INS Capital Group review: agency valuation, M&A advice and fees
INS Capital Group values insurance agencies and advises owners on selling, buying and inside handoffs. Every job starts with its Strategic Market Analysis, which pairs a value with a look at how ready the agency is.
It says it serves agencies of every size, including captive agencies, wholesalers and MGAs. All fees are quoted.
- Best for
- Owners who want a first value range, then a fuller valuation or sale
- Works for
- Sellers, buyers and owners planning a handoff
- Services
- Valuation, perpetuation, sale and purchase advice, bank loan sourcing
- Agency size
- All sizes, it says
- Valuation fee
- Quote only
Our take
INS suits an owner who wants to start with a quick value range and decide later how deep to go. Its Summary Valuation gives a first number, and a Fair Market Value report goes further for buy-ins and exits.
It works both sides of the market. Sellers get a full sale process, and buyers get a decision-ready Buyer Report plus help finding a bank loan.
One of its advisors sits on an advisory council for a firm that buys MGAs. If you run an MGA and plan to sell, ask how that is handled.
Pros
- Three valuation levels, from a first range to a full fair market value
- Works with captive retail agencies as well as independents
- Seller and buyer advice, including bank loan sourcing for buyers
- Strategic Market Analysis looks at readiness, not just a number
- Earn-out guidance that separates guaranteed and at-risk money
Cons
- All fees and engagement terms are quoted
- Works for buyers and sellers
- Its newest listed deals are from 2023
- An advisor has a tie to a firm that buys MGAs
Who they work for
Sellers
INS runs the sale from preparation and valuation to the sale book, buyer outreach, offers, negotiation and closing.
Buyers
Buyers get cash flow models, deal structure, a risk review, a Buyer Report, due diligence and help finding bank debt.
Whose side it is on. INS takes buyer and seller mandates, and its lead has represented buyers, sellers and a lender. An advisor also sits on Newport Specialty Partners' advisory council, and Newport buys MGAs.
Services
| Service | What you get |
|---|---|
| Strategic Market Analysis | The first step in every job: value, market position, readiness and growth plans |
| Summary Valuation | A first value range to start the conversation |
| Fair Market Value | A detailed valuation for partner buy-ins, exits and planning |
| Perpetuation planning | Weighs family, an inside partner or an outside buyer |
| Selling an agency | Preparation, a confidential sale book, buyer outreach, offers, negotiation, diligence and closing |
| Buying an agency | Cash flow models, structure, a risk review, a Buyer Report, diligence and bank loans |
Agencies they work with
- Agency size
- All sizes. Its clients have ranged from $1 million to $50 million in market value
- Types
- Independent and captive retail agencies, wholesalers, agency networks, MGAs and program administrators
- Where
- Nationwide in the United States
How they value an agency
- Method
- Several methods, plus cash flow models and comparisons with similar agencies
- Earnings measure
- Earnings with personal and one-time costs taken out and the cost of replacing the owner put in
- What adjusts the value
- Profit, growth, client concentration, loss ratios, carriers, niche focus, staff, location, the health of the book of business and how easily ownership can pass
When it advises a buyer, INS also projects the costs that come after a sale, such as marketing to grow, new technology, hiring and added overhead.
Terms on this page in plain words
- Fair market value
- What the agency would sell for between a willing buyer and seller who both know the facts
- Book of business
- The policies the agency writes and the commission income they produce
- Earn-out
- Money paid after closing that depends on the agency reaching growth or profit goals
- Perpetuation
- Handing the agency to people inside it, such as producers, partners or family
- Success fee
- The advisor's fee that comes due only when a deal closes
- Retainer
- An advance or monthly fee for the advisor's time
- Tail
- A set period after the agreement ends when you still owe the fee if you sell to a buyer the advisor introduced
Valuation reports, cost and timing
- Report types
- Summary Valuation, Fair Market Value report, Strategic Market Analysis with recommendations, Buyer Report and a confidential sale book
- How it starts
- A kickoff call, then data collection, modeling and a review of the final report
- How it's priced
- Quote for each job
Selling your agency with them
Preparation and valuation
INS gets the agency ready and sets a value.
Sale book
It writes a confidential information memorandum, the overview buyers read first.
Buyer outreach
It contacts buyers and collects offers.
Offers and negotiation
It compares the offers and negotiates the terms.
Diligence and closing
It manages the buyer's checks through to closing.
Deal structure advice
INS tells sellers to separate guaranteed money from earn-out money and to write down the targets, how they are measured and reported and how disputes get settled.
- Payment types
- Cash, buyer stock, seller notes and earn-outs, each covered in its own guidance
- Inside deals
- Seller financing or outside bank debt
Succession and after the sale
Perpetuation planning compares passing the agency to family or an inside partner with selling to an outside buyer. The valuation becomes the base for whichever plan the owner picks.
Credentials and transactions
- Designations
- Chris McAtee is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor. Kelly Drouillard is a CPA and CPCU
- Teaching
- Kelly Drouillard teaches for The National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research
Recent transactions
| Deal | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Fortuna General to Towerstone, an IMA company | 2023 | Seller advisor |
| Neff & Associates Insurance Services to AJ Gallagher | 2023 | Seller advisor |
| Johnson Insurance Agency to General Agency Inc. | 2023 | Seller advisor |
| Iron Range to Tricor Insurance | 2023 | Seller advisor |
Confidentiality
- Before you hire it
- INS asks you not to send confidential details until a written client agreement is in place
Fees and engagement terms
INS quotes each job. It lists no retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity or tail on its site.
Have INS spell out
- The fee for each valuation level, and whether it counts toward a sale fee
- The success fee and the price it is measured on
- Any retainer and the expenses you cover
- The agreement length, exclusivity and tail
- Whether any buyer or lender also pays INS
INS Capital Group alternatives
- MarshBerryQuote onlyFour valuation scopes and one client per deal
- Agency Brokerage ConsultantsOffer review $7,500Fixed-price review of an offer you already hold
- Springtree GroupFree valuation quoteSmaller agencies, with loans to fund the deal
- OPTIS PartnersQuote onlySeller and buyer work plus buyer due diligence
- Legacy AdvisorsFree first valuationSeller-only advisor paid only when the sale closes
See every option in insurance agency valuation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does INS Capital Group charge for a valuation?
It quotes each job. The price depends on which of its three valuation levels you need.
Does INS represent buyers or sellers?
Both, in separate engagements. It also plans inside handoffs for owners and successors.
Does INS work with captive agencies?
Yes. It lists captive retail agencies among its clients, along with independents, wholesalers and MGAs.
Can INS help a buyer get a loan?
Its buyer service includes finding bank debt for the purchase.
Will INS help me understand an earn-out?
Yes. Its guidance splits guaranteed money from earn-out money and says to put the targets and dispute steps in writing.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by INS Capital Group, 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 INS Capital Group quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where INS Capital Group has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.