Burns & Wilcox review for retail agents: programs, access and binding authority
Burns & Wilcox places commercial, professional and personal surplus lines business for retail agents through 60 local offices. Its IssueQuick site quotes and issues flood and article floater policies online. Surplus lines, or E&S, covers risks admitted carriers decline, using carriers not licensed in your state.
It suits agencies that send surplus lines business all year. Each branch asks for a 12-month premium commitment before it appoints you.
- Best for
- Agencies with steady E&S volume that want a local office, plus online flood and article floaters
- Type
- Wholesale broker and MGA, with the IssueQuick online platform
- Lines
- Commercial P&C, professional lines, flood, high-value homes and personal recreation
- Access
- Appointment through your local office, with a 12-month premium commitment and $1 million E&O
- Authority
- IssueQuick quotes, issues and endorses flood and article floaters online. Other risks go to the local office
- States
- IssueQuick flood in most states. Offices across North America
Our take
Burns & Wilcox is a family-owned wholesaler and MGA with more than 2,000 people in 60 offices. Your local office handles placement, from habitational and cannabis to architects and high-value homes.
It fits an agency with steady surplus lines volume. IssueQuick also issues flood and article floaters online in about 5 minutes, a quick win for personal lines desks.
The producer agreement leans hard on the agency. You owe the premium whether or not the insured pays, and you guarantee any audit premium too.
Pros
- IssueQuick issues flood and floaters online in minutes
- Local offices across North America
- Flood in every zone, with primary limits up to $5 million of insured value on homes
- In-house claims team helps with carriers and adjusters
- You control the expirations while your account is paid
Cons
- Each branch asks for a 12-month premium commitment
- You owe the premium even if the insured never pays
- Unpaid balances can hand your renewals to Burns & Wilcox
- You guarantee audit and retrospective premiums
- No binding authority for agents outside IssueQuick
Who they work with
- Who can submit
- Licensed retail agencies with a Burns & Wilcox appointment. It works only with retail agents
- How to get access
- Email the enrollment kit to your local office. It replies within 48 hours
- Requirements
- A P&C license, and a surplus lines license where needed, in every state you write. A signed producer agreement and W-9
- E&O minimum
- $1 million per claim, with proof each year
- Production minimum
- Each branch asks for a 12-month premium commitment and doesn't publish the amount
Fill in the enrollment kit
It holds the agency appointment profile, the producer agreement and a W-9.
Find your local office
Use the location finder on the Burns & Wilcox site to get its email address.
Email the kit
Attach your P&C and surplus lines licenses for each state and your current E&O declarations page.
Hear back
The office replies within 48 hours. IssueQuick needs its own account request.
Programs and what they write
| Program | Type | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Local office placementWholesale brokerage and MGA business through 60 offices | Wholesale broker | Property, casualty, professional, cyber, workers comp, flood and high-value homes |
| IssueQuickFlood and article floaters quoted and issued online | Online platform | Flood and scheduled personal property |
IssueQuick flood is not offered in AK, HI, IL, KY, MA, MD, ND or NY. The article floater skips 19 states, mostly in the West.
IssueQuick flood
- Every flood zone is eligible
- Eligible homes of 1 to 4 units top out at $4.5 million replacement cost
- Home limits count total insured value, which can include contents: primary up to $5 million and excess up to $4.75 million
- Commercial buildings up to $4 million replacement cost
- Not for risks over water, prior flood losses, mobile homes or CBRA and floodway locations
IssueQuick article floater
- Scheduled personal property up to $750,000
- No single item over $50,000, or $49,999 for jewelry
- Pays up to 150% of replacement cost
- No appraisals needed
- Not for LLCs, estates or applicants with a scheduled loss over $10,000
Local offices also place private, excess and parametric flood, including homes in CBRA zones. Burns & Wilcox Brokerage handles open-market placements.
How to submit
- How it works
- Send the account to your local office. Burns & Wilcox decides whether to accept it, decline it or take it to an insurer
- Submit by
- Your local office, or IssueQuick for flood and article floaters
- Documents needed
- For surplus lines, proof of your admitted-market attempts. Where Burns & Wilcox files the tax, the state forms it needs
- Before coverage starts
- Paying the premium doesn't bind coverage. Only a bound policy does
Quote and bind authority
"Takes your submission" means you send the risk to the firm. Binds "In house" means the firm commits the carrier on its own, with no second sign-off. Where a cell is blank, the firm publishes nothing on that step.
| Program | Takes your submission | Quotes | Binds | Issues the policy | Endorses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local office placement | |||||
| IssueQuick | Online |
IssueQuick takes about 5 minutes from quote to issued policy, and a quote stays good for 30 days. On IssueQuick you bind online and the platform issues the policy. Other business goes through your local office, and you can't bind it yourself.
Carrier paper and admitted status
- Admitted or surplus lines
- IssueQuick writes surplus lines. Local office business can be either
- IssueQuick flood program
- Hiscox FloodPlus
Commission, fees and billing
- Who bills
- Agency bill. Burns & Wilcox invoices you for premium, fees and taxes less commission
- If the insured doesn't pay
- You still owe it, even if no policy was issued. Burns & Wilcox can cancel and still charge you the earned premium
- Billing errors
- Report them in writing within 10 days of the invoice or 15 days after the month the policy starts, whichever comes first
- Premium finance
- Return premium and unearned commission go straight to the finance company. You can't offset what you owe because of it
- How to pay
- Online through EZPay
Surplus lines taxes and filings
- Who files
- It varies. Where Burns & Wilcox files, you send the state forms in time
- Diligent search
- You meet your state's diligent effort rule and show Burns & Wilcox your admitted-market attempts before asking for surplus lines
- Disclosures
- You confirm you follow placement laws, including rules on disclosing your compensation
Endorsements, audits and claims
- Endorsements
- IssueQuick policies are endorsed online. Others go through your office
- Cancellations
- No flat cancels unless state law requires one. You return commission on any return premium at the original rate
- Audits
- You guarantee audit and retrospective premiums
- Claims handled by
- The carrier or its claims administrator. Report claims to Burns & Wilcox in writing right away, on the website form or to claims@burns-wilcox.com, unless the policy says to go straight to the carrier
- Claims help
- An in-house claims team acts as your go-between with carriers and adjusters. You can't adjust claims or give coverage opinions
Who owns the account
- Who owns the client
- You control the expirations and renewals you place
- Renewal control
- Yours while your account is paid up
- Use of your clients' data
- Burns & Wilcox can share agency and insured details with its affiliates to offer premium finance, audits and inspections
- If the relationship ends
- Either side can end it at once in writing. It also ends if you lose your license, sell or merge the agency or let your E&O lapse
Fall behind and you can lose the book. If you don't pay or account for money due, the producer agreement hands your expirations, renewals and future commission on that business to Burns & Wilcox.
Portal and integrations
- Portal
- IssueQuick for flood and article floaters, and EZPay for payments
- Online quoting
- Yes, on IssueQuick, open at any hour
What you can do in IssueQuick
- Quote and issue flood and article floaters
- Edit a quote
- Endorse a policy
- Collect e-signatures and payment
Support for retail agents
- Hours
- IssueQuick service team, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET
- Contact
- Headquarters 248-932-9000. IssueQuick at issuequick@burns-wilcox.com
- Underwriter access
- Your local office, or the expert search on the Burns & Wilcox site
Burns & Wilcox alternatives
- AmwinsOnline quotes on small commercial and personal lines through Amwins IQ
- CRC GroupNational brokerage with binding programs and Quick Quotes
- RT SpecialtyBinds small commercial online through RT Connector
- Neptune FloodPrivate flood quoted and bound online in every state
- USG Insurance ServicesOnline sign-up through INS LINK and programs in every state
See every option in insurance mGAs and wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get appointed with Burns & Wilcox?
Email the enrollment kit, licenses and E&O declarations to your local office. It replies within 48 hours and asks for a 12-month premium commitment.
Can I bind with Burns & Wilcox online?
Yes, on IssueQuick for flood and article floaters. Everything else goes through your local office, which decides whether to take it to an insurer.
Who files the surplus lines taxes?
It varies. When Burns & Wilcox files, you send the state forms. The diligent search is always yours.
Who owns the renewal?
You do while your account is paid. Unpaid balances move the expirations and renewals to Burns & Wilcox.
What is the minimum premium on IssueQuick?
$125 for flood and $100 for an article floater.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Burns & Wilcox, 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 Burns & Wilcox quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Burns & Wilcox has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.