How to Locate an Independent Insurance Broker

Independent insurance brokers can offer a variety of products with quotes from several different carriers and are sometimes preferred over captured agents who write policies for only one carrier. Independent insurance brokers usually have a business name that is unique that may reflect a family name or type of policies they offer. Locating an independent broker is a simple task that can be accomplished with a little research or referrals from friends and acquaintances.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone access
• Internet access

Instructions

1. Decide which carrier you would like to place your insurance with or which carriers you want to receive quotes from. You may have made your selections based on a referral by a friend or previous experience with a particular company.

2. Call the regional or main office of the insurance carrier and request contact information of local agencies who sell policies for them.

3. Go online to search for specific companies. Most insurance carriers offer an option on their website to search for a broker by name, distance from your home and/or by products offered.

4. Leave your basic contact information in a prefilled form on the carrier's website. You should receive a response within a day or less. If you do not receive a return call or email, the broker may be overburdened due to a storm or other catastrophe, short-staffed, or perhaps not running the type of business that will be responsive to your needs should you become a customer.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact the Better Business Bureau in your area to look for any complaints or positive reports regarding a particular broker.

• Get more than one quote. Remember, independent insurance brokers are in business to make a profit, and you should always do a little shopping around to make sure you can retain more of your own money.

References

• Better Business Bureau