships
- SIAA
- ISU Insurance Agency Network
- First Choice: A MarshBerry Company
- Keystone
- SecureRisk LLC
- Renaissance Alliance Insurance Services LLC
- The AC Companies
- First Choice Agents Alliance LLC
- The Iroquois Group
- Combined Agents of America LLC
Let’s do a deep dive into why you might consider the top four ranked partnerships to see which is right for your agency.
#1 SIAA
SIAA is the #1 National Independent Insurance Agency Alliance. I have worked with them for many years as an independent insurance agent and have been impressed with the resources and support they provide.
It is fueled by 48 regional Master Agencies over all 50 states of the United States and has over $10.8 billion in total written premiums. Agencies that join gain access to competitive national carriers, and unparalleled training, and they become partners with successful companies paying top-level commissions.
As I did, you will maintain complete ownership of your independent agency and book of business.
What You Gain By Joining SIAA:
Access To Top Carriers – You gain immediate access to create carrier appointments with over 30 of the top national and regional insurance companies. Through their Master Agencies, even more national, regional, and super-regional carriers are available.
Education And Training – Relevant and practical courses are exclusive to SIAA members. In addition to receiving training to build a spectacular agency, you learn how to mold a thriving business. These are available online 24/7.
If you are a start-up, you are provided access to field specialists who serve as mentors for the first 24 months as your agency is born and grown. They can teach you essential skills pertaining to marketing, accounting, technology, staffing, and other small business necessities.
Shared Profits – You will collect top-level commissions from many competitive insurance companies, profit sharing without the stress of minimums, and local and national incentives.
Attract New Customers – Partnering agencies receive the tools to draw in more clients, utilize strategies that retain those clients, and benefit from cross-sell opportunities.
Member Benefits For You And Your Staff – You can opt for discounted cyber liability coverage. You can also have group benefits for your agency with as few as two employees.
SIAA has a unique, revenue-based rating plan for Agent’s Error & Omissions coverage. This offer is for agencies less than 3 years old.
Marketing Benefits – Receive up-to-date training on your online presence and social media marketing. Assess your digital strength with audits and marketing checklists. Utilize one of our partners’ discounted websites and mobile apps.
Agent Management System – SIAA partners with many leading AMS providers, so you can get a discounted price on a management system to organize your bookings and operations. This includes the selection of a comparative rater that synthesizes nicely with the AMS you choose.
5 Ways to Get Paid – SIAA’s unique model offers you 5 ways to increase your income.
- Some of the highest commissions available from their strategic partner companies. These are paid directly to you: the agent.
- Profit sharing with larger payouts than from other agencies made directly to the agent based on your performance.
- Some Master Agencies have organized extra incentives on a local or regional basis based on new business and growth.
- SIAA Portfolio Management Service Fees (PMSF) – These fixed, quarterly incentives, unique to SIAA, are paid to the agent based on your new and renewal book of business.
- Year End PMSF – Also unique to SIAA, this is a traditional type of profit sharing paid to each agent based on their premium growth, retention, and profitability.
Additional Income Resources – SIAA also offers life insurance, group benefits, premium financing, and programs and specialty markets.
I’ve been a member of SIAA for years and couldn’t be happier. Every agent who works with SIAA is appointed a “master agency” which apparently can “make or break” the experience. Luckily for me, my master agency is run by professionals who are great.
I came from a State Farm background and was torn to either go captive or independent. With that said, after building my P&C book of business from scratch to over 1,000,000 in annual premiums, I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made and SIAA was a large part in helping me get there!
A lot of people complain about the fees they charge (which varies depending upon your contract with your master agency) but the bonuses you are capable of getting due to “profit-sharing” from the carriers usually off-sets any fees I have to pay.
On top of that, SIAA provides discount for insurance agency CRMs, gives you higher commissions rates through certain carriers via national negotiations, and tons of other perks. If you are considering which way to go, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. A large reason I built this website was to help other insurance agents navigate all of these questions.
#2 ISU Insurance Agency Network (ISU IAN)
ISU is the second largest insurance network in the U.S., controlling over $8.3 billion in written premiums with 220 agencies and 5,000 industry professionals. They consider the volume, growth, and loss ratios of potential agency partners to maintain the high quality of their network.
Committed to letting their agencies maintain complete ownership of their businesses, ISU does what it can to offer you the uncharted benefits of being part of a larger national organization without sacrificing your independence.
On average, each ISU member receives a return of over 400% on their ISU IAN membership investment, a number that’s hard to walk away from.
What You Gain By Joining ISU
Revenue Growth – If you consolidate your premiums with ISU’s network, your profit sharing will expand, and your revenue will increase.
Community And Shared Knowledge – By joining ISU, you gain a wide network of professional collaborators with whom you can glean insights from and share your own challenges, experiences, and expert advice with the collective whole.
Professional Networking – As a part of ISU’s expanding networking opportunities, they host an exclusive conference at no expense to the agencies where carrier providers and vendors meet with agents.
Your Independence – You maintain complete ownership of:
- Your name and image
- Your agency and operating decisions
- 100% of your book of business
- 100% of your earned commissions
- 100% of your carrier appointments and can choose which to consolidate with ISU
Shared Profits – From your first written premium, you take part in ISU’s profit sharing with no volume requirements or loss ratio adjustments. You can utilize the market clout of ISU’s $8.3 billion premium volume.
Access To Carriers – Your agency will receive access to national and regional carriers and deal directly with carrier professionals. This includes over 80 insurance companies, MGA’s, and Underwriting Associations.
If down the road you choose to leave ISU, there are no exit fees, and you retain ownership of your business, clients, and relationships. They do request a ten-day termination notice.
#3 FirstChoice: A MarshBerry Company
FirstChoice, A MarshBerry Company, combines two top-ranked partnership networks: MarshBerry Platform (ranked as #3 by Insurance Journal per above) and First Choice Agents Alliance (ranked #8).
For the purposes of this article, I chose to pool their united strength and analyze their united organization. Any following references to “FirstChoice” refer to FirstChoice, a MarshBerry Company.
In 2022, FirstChoice ranked #2 in another analysis by Insurance Journal, beating both ISU and Keystone.
What you Gain by Joining FirstChoice
Contacts with Carriers – You gain direct appointments with top insurance companies both regionally and nationally, and you retain 100% of your earned commissions.
Revenue – FirstChoice offers phenomenal growth incentives, guaranteed profit sharing, and maintains zero production minimums.
Education – As a FirstChoice member, you receive access to a plethora of training opportunities, including, but not limited to:
- Bi-weekly education sessions
- Merger and acquisitions training
- Strategic planning sessions with seasoned mentors
- Annual member meeting and trade show
- A wide library of recorded educational programs
Technology/Marketing – You receive internal security reviews and technology consulting, google presence optimization, quarterly reports, and strategic vendor partnerships.
Strategic Partners – See this full list of their partners.
#4 Keystone
Keystone is the 4th largest agency network, with over 280 agencies spanning across 17 states and over $5.1 billion in written premiums. They are committed to strengthening independent agencies to serve their clients and communities better.
Keystone is unique for its Corporate Cause and separate foundation, The Keystone Autism Fund, which raises money and awareness to aid families and individuals with autism.
What You Gain By Joining Keystone?
Agency Management – Keystone provides you with a wealth of operational tools to improve your compensation potential and maximize the value of your agency. Some of these operational strategies include:
- Employment management
- Financial management
- Human resources
- Perpetuation planning
- Benchmarking tools
Agency Support Services – Your local state ISU representative will connect you with the resources your agency needs, including but not limited to, the sharing of best practices, strategic business planning, business goals and supporting marketing plans, and licensing.
Carrier Relations – Keystone can help you monitor and enhance your profit and incentive opportunities. They work with companies to create and share specialized carrier marketing opportunities with insurance agents through these carriers.
Training For You And Your Staff – Keystone offers training that can turn your agency into a niche expert with the right knowledge to better manage your sales pipelines and reel in larger commercial businesses. This is a list of a few types of training offered:
- How to train, test, screen, interview, and hire new employees
- Advanced sales skills for experienced agents and sales managers
- Sales management technology so you can track your sales more effectively
- Strategies to better manage your sales team
New Business – By joining Keystone, you enhance your potential to increase your book of business and forge your name in the industry.
Cash Flow – Any new business you begin adds cash flow back into your agency, and any group account you write with Keystone is owned entirely by you. You will never make less than you would have on your own and will benefit from the strength of aggregated contracts.
Revenue generated by the agency is dispersed monthly.
Keystone Works For You – If your agency doesn’t have a benefits team, Keystone will fill that role to sell new group health and ancillary benefits. Keystone splits the commission with your agency, and you make money without doing the work.
The Benefits Of Joining An Insurance Cluster
As an insurance representative, there are many reasons I recommend joining an insurance cluster. There are several benefits to joining an insurance cluster, including:
Access To A Range Of Insurance Products And Services: Insurance clusters can provide their members with access to a wider range of insurance products and services, which can help them to better serve their clients and differentiate themselves in the market.
Support And Resources: Insurance clusters often offer a range of support and resources to help their member companies grow and succeed. This may include access to training and education, networking opportunities, and access to specialized insurance products or markets.
Networking Opportunities: Insurance clusters can provide valuable networking opportunities for their members, allowing them to connect with other insurance professionals and companies and share knowledge and expertise.
Frequently Asked Questions
An insurance cluster is a group of independent insurance providers who work together to offer bundled policies at discounted rates. These groups benefit both the insurance agents and consumers due to negotiated insurance rates.
An example of an insurance cluster is the Trusted Choice® network. This is a national network of independent insurance agents who work together to offer bundled insurance packages at discounted rates.
Insurance aggregators and clusters are different in that aggregators supply quotes for consumers while clusters are conglomerates of insurance agencies that pool resources and negotiate insurance rates on a national level.
Conclusion
Insurance clusters can provide a range of benefits, including access to a wider range of insurance products, services, networking opportunities, and support and resources. Joining an insurance cluster can be a valuable opportunity, and it is important to choose a reputable and reliable insurance cluster to maximize the benefits of the relationship.
I recommend SIAA as the #1 cluster to join. This is due to their level or support, their ability to negotiate with large insurance carriers at a national level (which gives agents more commissions), and their general reputation which has been proven to me over the years.
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