Harleysville
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
Harleysville business is now branded under Nationwide, with appointed agents still able to access the Harleysville agent portal for CL/PL quoting and servicing. Current published appetite is Nationwide Small Commercial. Core target business includes knowledge-based professional services, auto service, household/personal services, pet/veterinary services, artisan contractors, retail storefronts, office-based healthcare, restaurants emphasizing food over liquor, habitational/lessors risk, and light-hazard manufacturers. Common size parameters across many classes: BOP/property up to $20M building+BPP, often $10M max TIV per building (some classes $5M), up to $20M sales, commercial auto generally fewer than 20 power units, workers comp generally fewer than 50 employees and up to $2M payroll exposure (artisan contractors up to $1.5M WC payroll; manufacturers under $2M payroll; contractors GL payroll up to $1.5M). Cyber and EPL are automatically offered on eligible BOP quotes, generally with limits up to $1M. Published preferred traits include office/professional risks with licensed or certified services; small/medium private-passenger auto service operations; routine service businesses; veterinary offices limited to household pets/domestic animals; residential/light commercial artisan trades with subcontractor risk transfer; brick-and-mortar retail; office-based medical/dental/vision/counseling; year-round restaurants; 1-4 family habitational and certain lessors risks; and clean, controlled light manufacturing with limited hazard. Notable restrictions/declines include: professional services avoid banks/financial institutions, surveying/mapping, testing labs, R&D; auto service avoid car washes, brake shops, tire dealers, high-performance/racing vehicles, motor homes/watercraft/motorcycles/ATVs, contract towing, rental/loaner autos, impound yards, tire recapping, split-rim work, and LPG filling; services avoid HOAs/association-club risks, reupholstery/furniture repair, day spas offering invasive/cosmetic services, and medical spas; pet/vet avoid racing animals, exotic/high-value livestock, 24-hour emergency surgery specialists, pet breeding, shelters, and WC for large-animal vets; contractors avoid general/paper contractors, handypersons, excavation/grading, and roofing; retail avoid convenience, grocery, liquor stores, and tire dealers; healthcare avoid mental health/substance abuse centers, surgery centers, pathology labs, and ophthalmologists, with professional liability not available; restaurants avoid bars, caterers, mobile food, delivery risks needing non-owned auto, late-night operations past 10 p.m., and generally require liquor receipts <=35% and catering <=20%; habitational/lessors risk restrict strip malls, mixed habitational/full-cooking restaurant exposure, and restaurant tenants in 50+ year-old buildings; manufacturing appetite prefers sprinklered, orderly assembly operations and flags chemical mixing, spraying, high heat, combustible dust, safety-critical or ingestible/skin-applied products, poor housekeeping, temp labor, and heavy delivery exposure. Geographic/state notes: appetite is not a substitute for state eligibility rules; some coverages vary by state; restaurant receipt minimums are higher in California and New York City/surrounding counties; contractor E&O is not available in New York; healthcare cyber/EPL may be ineligible in certain states; construction defect concerns may make some contractor classes undesirable in certain states. Submission/producer notes: use Nationwide Agent Center/ClearQuote for commercial quoting and servicing; appointed agents can use the Harleysville agent portal as a single point of entry; agents adding another line of business or license are instructed to contact their territory manager/sales manager; for classes outside small commercial appetite, Nationwide directs agents to middle market, E&S/specialty, or partner solutions such as E-Risk. Overall operational takeaway: place Harleysville/Nationwide small commercial opportunities that are clean, well-managed, lower-hazard, office/service-oriented or tightly controlled trade/manufacturing risks, and expect underwriting scrutiny on delivery, liquor, contractor defect exposure, older habitational buildings, specialized animal/medical operations, and higher-hazard retail/auto/food classes.