Broome Co-operative Insurance Company
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Officially published underwriting guidance still appears to be the Broome Co-operative Insurance Company Underwriting Guidelines, Version 1.0 revised effective 1/1/2022, and I did not verify a newer official underwriting/appetite guide on the carrier website. BCIC is a New York regional P&C carrier writing personal and business insurance through independent agents; new agent materials state it is licensed throughout New York except the five boroughs of New York City, and the underwriting guide further limits binding authority for properties in the five boroughs plus Nassau and Suffolk Counties, with coastal risks within 2 miles of the coast or the Hudson River below Route 287 requiring underwriter approval. Core submission/binding notes: binding authority examples include Homeowners Cov A $400,000, LLP $350,000, BOP Cov A $500,000, Commercial Property/CPP/CFP $350,000, GL in package $300,000, ACE Liability $300,000, Mobile Home $60,000, Doublewide $150,000, Fire $150,000, Inland Marine Personal Articles $40,000; Broome’s Best/Form 5 cannot be bound before company acceptance; student housing cannot be bound before company acceptance; endorsements and additional insureds require prior underwriting approval; no binding on risks previously rejected or non-renewed by BCIC or another carrier without underwriting approval; any exception must be approved in writing. Operational submission requirements include identifying all outbuildings and square footage, year built and renovations, canine/pool/trampoline data, a Solid Fuel Burning questionnaire for any wood stove/alternative heat, a More Than Value acknowledgment when mortgagee-required limits exceed BCIC replacement cost estimate, and renewal surveys every 3 years. Inspections are at underwriting/management discretion. Personal/home appetite is oriented to standard owner-occupied dwellings; notable ineligible or restricted items include replacement cost on dwellings 10+ years old without prior underwriting approval, dwellings 20+ years old without prior underwriting approval, occupancy under 9 months/year, new business under $50,000 Cov A in certain dwelling/home contexts, RC below 80% or ACV below 60% of replacement cost, singlewide and doublewide manufactured homes in standard dwelling placement, and Federal Pacific breakers. Mobile homes are written ACV only; singlewide/mobile homes under $20,000 Cov A or occupied under 9 months/year are ineligible. LLP restrictions include over 4 families, unoccupied dwellings, missing tenant maintenance agreement when required, missing local manager information when required, RC under 80%, ACV under 60%, singlewide mobile homes, student housing over 2 students per unit/8 total, and unsigned leases. Optional personal exposures are limited: bed and breakfast over 4 rooms is not eligible on personal forms, boat physical damage is not eligible, child care over 3 children is not eligible, and dog risks are disfavored if attack-trained, with bite/aggressive history, or more than 3 dogs unless specifically approved. Commercial appetite appears focused on small-to-midsize main street property/package business and artisan contractors. BOP ineligible items include property coverage under $10,000, non-operating businesses, RC under 80%, ACV under 60%, restaurants with food sales under 75%, and liquor legal liability without prior underwriting approval. CPP restrictions include RC under 80%, ACV under 60%, restaurants with food sales under 50%, liquor legal liability needing prior approval, student housing without signed lease agreements, builders risk once construction has started, short-term rental exposures longer than 12 weeks without underwriting approval, and vacancy over 1 year subject to approval. Broad commercial ineligible/restricted classes called out include apartments over 60 units, auto repair/auto sales, churches, manufacturing, and builders risk once construction has started in CFP/CPP contexts. ACE/artisan appetite is for smaller contractors; ineligible or restricted items include property under $2,500, RC under 80%, ACV under 60%, 21+ employees, gross receipts over $1.5M, subcontracting 25% or more, general contractors, incidental roofing over 10% of work, any primarily roofing project, snow removal in any capacity, requests for $1M liability without 10 years' experience or 5 years prior loss-free coverage equivalent, and employers without in-force workers compensation. Broker/producer notes available from official sources: BCIC writes through independent agents, has a new-agent inquiry form for licensed NY independent agents/brokers, prefers claims to be reported immediately and in writing through Choice Connect (preferred), website, email, or fax, and after-hours claims can be reported by phone option 4. Overall, current published guidance suggests a conservative, property-driven New York appetite centered on standard homes, smaller landlord/student housing with controls, small BOP/CPP property risks, and smaller artisan contractors, with significant underwriting scrutiny on coastal/downstate, vacancy, valuation adequacy, older homes, aggressive dogs, liquor, student housing, and contractor hazard classes.