Which Carriers Would You Pursue?

[BrokeLoser]

Hello...Newb here.
Recently licensed in CA for P&C / L&H. I'm trying to decide on my next move from here; independent, captive..etc. If you were me and you planned to focus initially on p&c for both commercial and personal lines and wanted to go independent what carriers would you seek appointment with and why? What if I decide to pursue captive, then what / who?

A little about me: I have a 17 year sales background; I consider myself very good at it. I also have a BA / business major. I don't expect the learning curve to hold me back for to long. Fortunately, I have a bit of 'capital' going into this.
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[UpstateNYAgent]

Umm im kind of new here as well however I have been in a the P&C field for a while. The companies I like the most in NY that you might be able to get are.

Peerless
Progressive - great for bad drivers in NY
SafeCo
GMAC

Also look for smaller mutual companies in your area. Their great with older homes, and niche markets. Hope this helps.

If your trying to go commercial p&c..well there isnt really one company out there that does it all better then the rest...they all have certain types of businesses they are looking for.

 

[BrokeLoser]

Umm im kind of new here as well however I have been in a the P&C field for a while. The companies I like the most in NY that you might be able to get are.

Peerless
Progressive - great for bad drivers in NY
SafeCo
GMAC

Also look for smaller mutual companies in your area. Their great with older homes, and niche markets. Hope this helps.

If your trying to go commercial p&c..well there isnt really one company out there that does it all better then the rest...they all have certain types of businesses they are looking for.

It sounds like some 'independent' carriers require that you slay your first born to gain appointment. Whats it like with the carriers you mentioned? Regarding p&c; is the 10% auto, 20% home commission structure something I can expect to find from most carriers as captive and or independent?

 

[UpstateNYAgent]

peerless is 15% i think for homes and auto's..including renewals
progressive is 18% then 10% afterwards
Safe Co and GMAC is similar to Peerless.

If i were you I would most definitly be an independant.

The only captive around here that I consider to be somewhat competition is AllState. Sometimes State Farm is good as well.

 

[BrokeLoser]

peerless is 15% i think for homes and auto's..including renewals
progressive is 18% then 10% afterwards
Safe Co and GMAC is similar to Peerless.

If i were you I would most definitly be an independant.

The only captive around here that I consider to be somewhat competition is AllState. Sometimes State Farm is good as well.

"If i were you I would most definitly be an independant."
I've read that all over this board. It seems like people have their own personal reasons of why they prefer independent over captive and vice versa but I haven't seen a specific line by line comparison. Would you say the biggest advantage of being independent would be product range? Can someone be specific? Remember, I'm in CA.

 

[UpstateNYAgent]

Yeah basically its because your going to get some people that arent going to get a good rate from your one company. There's not really one company that is always the cheapest across the board.

I like being an independent because I can usually find the one company that will offer them the best rate.