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For Independent Agents

The Captive Submission Process, in five easy steps.

You prequalify a captive prospect the same way you prequalify any other prospect. Your account manager sends documents the same way they market any account. We handle the analysis, the underwriting, and the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

How It Works

First conversation to bound coverage
in 10 to 12 weeks.

The pace depends almost entirely on how quickly documents come back.
01
Fit Check
One call. We tell you whether the client fits.
02
Run the Numbers
Five years of history, modeled in real dollars.
03
Risk Control Review
A score against members already in the program.
04
Proposal
Pricing, structure, funding, presented with you.
05
Go / No-Go
Your client decides. Either way you keep the account.
No New Workflow

Nothing here is a second job.

Agents assume a captive submission means learning a new system, a new vocabulary, and a new set of forms. It does not. Every input we ask for is something your agency already produces on a normal renewal.

What changes is what happens to that file after it leaves your office. That part is ours.
You prequalify the way you always do
Premium size, loss history, timing. One call with our team confirms it in about fifteen minutes.
Your account manager sends the same documents
We take your data and create the intake sheet for you.  Five years of policies, audits, and loss runs. The same file they pull to market any account. 
We do the analysis and the underwriting
Modeling, actuarial work, loss control, carrier review. You do not have to touch any of it.
You stay the agent of record
At every step. No business owner participates without an independent agent representing them.
The Five Steps

What each step actually involves.

Open any step to see exactly what we look at, what we need from you, and what happens next.

01
Fit Check 1 to 3 days

One quick call with our team. We tell you whether your client fits a group captive: premium size, loss history, timing.

What we look at

■Premium size: Combined workers’ compensation, general liability, and auto premium of $250,000 or more.
■Loss history: Captives reward safe operations. We want to see low loss ratios, ideally below 50 percent, and a real safety culture behind them.
■Timing: The client’s renewal needs to be more than 60 days out. Too close to renewal, and the right move is to wait until after they’ve renewed.
■Financial strength: Enough working capital to handle premium and collateral without strain. A client who pays premiums late will struggle in a captive.
■Mindset: Good captive owners are forward-thinking. If a client resists change now, ownership won’t fix that.

What happens on the call

You book a call with one of our agency consultants and bring what you already know about the client: industry, operations, headcount, and rough premium. We review fit together, answer your questions, and lay out next steps. If they’re a fit, you get the full document checklist and we move to Step 2. If they’re not ready, we tell you why and how to keep the door open.

One thing worth knowing: we don’t decline clients, we defer them. Timing is the most common reason a good fit waits a year. A no today is not a no forever, and the fifteen minutes still protects you from chasing a deal that was never there.

What you get

■A fast, honest read on captive fit, with clear next steps either way.
■The full document checklist if you’re moving forward.
■A captive partner in your corner, giving you the expertise and ammunition to compete with the biggest brokers.
What happens next: Your account manager requests documents from the client: policies, premium audits, and loss runs. Identify the client’s internal contact for data gathering, and confirm you’re 60-plus days from renewal.
02
Run the Numbers About 3 weeks

Five years of premium and loss history, modeled in real dollars, so your client sees exactly how they would have performed in a captive.

What we need

■Five years of policies: Full copies for workers’ compensation, general liability, and business auto if applicable, plus the current in-force policies.
■Five years of premium audits: Workers’ compensation and general liability. Auto typically isn’t auditable, but send it if you have it.
■Five years of currently valued loss runs: For each line, dated within the past 90 days. Claims and reserves change, so stale loss runs can’t be used.
■A short business narrative: What the business does, where they operate, how they manage safety, anything about leadership and workforce worth knowing, and notes explaining any big claims or unusual years.

How the work gets done

Your account manager pulls the same file they pull to market any account. Nobody on your team fills out our paperwork; you gather and send, and we do the analysis. If the client can’t produce five years of documents, tell us early. We help chase carriers and fill gaps, because an incomplete file is the most common reason a submission stalls.

Once everything is in, we hold a quick review call to confirm the file is complete, then take up to 3 business days to build the analysis: a year-by-year model of how your client would have performed in the captive versus what they actually paid in the traditional market.

The numbers meeting

Before your client sees anything, we’ll walk you through the analysis so there are no surprises. Then you, your client, and our team review it together: side-by-side comparison, simple visuals, and the key talking points. You don’t need to be the captive expert in that room. We are, and our job is to make you look good in front of your client.

The analysis is your proof. Strong fit or not, you’ll know for certain. Your client sees the numbers and decides whether to keep going. If they’re not ready, you keep the authority and leave the door open.

What happens next: If your client wants to keep going, they gather their risk management documents and watch our captive education videos before the Risk Control Review.
03
Risk Control Review About 1 week

We grade your client’s risk management against the members already in the program, and they learn how the captive works before committing a dollar.

What your client provides

■Employee handbook: Clear policies on workplace behavior, responsibilities, and safety expectations. If they don’t have one, that can signal weak controls.
■Safety manual: Written procedures for safe operations, with current sections on training, equipment use, and hazard prevention.
■Return-to-work policy: How they bring injured workers back on the job: light duty, modified tasks, gradual return plans.
■OSHA logs: OSHA 300 and 300A forms for the past few years, so real incident trends are visible.
■Industry-specific procedures: Fleet safety programs, site-specific plans, or specialized risk policies where they apply. Not every client needs these.

The education videos are not optional

Before the review meeting, your client watches a short video series covering what a captive actually is, the key terms they’ll hear, how the different captive models work and who benefits, where the profit comes from and how members keep more of it, the risks they’re taking on, and how to leave a captive if it stops being the right fit. A client who watches the series comes to the meeting informed, asks the right questions, and moves with confidence. It also keeps the meeting short.

The review meeting

You, your client, and our team walk through how the captive structure applies to their actual risks and losses. Your client gets a quantifiable score showing how their risk management stacks up against current members. We clear up every question and make sure everyone is on the same page, because the next step is where real money enters the picture.

What happens next: At the end of the meeting there’s a decision to make. If you and your client agree to continue, the Proposal phase starts. That kicks off with the underwriting field visit, which is the only thing your client pays for before binding: $2,995, due when the Proposal phase begins. Everything up to this point has cost your client nothing.
04
Proposal 3 to 4 weeks

Underwriting field visit, actuarial modeling, and carrier review, leading to the complete bindable proposal, presented with you in the room.

What happens, week by week

■Underwriting field visit: A safety engineer visits your client’s operation to see the business firsthand. Scheduled immediately after the review meeting; typically takes 1 to 2 weeks to complete. This is the $2,995 your client pays.
■Actuarial modeling: Runs at the same time as the field visit and typically wraps in a week. We pay for the actuarial work.
■Our review: Once the field report and actuarial study are complete, our team reviews the full file. About 1 week.
■Carrier review and final assembly: We submit everything to the fronting carrier and reinsurers and assemble the final bindable proposal. About 1 week.

The proposal meeting

Your client and their advisors get the complete proposed member packet before signing anything, so their CPA and attorney can kick the tires. Then we walk through the final numbers, the structure, the funding plan, and what happens next, together. This is a more sophisticated product than a standard market quote, and questions will come up. Until you have done two or three of these, we are in the room for every client meeting.

What you get

■A final bindable proposal with full pricing, structure, and funding instructions.
■Support presenting it, so you close the deal confidently.
■A clean handoff into onboarding once your client signs.
What happens next: Your client takes the time they need to review and sign the participation agreement. Once the final details are approved, they wire the initial collateral and funding, and coverage gets ready to bind.
05
Go / No-Go Then 1 to 3 weeks

Your client decides. Either answer is a good outcome, because either way you’ve shown up with something most agents never bring to the table.

If it’s a yes

Once funds are wired, onboarding begins: we activate coverage, set up governance, and make sure you and your client understand exactly how the captive operates from day one, including their roles and responsibilities as a member. Your client gets a member binder with key details and contacts. Onboarding typically takes 1 to 3 weeks.

Then the account moves into ongoing support, and this part matters: a captive is not set-it-and-forget-it. Year after year, your client gets claims monitoring and issue alerts, regular performance reports, mid-year and annual performance reviews, continued education, and board meeting guidance. We handle the technical work behind the scenes. You stay at the table as their trusted advisor, in the loop on all of it.

Mark your calendar for the mid-year and annual reviews, stay close to the client, and start thinking about your next captive-fit account. This is also where testimonials and referrals come from.

If it’s a no

You keep the relationship, you keep the authority, and the door stays open. We don’t decline clients, we defer them, and timing is the most common reason a good fit waits a year. Nothing about a no damages you with your client. If anything, you’re the agent who brought them an analysis nobody else did.

The bottom line: There is a lot that happens behind the scenes: underwriting, actuarial work, carrier review. We have a structured process for all of it, and we run it with whoever handles your paperwork. You do not have to touch it.
Common Questions

What producers ask before the first client.

The questions producers ask us most, answered the way we would answer them on a call.

01 How do I get paid?
+
You choose: a percentage commission or a flat fee, and you set the amount either way. We don't take a piece of it and we don't renegotiate it with your client. That said, we recommend the fee, and here's the honest reason why: when a captive works, your client's premium usually drops over the first four years. A percentage shrinks right along with it, while your work doesn't. A flat fee protects your income as the premium falls, and it proves something to your client no commission can: you don't get paid more when they pay more.
02 How long does this take?
+
About 10 to 12 weeks from the first call to bound coverage on a typical account. The pace depends almost entirely on how quickly documents come back. The minimum runway is 60 days before renewal; 90 gives you room to breathe.
03 What size client are you looking for?
+
Combined workers' compensation, general liability, and auto premium of $250,000 or more, with a loss history and a safety culture that reward control. If a client is under that, or too close to renewal, we tell you on the fit check call.
04 What do you need from us?
+
Five years of policies, five years of workers' compensation and general liability audits, and five years of loss runs valued within the last 90 days, plus a short description of the business. Your account manager pulls the same file they pull to market any account.
05 What if the client cannot produce five years of documents?
+
Tell us early. We help chase carriers and fill gaps. An incomplete file is the most common reason a submission stalls, so a call up front beats a delay later.
06 Do I have to become a captive expert?
+
No. Until you have run two or three of these, we are in the room for every client meeting. We present, we answer the technical questions, and we make you look good in front of your client.
07 Will you ever go direct to my client?
+
No. You are the agent of record at every step, and no business owner participates without an independent agent representing them. If your client contacts us, our answer is: talk to your agent.
08 What does it cost my client to find out?
+
The fit check, the five-year analysis, and the risk control review cost your client nothing. The only client-paid item before binding is the underwriting field visit at $2,995, which comes due once you and your client decide to move into the proposal phase. We pay for the actuarial work.
09 What happens if my client says no?
+
 You keep the relationship, you keep the authority, and the door stays open. We do not decline clients, we defer them. Timing is the most common reason a good fit waits a year. 
Fifteen Minutes

Ready to Protect Your Best Clients?

Fifteen minutes with our team tells you whether the account is worth pursuing this year. If it is not, you will know exactly what has to change before it is.