Greater Midstates Insurance Agency review for insurance agencies: fees, carrier access and book ownership
Greater Midstates Insurance Agency is a cluster of independent agencies in six central states. Small agencies pool their business so they can reach carriers whose production minimums they couldn't meet alone.
You pay a one-time fee to join and no dues after that. Carriers pay the cluster, which sends your share around the 15th of each month.
To sell a carrier's policies an agency needs an appointment, a contract with that carrier. Networks often hold the appointment as a master code and list each member under it on a subcode.
The commission split is how each commission is divided between you and the network. Carriers also pay profit sharing, a yearly bonus for profitable business. Book ownership is about who keeps the clients and the expirations, their renewal records, if you leave.
- Best for
- Small P&C agencies in six central states that want carrier access without monthly dues
- Entry fee
- One-time fee, amount given on a call
- Monthly fee
- $0
- Commission share
- Greater Midstates keeps part, at a rate it does not publish
- Carrier access
- Through the cluster, which carriers pay first
- States
- AR, IA, IL, IN, KY and MO
Our take
Greater Midstates suits a small agency or former captive agent in its six states that wants carriers without a monthly bill. It says you own your accounts and don't have to buy them back.
It is short on published numbers. The joining fee and the commission share come only by phone, and its agreement isn't online.
Pros
- No monthly or yearly dues
- Says you own your accounts
- One monthly payment for every carrier
- 12 months to move accounts after notice
- Says it shares profit sharing with members
Cons
- Joining fee is not published
- Commission share is not published
- Only six states
- No path to your own codes is described
Who they take
- Captive agents
- Yes, captive agents going independent are welcome
- Requirements
- Active licenses, E&O of at least $1,000,000 per claim, a signed membership agreement and a background and driving record check
- States
- Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri
- Lines
- Mostly P&C, plus life, annuities, long-term care and health
What it costs
Greater Midstates charges a one-time fee to join and nothing after that, monthly or yearly. It gives the amount only by phone. The cluster also keeps part of the commission, at a rate it doesn't publish.
| Fee | Amount | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Membership fee | Quoted by phone | Once |
| Monthly or yearly dues | $0 | Not charged |
| Commission kept | Quoted by phone | Every commission payment |
As of October 2026, from greatermidstates.com.
How you get carrier access
Your own appointments
Greater Midstates does not describe a path to codes in your own name.
The network's code
Carriers pay the cluster, and its staff help you choose and contract with its carriers.
- Carriers
- Grinnell Mutual, Travelers, Kemper, National General, Mercury, Foremost, Encova, Hanover, Sentry and others, plus several MGAs (managing general agents, wholesalers with carrier authority)
How you get paid
- Who the carrier pays
- Greater Midstates, which pays you
- When you are paid
- Around the 15th of each month, in one payment that covers every carrier, with a list of accounts
- Profit sharing
- Shared with members based on loss ratio, growth and other factors
Your book and leaving
Greater Midstates says each member owns the accounts it writes and the cluster owns none. It also says you don't have to buy your book back.
- Who owns the expirations
- You, according to Greater Midstates
- Moving your accounts
- After your notice period you have 12 months to move accounts out, usually as each policy renews
- Liens and transfer fees
- No buyback required
How leaving works Give 90 days of written notice. You then have 12 months to move your accounts out, which usually means moving each policy when it comes up for renewal.
Term and exit
- Notice
- 90 days in writing
- After notice
- 12 months to move your accounts out
Technology, E&O and support
Technology
- No required software is named
E&O
You must carry E&O of at least $1,000,000 per claim.
Help you get
- Help choosing carriers and developing markets
- Carrier meetings, webinars and training lunches
- Monthly commission statements with account detail
Who owns the network
- Owner
- Privately held
- Buys member agencies
- No
Greater Midstates Insurance Agency alternatives
- Smart ChoiceNo monthly feeNo entry or monthly fee, keeps 30% until a set commission level, then nothing
- FireflyNo monthly duesWrites on Firefly's code and keeps 10%. Moving its carrier business costs 30% of a year's commission
- SIAAHelps you win direct appointments through a regional Master Agency
- IronpeakNo duesNo entry fee or dues, profit sharing from $100,000 in premium
- Combined Agents of AmericaMember-owned, for established agencies in the central states
See every option in insurance agency clusters and networks.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Greater Midstates cost?
A one-time joining fee that it quotes by phone. There are no monthly or yearly dues. The cluster also keeps part of the commission.
Do I own my book with Greater Midstates?
Greater Midstates says yes. It owns no accounts and does not make you buy your book back.
How do I leave Greater Midstates?
Give 90 days' written notice. You then have 12 months to move your accounts out.
Which states does Greater Midstates cover?
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Greater Midstates Insurance Agency, 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 Greater Midstates Insurance Agency quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Greater Midstates Insurance Agency has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.