Pathpoint review for retail agents: programs, access and binding authority
Pathpoint is a digital E&S wholesaler that quotes and binds small business accounts in its own app. Contractors, lessors risk, vacant buildings and bars are its core classes. E&S, short for excess and surplus lines, means carriers not licensed in your state that take risks admitted carriers decline.
It suits agents who want E&S quotes without calling a broker. You can quote before you sign anything and complete the appointment at your first bind.
- Best for
- Agents placing small E&S accounts such as contractors, lessors risk, vacant buildings and bars who want quotes in the app
- Type
- Digital E&S wholesaler with its own binding authority
- Lines
- GL, property, package, excess, monoline wind and cyber for small and mid-size businesses
- Access
- Register online and quote right away. Sign the producer agreement at your first bind request
- Authority
- Underwrites, quotes, binds and issues small business E&S in house
- States
- Licensed in all 50 states and DC. Contractor markets in 48 states
Our take
Pathpoint takes the phone calls out of small E&S. One application goes to many markets, eligible risks quote instantly and Pathpoint files the surplus lines paperwork.
It fits agencies writing contractors, landlords and small hospitality accounts in volume. Standard commission is 10%, and the agreement says you own the expirations.
Watch the fees. A Pathpoint fee of $150 to $750 applies on new business and renewals where state rules allow, and the policy itself can take up to 30 days to issue.
Pros
- Quote before you sign an agreement
- One application to many E&S markets
- Pathpoint files surplus lines taxes and affidavits
- You own your expirations
- GL and property can come from different carriers
Cons
- Pathpoint fee on top of premium
- Policies take 14 to 30 days to issue after binding
- No automatic renewals
- One billing method for every policy
Who they work with
- Who can submit
- Licensed retail P&C agencies. You don't need a surplus lines license
- How to get access
- Register at app.pathpoint.com and start quoting. The digital appointment and agreement take about two minutes
- Requirements
- An active agency P&C license, a licensed person in each state you write, your NPN, a W-9 and a verified PathPay account before you bind
- E&O minimum
- $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate
- Production minimum
- No minimum number of policies
- Submit before you're appointed
- Yes
Register
Sign up at app.pathpoint.com and pick your network, if any.
Add your details
Enter your NPN and contact information.
Quote only
Fill in one application and send it to many markets.
Sign and set up PathPay
At your first bind request, sign the agreement and verify a PathPay account in Ascend.
Programs and what they write
| Program | Type | Lines | States | Admitted or surplus lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business bindingInstant quotes from automated underwriting | MGA | GL, property, package, excess, monoline wind and cyber | Nationwide | Surplus lines |
| Middle Market BrokerageLarger contractors and lessors risk | Wholesale broker | GL, property, excess and cyber | Nationwide | Surplus lines |
Pathpoint publishes no general minimum premium. Colorado contractor premiums start at $500 to $2,500, and brokerage quotes take 2 to 4 business days.
What binds in the app
- Contractors
- Lessors risk, commercial and residential
- Vacant buildings and land
- Restaurants, bars and taverns
- Churches, retail and small manufacturing
- Excess up to $5M over lessors risk
What goes to brokerage
- Contractors with $5M or more in sales
- Apartments, HOAs and condos up to 1,000 units
- Manufacturing and restaurants
- Larger monoline property
- New York contractors outside the five boroughs
How to submit
- How it works
- Pick the class, fill in one application and send it to several markets. Eligible risks quote instantly and the rest go to an underwriter
- Submit by
- The Pathpoint app, Bold Penguin or bolt Access. Brokerage can also go through your account manager
- Documents needed
- The online application. Brokerage also wants 3 to 5 years of loss runs and target premium
- Referral and binding times
- Referrals and bind requests get a reply within four business hours, and binding happens within 48 hours
- Quote life
- 30 to 45 days, by carrier and state
- Market blocks
- Brokerage markets may not quote an account another wholesaler already took to them
Quote and bind authority
"Takes your submission" means you send the risk to the firm, and "Underwrites" means its own staff set the terms. 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 | Underwrites | Binds | Issues the policy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business binding | In house | ||||
| Middle Market Brokerage | After carrier OK |
You request the bind, and Pathpoint approves it. A bind request can't be undone, and if subjectivities are rejected you have five business days to fix them.
Carrier paper and admitted status
| Program | Carriers |
|---|---|
| Small business binding | AU Gold, Baleen Specialty, Crum & Forster, Markel, Nautilus, Navigators, Penn-America, Westchester, Vave, Velocity, At-Bay for cyber and Coterie for contractor GL |
| Middle Market Brokerage | Ategrity, Highlander, James River, Kinsale, Ledgebrook, Old Republic, Markel, Nautilus and others |
All business is surplus lines. GL and property can come from different carriers on one account.
Commission, fees and billing
- Commission
- 10% of premium before taxes and fees on small business binding. On brokerage accounts the commission is the figure on each quote, and higher rates are open to partner agencies or high volume
- Who bills
- Your choice at sign-up, for all policies. PathPay Insured bills the client, and PathPay Agency bills you
- Payment terms
- On PathPay Agency, the net is due 20 calendar days after the bill. Pathpoint holds the effective date for up to 30 business days, and after that you request the bind again
- Premium finance
- Installments through Ascend on PathPay Insured. On PathPay Agency you can use your own finance company
- Your own fees
- Added on request for insured-billed offices only
- Platform cost
- Free to quote, bind and manage policies
The Pathpoint fee applies on new business and renewals where state rules allow.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pathpoint fee, premium up to $2,500 | $150 | |
| Premium $2,500 to $5,000 | $250 | |
| Premium $5,000 to $7,500 | $350 | |
| Premium $7,500 to $10,000 | $500 | |
| Premium over $10,000 | $750 | Underwriters can adjust fees deal by deal |
| Card payments | 3.5% + $0.30 | No fee for ACH or wire |
Pathpoint also charges an inspection fee where it orders one. We checked the fee tiers on Pathpoint's help center in October 2026.
Surplus lines taxes and filings
- Who files
- Pathpoint files the taxes, affidavits and diligent search forms
- Diligent search
- You enter your admitted market attempts in the e-signed bind packet
- Disclosures
- The insured signs a surplus lines disclosure and affidavit
Endorsements, audits and claims
- Endorsements
- Request in the Policy Services tab. A service rep answers within two business days
- Certificates
- You issue ACORD 25 certificates from the policy documents
- Cancellations
- In the dashboard. Unearned commission comes back before the client refund
- Policy issuance
- Usually 14 to 30 days after binding, and 30 days in New York
- Renewals
- A renewal quote arrives 45 to 30 days out. Policies don't renew on their own, so you request the bind
- Claims handled by
- The carrier. Pathpoint lists each carrier's claim contacts
Who owns the account
- Who owns the client
- You own the expirations and producer lists
- Non-solicitation
- Pathpoint can't use your expirations to sell without your written permission
- Broker of record changes
- Not usually mid-term. At renewal, send a BOR letter 7 to 30 business days ahead
- If the relationship ends
- Two-year first term, then yearly, with 90 days notice to leave
Portal and integrations
- Portal
- Pathpoint web app
- Online quoting
- Yes. One application to many markets, with carrier-by-carrier referral and decline reasons
| Connects to | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bold Penguin | Comparative quoting | Sends E&S risks to Pathpoint with your data carried over |
| bolt Access | Comparative quoting | Adds Pathpoint E&S options in bolt |
| Ascend | Billing and premium finance | Runs PathPay, installments and commission payouts |
Support for retail agents
- Contact
- Live chat, help@pathpoint.com or 202-410-5204
- Underwriter access
- A regional underwriter for referred and brokerage accounts, at ops@pathpoint.com
- Account management
- An account manager for your region, plus service and compliance reps
- Training
- Help center, guides to eligible classes and marketing materials
Pathpoint alternatives
- CoterieInstant BOP and GL quotes for low-risk small businesses
- RT SpecialtyRT Connector binds small E&S accounts online
- USG Insurance ServicesOnline sign-up and an admitted small business package
- Brown & RidingNational wholesaler with its own small E&S binding
- AmwinsOnline small commercial quotes through Amwins IQ
See every option in insurance mGAs and wholesalers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an appointment to quote with Pathpoint?
No. You sign the producer agreement and appointment at your first bind request.
What commission does Pathpoint pay?
10% of premium before taxes and fees on small business binding. On brokerage accounts it is the figure on each quote.
Who files the surplus lines taxes?
Pathpoint does. You add the diligent effort details to the bind packet.
Do I need a surplus lines license?
No. An active P&C license in each state you write is enough.
How does PathPay billing work?
Pick one option for all policies. PathPay Insured bills your client, and PathPay Agency bills you with 20 days to pay.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Pathpoint, 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 Pathpoint quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Pathpoint has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.