Gorst & Compass review for retail agents: programs, access and binding authority
Gorst & Compass places commercial, garage, professional and personal lines business for retail agents, mostly in California and the West. It binds property in house and quotes small classes online through GQ Rater. Binding in house means its own staff can commit the carrier without asking first.
It suits established agencies with steady hard-to-place volume. The 2025 application asks for $100,000 of written premium in your first 12 months.
- Best for
- California and western agencies with hard-to-place property, casualty, garage and brush-area homes
- Type
- Wholesale broker and MGA, with binding authority on property
- Lines
- Commercial casualty and property, professional, garage and trucking, standard commercial and personal lines
- Access
- Email an application. The 2025 form asks for $100,000 of written premium in the first 12 months, plus $1 million E&O
- Authority
- Binds property in house. Personal lines underwrites and quotes. GQ Rater quotes small classes online
- States
- Mostly western states, growing nationwide
Our take
Gorst & Compass is an independently owned California wholesaler and MGA with three offices and more than 100 insurance companies. It covers the risks western agents fight with most, such as homes in the brush, bars and restaurants, contractors and garages.
It fits a West Coast agency that sends a steady stream of these accounts. Property binds in house, personal lines has its own underwriting authority and GQ Rater quotes small classes without ACORD forms.
Getting in is the hurdle. The first-year premium commitment is steep for a small agency, and not every agency is approved.
Pros
- Binding authority on commercial property
- In-house underwriting for brush, coastal and loss-history homes
- GQ Rater quotes small classes with no ACORD forms
- 60 days renewal notice on admitted policies it writes under its own programs
- Admitted and surplus lines markets under one roof
Cons
- $100,000 premium commitment in the first 12 months
- Agency bill premium due in 30 days, paid or not
- California SL-2 and D-1 forms are on you
- No authority to issue certificates or endorsements
Who they work with
- Who can submit
- Licensed agencies with a Gorst & Compass appointment
- How to get access
- Email the application and paperwork to agencyappts@gorstcompass.com. Not every agency is approved, and Gorst & Compass says current market conditions have tightened its criteria
- Requirements
- The 2025 appointment application, a signed producer agreement, W-9, EFT form, E&O declarations page and agency license
- E&O minimum
- $1 million
- Production minimum
- $100,000 of written premium in the first 12 months after approval, per the 2025 application
Fill in the application
Use the 2025 agency appointment application on the Become a Producer page.
Sign the producer agreement
The 2025 agreement is on the same page.
Email the package
Send the application, agreement, W-9, EFT form, E&O declarations page and agency license to agencyappts@gorstcompass.com.
Wait for a decision
Gorst & Compass reviews each agency and doesn't approve every one.
Programs and what they write
| Program | Type | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial casualtyMore than 100 classes, from acupuncture to woodworking | Wholesale broker | GL, excess, habitational, hospitality and contractors |
| Professional liabilityHard-to-place professional risks | Wholesale broker | D&O, EPL, E&O, cyber, medical and tenant discrimination |
| PropertyWithin its binding authorities or through brokerage markets | MGA | Commercial property, inland marine and earthquake |
| Personal linesIn-house underwriting with A+ rated markets | MGA | Homeowners, dwelling fire, excess flood, umbrella and floaters |
| Garage and transportationSurplus lines garage and trucking | Wholesale broker | Garage, trucking and commercial auto |
| Standard linesAdmitted markets for small to large commercial accounts | Wholesale broker | BOP, package, auto, workers comp and management liability |
| GQ RaterInstant online quotes on listed classes | Online platform | Small commercial, personal liability and professional |
Gorst & Compass works with more than 100 insurance companies. Professional liability placements can be admitted or surplus lines depending on the market.
Homes personal lines takes
- Homes in the brush and on the coast
- Homes with losses
- Vacant homes, renovations and course of construction
- Vacation rentals
- Earthquake, landslide and DIC wraparounds
- High-value auto physical damage
What GQ Rater quotes
- Artisan contractors (75 classes)
- Day care, office and home-based business
- Vacant land, buildings and dwellings
- Special events and truckers GL
- Personal liability and umbrella
- EPL, nonprofit D&O and technology E&O
Garage covers auto, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers and repair, valet, salvage yards, tire shops and impound lots. Transportation covers long-haul and local trucking, public auto and business auto.
How to submit
- How it works
- Email or call the underwriter for the department, or quote eligible small classes in GQ Rater. Each class has its own application
- Submit by
- Department underwriters by email or phone, GQ Rater or the quote line at 888-875-4458
- Documents needed
- The class application from the applications page. GQ Rater products quote with no ACORD forms
- Binding GQ Rater quotes
- Call the main office at 818-507-0900 to bind, endorse or issue
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial casualty | After carrier OK | |||
| Professional liability | ||||
| Property | In house | |||
| Personal lines | ||||
| Garage and transportation | ||||
| Standard lines | ||||
| GQ Rater |
GQ Rater quotes online at any hour, and its phone underwriters answer six days a week. You have no authority to issue endorsements, certificates or binders yourself.
Carrier paper and admitted status
- Admitted or surplus lines
- Both. Standard lines are admitted and garage business is surplus lines
- Whose paper
- Set by the market on each quote. Personal lines uses A+ rated admitted and surplus lines markets
Commission, fees and billing
- Who bills
- Agency bill or direct bill, depending on the policy
- Payment terms
- On agency bill, pay in full within 30 days of inception or by the date on the binder or invoice, whichever is first, whether or not the insured has paid you
- Commission
- On agency bill you keep it up front and repay unearned commission if a policy cancels. On direct bill it is paid monthly as carriers pay Gorst & Compass
- Fees
- Fees charged at binding are fully earned on the effective date
- Nonpayment
- Gorst & Compass can cancel unpaid policies, and you refund commission on return premium at the original rate
- Premium finance
- Through Executive Finance, an affiliate. Credit you extend to an insured is at your own risk
- How to pay
- Online through Make a Payment, or a trust check to the Pasadena lockbox
Surplus lines taxes and filings
- Taxes and stamping fees
- You collect and pay the premium, fees and taxes
- Diligent search
- In California, try at least three admitted markets that write the class and get declinations before you ask for a surplus lines quote. You can't move a risk to surplus lines just to save premium
- Forms
- At binding, send a completed SL-2 and the insured's signed D-1. A policy won't bind without them, and Gorst & Compass or the Surplus Line Association can audit your SL-2
Endorsements, audits and claims
- Endorsements
- Issued by Gorst & Compass. You can't issue them or change policy terms
- Certificates
- Issued by Gorst & Compass
- Cancellations
- No flat cancels unless the company agrees in writing
- Audits
- You pay any extra audit and endorsement premium
- Renewals
- On admitted policies it writes under its own programs, Gorst & Compass gives you 60 days notice with a renewal offer or non-renewal. On surplus lines policies, you notify the insured and loss payees
- Claims handled by
- The carrier. Email an ACORD loss notice to claims@gorstcompass.com and the claims team passes it on. It doesn't make claim decisions
- Loss runs
- Email lossruns@gorstcompass.com
Who owns the account
- Who owns the expirations
- Gorst & Compass doesn't publish it. Ask before you sign the producer agreement
- If the relationship ends
- Either side can end it with 30 days written notice. It ends at once if your license is suspended, the DOI sanctions you for a serious act or your E&O lapses
Portal and integrations
- Portal
- Agent login with GQ Rater
- Online quoting
- Yes, instant quotes on listed small commercial, personal and professional classes
| Connects to | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Finance | Premium finance | Affiliated finance company with agent and insured logins |
Support for retail agents
- Hours
- GQ Rater phone underwriters weekdays 4 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT and Saturdays 6 to 10 a.m. PT
- Contact
- Main office 818-507-0900, toll-free 800-437-6616. Accounting at GCAccounting@gorstcompass.com
- Underwriter access
- Each product page lists its underwriters with direct phone and email
Gorst & Compass alternatives
- Bass UnderwritersLets you quote before the appointment is approved
- Brown & RidingStarted in California, now national, with small E&S binding
- M.J. HallCalifornia wholesaler with binding authority and online trucking quotes
- USG Insurance ServicesOnline sign-up and garage and transportation programs
- Burns & WilcoxNational network of local offices, plus online flood
See every option in insurance mGAs and wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
What does Gorst & Compass need to appoint me?
The 2025 application, a signed producer agreement, W-9, EFT form, E&O declarations and agency license. It also asks for $100,000 of written premium in the first 12 months.
Can Gorst & Compass bind coverage itself?
Yes, on property within its binding authorities. Other lines bind once the market agrees, and GQ Rater quotes are bound through the main office.
Who does the California surplus lines paperwork?
You do. Three admitted declinations, the SL-2 and the insured's signed D-1.
How is commission paid?
You keep it up front on agency bill. On direct bill, Gorst & Compass pays monthly once carriers pay it.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Gorst & Compass, 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 Gorst & Compass quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Gorst & Compass has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.