Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance 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
Official producer-facing guidance is available through Grinnell Mutual’s Agent Manuals and commercial sales materials pages. Access is producer-oriented: Grinnell states you must be a licensed agent of Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company or Grinnell Select Insurance Company to write business. Geographic footprint shown on agent-facing/public pages includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Commercial appetite is centered on small to mid-sized Main Street and specialty business classes, with BOP/target-market emphasis on auto service and repair shops, barber/beauty shops, florists, funeral homes, houses of worship, mini-storage, multi-family residential, restaurants, veterinarians, contractors/MasterTrades, convenience stores, and photographers/videographers. Commercial umbrella is available when all underlying commercial liability policies are placed with Grinnell Mutual; producer guidance also notes supporting insurance requirements for certain direct lines, including commercial umbrella requiring all underlying policies with Grinnell, workers compensation requiring farm liability or general liability support, and crime/inland marine requiring property or GL support. Submission/servicing instructions published in the commercial acceptability chart: new bound or quote submissions go to uwsetup@grinnellmutual.com; MVR requests and change requests go to uwemail@grinnellmutual.com; billing/customer service to uwcsr@grinnellmutual.com; online quoting assistance through an assistant underwriter at ext. 2060. Binding authority is delegated within manual authority, and bound applications/changes are to be submitted within two working days. Published binding authority limits shown in the chart include Commercial Auto $1,000,000 CSL, Fire and Allied Lines $500,000 per location, Commercial Package/GL $1,000,000 CSL, Businessowners $2,000,000 CSL, and Workers’ Compensation $100,000/$500,000/$100,000. Restricted/declined or tightly controlled examples visible in current target-market/appetite material include: auto repair risks with wood stoves ineligible; habitational exposure connected to or above an auto repair shop ineligible; auto service target risks should work exclusively on private passenger autos and trucks under 20,000 GVW, with body repair needing a UL-approved booth and waste-oil burners UL-listed/vented outside; florists with nursery/landscaping operations are ineligible; barber/beauty risks need all operators state-licensed, tanning liability must be placed elsewhere, and tanning device property coverage is limited; funeral homes may allow cremations tied to funeral services but no pet cremations; houses of worship require protection class 1-8, older/ornate or irreplaceable construction can be ineligible, outdated electrical systems such as FPE panels or knob-and-tube are ineligible, owned schools/camps are ineligible, and total insured values over $20 million must be 100% sprinklered. The acceptability chart also shows many classes as either straight-through acceptable or submit-to-underwriting, indicating class-by-class review remains important. Home/personal lines are confirmed as active product areas through the public site and agent-manual structure, but detailed home underwriting/appetite specifics were not publicly readable from the verified pages reviewed; producers should use the state/company agent manual for form, eligibility, and state-specific rules. Broker/producer notes: Grinnell distributes through independent agents, offers dedicated underwriters, loss control support, commercial background screening resources, and sales manager contacts by state for agency appointment/business development.