Central Insurance Companies
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
Central’s current public commercial guidance emphasizes small business/BOP and CLP appetite distributed through independent agents. The verified primary underwriting document is the Small Business Appetite Guide (form 20-2609 07/24), supported by the BOP Appetite Guide (20-2608 11/24), the agents appetite page, and CLP product page. Preferred small commercial business includes 1,300+ small business classifications overall, with 300+ CLP Small Business-eligible classes indicated in Central’s commercial lines classification guide/search tools. Core small business target parameters published: construction payroll up to $1M with subcontract cost up to $100,000; office risks up to 6 stories and 100,000 sq. ft.; lessor’s risk office up to 6 stories and 100,000 sq. ft.; other lessor’s risk up to 3 stories and 30,000 sq. ft.; retail, self-storage, service, vehicle service, and wholesale up to $5M receipts; restaurants up to $2.5M receipts and 10,000 sq. ft. BOP remains the preferred fit for eligible small businesses, and if a BOP submission is ineligible, Central states its system can automatically generate alternative options such as CLP/Small Business. BOP preferred classes specifically called out include contractors, mercantile/retail, office, service, wholesale, condo unit owners, and LRO. Published examples of target BOP/small business classes include A/C equipment install/service/repair, appliance repair, interior carpentry, drywall, electrical work within buildings, paving, fencing, HVAC, masonry, lawn care, janitorial, beauty/barber shops, locksmiths, funeral homes, laundry/dry cleaning receiving stations, printing, medical and attorney offices, insurance agencies, accountants, hardware stores, florists, bakeries, electrical supply, clothing/shoe stores, auto parts/supply stores, veterinarians, pet grooming, kennels, and similar neighborhood-scale operations. Key BOP eligibility characteristics published: contractors generally up to 35,000 sq. ft., up to $6M sales per location, up to $1M contractor payroll, no work over 3 stories, subcontracted work capped at 10%, no renting/leasing equipment to others, sales unrelated to installation/service/repair capped at 25%, any one project total cost up to $10M, no homebuilding history/future homebuilding, and no large habitational or tract home projects. Office BOP parameters include buildings up to 6 stories/100,000 sq. ft., insured occupancy up to 35,000 sq. ft. per building, apartment occupancy up to 25%, less than 25% vacant/unoccupied/habitational, building under 30 years old or plumbing/roof updated within 20 years, no governmental occupancies, alarms required per underwriting guidelines, and professional liability expected for offices with professional exposure. Service risks are limited to 25% annual gross sales from off-premises operations and buildings up to 3 stories/35,000 sq. ft. Explicit or practical restrictions/declinations visible in the public appetite include: risks outside BOP size thresholds; work over 3 stories for contractors; excessive subcontracting; equipment rental to others; unrelated product sales above allowed thresholds; homebuilders/tract home projects; governmental occupancies; offices without needed professional liability; vacancy/habitational percentages above stated limits; older buildings without updates; and certain beauty/med-spa style exposures. Central’s agent-facing BOP page specifically says to avoid services involving hair transplants, weight loss programs, chemical peels, electrolysis, microneedling, permanent makeup, microdermabrasion, and similar higher-hazard personal service operations; it also highlights need for experienced ownership, proper licenses/training/certifications, and risk transfer procedures where chairs are rented to non-employees. Geography: public agent appetite materials show region-specific hit lists for Central Region, Northeast Region, Southeast Region, Southwest Region, and a separate Southwest subset for AZ/ID/NM/NV/UT, indicating appetite can vary by region/state; no single nationwide underwriting map or state restriction detail was verified in the reviewed public sources, so state fit should be confirmed via agent appetite tools. Submission/producer notes: business is written through independent agents, with quoting through the Agent Portal/Agents Access. Central directs agents to use Appetite Search and regional hit lists to match target classes. BOP is positioned as quick/easy to quote, bind, and service. For small business submissions, Central notes eligibility is based on risk characteristics rather than premium or commission, though the Small Business segment references commission up to $2,500. Broker/producer operational takeaway: lead with BOP for qualifying small commercial accounts, expect automatic alternative quoting when BOP is not eligible, verify class eligibility through Central’s appetite tools, and package supporting details around size, receipts/payroll, building age/updates, vacancy, subcontracting, professional exposure, and operational controls to stay inside appetite.