Coterie Insurance review for retail agents: programs, access and binding authority
Coterie writes small business BOP, general liability and professional liability for independent agents on its own online platform. You enter a business name and address, and it returns a bindable quote. As an MGA, it holds authority from its carriers to underwrite and bind for them.
It suits agents who write lots of small accounts. You sign up online and don't need separate carrier appointments.
- Best for
- Agents writing small BOP, GL and professional liability accounts who want a bound policy in minutes
- Type
- MGA with its own online quote and bind platform
- Lines
- BOP, general liability and professional liability, with cyber, EPL and liquor endorsements
- Access
- Sign up online and sign a producer agreement. No separate carrier appointments needed
- Authority
- Quotes, binds and issues in house, subject to its underwriting rules
- States
- BOP, GL and professional liability in all 50 states
Our take
Coterie is a digital MGA for small businesses. It quotes and binds BOP, GL and professional liability in all 50 states, within the county and coastal limits below, with cyber, EPL, liquor and contractors equipment as add-ons.
It fits an agency that wants a bound policy in minutes for a landscaper, a shop or a small restaurant. Signing up takes a form and an agreement, and Coterie handles carrier appointments.
The appetite, meaning the businesses Coterie will write, is narrow by design. It stops at 50 employees and one location, and it won't write habitational, auto repair, trucking or workers comp.
Pros
- Bindable quotes from a business name and address
- No separate carrier appointments for its main lines
- BOP, GL and professional liability in all 50 states
- IVANS downloads to your agency system at no cost
- Certificates right after binding
Cons
- Small accounts only, with one location per policy
- No workers comp, auto, habitational or trucking
- Premium financing isn't allowed
- New BOP is paused in parts of eight western and plains states
Who they work with
- Who can submit
- Licensed producers in the states where they sell Coterie
- How to get access
- Fill in the Become a Producer form, then activate your account and sign the agreement
- Requirements
- Licenses in good standing and your NPN, which Coterie checks for lines and appointments
- Background checks
- You agree to reports on licensing, credit and criminal history when needed
- Carrier appointments
- Not needed for BOP, GL and professional liability
Fill in the form
Use Become a Producer on the Coterie site.
Activate your account
Sign the producer or agency agreement during activation.
Quote in the dashboard
Log in and start with a business name and address.
Programs and what they write
| Program | Type | Lines | States | Admitted or surplus lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business programBOP, GL and professional liability for small businesses | MGA | BOP, GL, professional liability, cyber and EPL | All 50 states | Mostly admitted |
EPL isn't offered in CA, DC, MD, NY or WY. Contractor classes aren't written in New York.
Who qualifies
- 50 employees or fewer, or 15 for contractors
- Revenue up to $10 million, or $5 million for contractors
- One location per policy
- No more than two losses in five years, none over $15,000
- No prior cancellation, nonrenewal or bankruptcy
What Coterie won't write
- Real estate, habitational, hotels and motels
- Auto repair, trucking and transportation
- Lessors risk only
- Workers comp and commercial auto
- Casinos, tobacco wholesalers and auto dealers usually decline
In FL, TX, MS, AL, GA, SC and NC, locations within three miles of the coast aren't eligible. From three to 26 miles out, contents go up to $250,000. Building coverage isn't offered in that band, or anywhere in Florida.
How to submit
- How it works
- Enter the business name and address, pick the industry and check the details Coterie fills in. Then set coverage, bind and take payment
- Submit by
- Coterie Dashboard, the Coterie API or a partner platform
- Declined risks
- From September 21, 2026, no new BOP in listed counties and ZIP codes in WA, CO, CA, OR, MT, NM, WY and OK. Existing policies there can renew as they are
Quote and bind authority
Binds "In house" means the firm commits the carrier on its own, with no second sign-off.
| Program | Quotes | Binds | Issues the policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small business program | In house |
Coterie says a bindable quote takes seconds and a bound policy minutes. Every policy stays subject to underwriting and is issued by its carrier partners.
Carrier paper and admitted status
| Carrier | Notes |
|---|---|
| Spinnaker Insurance Company | Rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best |
| Benchmark Insurance Company | Rated A (Excellent) by AM Best |
| Everspan Insurance Company | Professional liability. Rated A- (Excellent) by AM Best |
| Clear Spring Property and Casualty | Carrier on Coterie IVANS downloads |
| Providence Washington Insurance Company | Carrier on Coterie IVANS downloads |
| Spinnaker Specialty | Surplus lines policies, numbered from CSE |
Ratings are the ones in Coterie's April 2025 appetite guide.
Commission, fees and billing
- Who bills
- Coterie bills the insured directly, or you can use agency bill and collect premium and fees yourself
- Premium finance
- Not allowed. Coterie's terms bar financing a policy
- Policy term
- 12 months, renewing on its own unless changed
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Installment fee | $7 a payment | Policyholder |
| Late fee | Up to $10 | Policyholder |
| Returned payment fee | Up to $35 | Policyholder |
A policy fee also applies, set by state and line and shown before you bind. Coterie adds a Manage My Risk fee unless the customer opts out, which raises the premium instead.
Endorsements, audits and claims
- Endorsements
- Request them in the dashboard or on the policy change form. The request needs the email of the agent of record or agency owner
- Certificates
- Make them in the dashboard right after binding
- Cancellations
- Through the dashboard or the change form. On agency bill, nonpayment you report can cancel the policy
- Renewals
- Automatic for 12-month terms. The renewal notice shows the policy fee
- Claims handled by
- Coterie's claims team, with a licensed adjuster on each claim. Report at claims.coterieinsurance.com or 855-680-2440, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
- Claim first contact
- 3 to 5 business days
Who owns the account
- Who owns the expirations
- Coterie's published terms don't say, so ask before you move a book there
- If the relationship ends
- Coterie can suspend or end your platform access, for example over false submissions
Portal and integrations
- Portal
- Coterie Dashboard
- Online quoting
- Yes. Business details fill in from a name and address
- API
- A quoting API that Coterie says returns bindable BOP and GL quotes 92% of the time
| Connects to | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| IVANS | Agency system download | Sends new business, renewals, changes and cancellations into your agency system twice a day at no cost |
| Ask Kodiak | Appetite lookup | Hosts Coterie's appetite guide |
IVANS downloads take up to three business days to switch on. Documents and commission don't come through the download.
Support for retail agents
- Hours
- Website chat, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Email replies take 2 to 3 business days
- Contact
- Support 855-566-1011, producers@coterieinsurance.com, website chat
- Training
- Appetite guides, a top 100 classes list, coverage comparisons, webinars and Spanish-language materials
- Marketing help
- Quote Snapshot to share quotes with clients and a Find an Agent listing
Coterie Insurance alternatives
- PathpointBinds small E&S accounts online that Coterie declines
- RPSSmall business and standard lines quoting from a national wholesaler
- RT SpecialtyRT Connector binds small GL and property online
- Appalachian UnderwritersAdds workers comp and its own binding contracts with no volume minimum
- AmwinsQuotes small commercial and homeowners online through Amwins IQ
See every option in insurance mGAs and wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get access to Coterie?
Fill in the Become a Producer form, activate your account and sign the agreement. You don't need separate carrier appointments for BOP, GL or professional liability.
Does Coterie bind policies itself?
Yes. You quote, bind and take payment in the dashboard, and its carrier partners issue the policy.
What won't Coterie write?
Habitational, hotels, auto repair, trucking, lessors risk only, workers comp and commercial auto.
Whose paper is Coterie on?
Mostly Spinnaker and Benchmark, with Everspan for professional liability. Some surplus lines policies are on Spinnaker Specialty.
What fees does the client pay?
A policy fee that varies by state, $7 per installment and late or returned payment fees.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Coterie Insurance, 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 Coterie Insurance quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Coterie Insurance has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.