How MGAs Actually Place General Liability at Scale
General Liability is one of the most placed commercial lines, but it is also one of the most operationally misunderstood. At low volume, almost any process works. At scale, most break quickly.
MGAs that successfully place General Liability across multiple carriers, states, and programs do not rely on portals or one off tools. They rely on platforms that unify rating, binding, issuance, and accounting.
This is exactly what the Selectsys Commercial & Specialty Rating Platform was built to support.
Why General Liability Breaks First
General Liability looks simple on the surface. In reality, it involves:
- Multiple carrier appetites
- Class code and exposure variations
- State specific underwriting rules
- Layered and excess considerations
- Program specific pricing logic
When MGAs manage GL through portals and spreadsheets, every additional carrier and state increases friction. At scale, this becomes unsustainable.
What Low Volume Gl Placement Looks Like
Most MGAs start with a familiar workflow:
- Submissions arrive by email
- Data is rekeyed into carrier portals
- Quotes are compared manually
- Binding happens via email
- Issuance and accounting occur elsewhere
This approach works when volume is low and teams are small. It does not work when submission counts grow or when programs expand.
What Changes At Scale
Once volume increases, General Liability placement requires:
- Fast carrier comparisons
- Consistent underwriting enforcement
- Reduced rekeying
- Predictable turnaround times
- Clean handoffs to issuance and accounting
Without a unified platform, teams add staff instead of leverage. Costs rise and errors increase.
How High Performing MGAs Place General Liability
MGAs that scale GL successfully share common traits.
1. They Centralize Rating
Rating is performed in one system across carriers and programs. This includes API based carrier rating, ISO based workflows, and proprietary program rating. This eliminates portal hopping and manual comparisons.
Learn more here : General Liability Rating Platform
2. They Treat Quote and Bind as One Workflow
Quoting and binding are not separate steps. Data flows directly from quote to bind without rekeying. This reduces binding errors and speeds turnaround time.
3. They Issue Policies from the Same System
Issuance is handled within the same platform that generated the quote and bind. This preserves underwriting context and eliminates downstream rework. This is critical for delegated authority programs.
4. They Connect Accounting Early
Premium amounts, fees, and commissions originate from rating data. High performing MGAs connect accounting directly to policy data instead of reconciling later. This reduces financial discrepancies and improves reporting.
Why Multi Carrier Support Matters
General Liability placement is rarely about one carrier.
MGAs need:
- Multiple carrier options
- Appetite driven routing
- Program specific markets
- Excess and layered support
Platforms that only support one carrier or one rating method limit growth.
Where Rating Models Come Into Play
Effective GL placement often requires multiple rating approaches:
- API based carrier rating for speed
- ISO based rating for standardized programs
- Proprietary rating for custom GL programs
MGAs that scale do not choose one model. They use all three within a single platform.
General Liability Is Rarely Alone
At scale, General Liability is almost always placed alongside other lines:
Platforms must support cross line workflows without duplicating effort.
What This Means For MGA Leaders
If your GL team is struggling with turnaround time, errors, or staffing pressure, the issue is rarely underwriting talent. It is usually tooling. Portals and point solutions do not scale. Platforms do.
Conclusion
General Liability does not fail because it is complex. It fails because most MGAs try to scale it with disconnected systems. MGAs that place GL efficiently at scale invest in platforms that unify rating, binding, issuance, and accounting across carriers and lines of business. That is the difference between growth and friction.
Next Steps
Explore how a production ready platform supports General Liability at scale:
Or see how this applies across lines:
