Brown & Riding review for retail agents: programs, access and binding authority
Brown & Riding places commercial specialty business for retail agents through brokers grouped by product and industry. Its B&R USA division binds small and mid-size surplus lines accounts in house. Surplus lines (E&S) carriers aren't licensed in your state and write risks that admitted carriers turn down.
It suits agencies with larger or complex commercial accounts. You reach it by contacting a broker in the right practice group, with no published appointment step.
- Best for
- Agencies with larger or complex commercial accounts that want brokers organized by industry
- Type
- Wholesale broker, with an MGA division for small E&S accounts and affluent homes
- Lines
- Commercial P&C, professional and management liability, transportation, environmental and private client homes
- Access
- Contact a broker in the right practice group. The small business online program needs no login
- Authority
- B&R USA quotes and binds small E&S accounts in house. Brokerage shops the market
- States
- Licensed in all 50 states
Our take
Brown & Riding is an employee-owned wholesale broker that places more than $2.5 billion of premium a year. Its brokers work in 20 practice groups, built for larger and more complex accounts that need several specialist lines.
Smaller accounts have two routes. B&R USA binds small and mid-size E&S packages in house, and an online program quotes and binds admitted GL, professional liability and BOP with no login.
Agree on commission, tax filings and renewal ownership with your broker before the first placement, because those terms come from your conversation rather than a posted agreement.
Pros
- Brokers grouped by industry and product
- The portal shows every market approached and what Brown & Riding earns
- B&R USA binds small and mid-size E&S accounts in house
- Online GL, professional liability and BOP with no login
- EPL indications within 4 business hours
Cons
- Brokerage is built for larger, complex deals
- The online program covers professional services classes only
- EPL indications are ballpark terms until a full application
- No online program in Alaska
Who they work with
- Who can submit
- Retail agents and brokers
- How to get access
- Find a broker by practice group in the online team directory and send the account to them
- Online program
- Open to any agent, with no login or registration
Programs and what they write
| Program | Type | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty brokerage20 practice groups by product and industry | Wholesale broker | Property, casualty, professional and management liability, environmental, transportation and workers comp |
| B&R USAUnderwriting & Select Accounts, for small and mid-size E&S accounts | MGA | Packages, property, GL, umbrella, garage, cargo, inland and ocean marine |
| Private Client PracticeAffluent homes, collections and yachts | MGA | High-value homes, flood, umbrella and collector cars |
| Quote & Bind OnlineGL, professional liability and BOP for professional services | Online platform | GL, professional liability and BOP |
| EPL and nonprofit D&OQuick ballpark indications | Specialty wholesaler | Employment practices and nonprofit D&O |
B&R USA writes surplus lines, the online program is admitted and EPL carriers are often admitted depending on location. The online program writes GL and professional liability in every state but Alaska, with policies from $22.50 a month, Brown & Riding says.
Brokerage practice groups
- Agribusiness, energy and environmental
- Construction and real estate
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Hospitality, franchises and amusement
- Financial institutions and management liability
- Transportation and workers comp
- Nonprofit human services and product recall
Classes B&R USA writes
- Apartments and 1 to 4 family dwellings
- Bars, taverns and restaurants
- Contractors, handyman and janitorial
- Hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts
- Lessors risk, vacant land and buildings
- Special events, event planners and vendors
- Manufacturers, distributors and mercantile
Online program limits
- Revenue up to $5 million for professional liability and GL
- Payroll up to $3 million for GL
- Architects and engineers up to $500,000 of revenue
- New ventures qualify even without prior coverage
- More than 480 classes, Brown & Riding says
The Private Client Practice has catastrophe capacity in California, Florida and other coastal and wildfire areas.
How to submit
- How it works
- Send the account to the broker in the matching practice group. Brown & Riding reports back on every market it approaches
- Submit by
- A practice-group broker or underwriter. Online, use the EPL and nonprofit D&O forms or the small business quote and bind site
- Accounts that don't fit B&R USA
- Move to the brokerage teams
Quote and bind authority
"Takes your submission" means you send the risk to the firm, and "Underwrites" means its own staff set the terms. "In house" under Binds means the firm can commit the carrier without asking first. A blank cell means the firm hasn't published that step.
| Program | Takes your submission | Quotes | Underwrites | Binds | Issues the policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty brokerage | |||||
| B&R USA | In house | ||||
| Private Client | |||||
| Quote & Bind Online | Online, same day | ||||
| EPL and nonprofit D&O | Indication |
EPL indications come back within 4 business hours on the day you submit, from up to 7 markets. They assume a clean claims history and need a full application before binding. The online program binds the same day and emails the policy.
Commission, fees and billing
- Who bills
- The carrier, on the online program
- Brown & Riding's pay
- Its client portal shows you what it earns on each deal
- How to pay
- By check to the Glendale lockbox, or overnight to the Los Angeles office. Your invoice gives both addresses
Surplus lines taxes and filings
- Who files
- Brown & Riding doesn't publish who files surplus lines taxes on B&R USA business. Ask before you bind
Endorsements, audits and claims
- Claims handled by
- The carrier, under the policy. Brown & Riding's Client Advocacy Group helps along the way
- Escalations
- The Client Advocacy Group, run by senior leaders, steps in on coverage questions, carrier problems, endorsement disputes and renewal issues
- Online program
- The carrier handles service and billing
Who owns the account
- Who owns the expirations
- Brown & Riding doesn't publish it. Get the terms in writing before you send a book
- Online program renewals
- Policies renew on their own, and you're paid commission for as long as the policy stays in force
Portal and integrations
- Portal
- A secure client portal, open at any hour
- Online quoting
- Yes, for small business GL, professional liability and BOP, with no login
| Connects to | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Hiscox partner site | Quote and bind site | Hosts the small business quote and bind program |
What the client portal shows
- Status of each submission
- Every market approached
- What Brown & Riding earns on the deal
Support for retail agents
- Contact
- Headquarters 972-402-6669. Online program underwriting 866-739-0727
- Hours
- Online program line: weekdays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, weekends 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
- Underwriter access
- The team directory lists brokers and underwriters by practice, with direct phone and email
Brown & Riding alternatives
- AmwinsPrograms with in-house authority plus Amwins IQ online quotes
- RT SpecialtyLarge brokerage with RT Connector online quoting
- CRC GroupBrokerage plus CRC Quick Quotes for small accounts
- Burns & WilcoxWholesaler and MGA that issues flood online
- JencapBinding authority for property, casualty and garage
See every option in insurance mGAs and wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment to send Brown & Riding a submission?
No, there is no published appointment step. Its site sends you straight to a broker in the right practice group. The small business online program needs no login.
Can Brown & Riding bind coverage itself?
Yes, on small and mid-size E&S accounts through B&R USA. The online program also binds GL, professional liability and BOP the same day.
How fast are EPL indications?
Within 4 business hours on the day you submit, from up to 7 markets.
Can I see what Brown & Riding earns?
Yes. Its client portal shows the compensation on each deal next to every market approached.
Who keeps the renewal on the online program?
The policy renews on its own and you keep earning commission while it stays in force.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Brown & Riding, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Brown & Riding quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Brown & Riding has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.