Maine Mutual Insurance Group (MMG Insurance)

Carrier appetite summary

Verified official commercial underwriting guidance remains the November 2023 MMG Commercial Lines Underwriting Guidelines PDF. MMG writes through independent agents and highlights a five-state footprint: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Commercial focus is small to mid-sized property/casualty business, especially BOP, CPP, selected light manufacturing, special trade contractors, business auto, builders risk, and farm-related products. Website marketing examples and guideline quick-reference indicate preferred/likely approval classes including offices, many retail classes, beauticians, bed & breakfasts, convenience/grocery, deli/pizza/bakery, dry cleaners, hardware/building materials, hotels/motels, janitorial, cable/telephone, driveway paving, small landscapers, electricians with master license, and light manufacturing with lower receipts. CPP examples also include hotels/motels, mercantile, service firms, churches, Masonic lodges, public storage, pet groomers, and restaurants. Core property appetite: protection classes 1-8 are acceptable; protection class 9 is acceptable up to $750,000 TIV and above that is referral; protection class 10 is ineligible. Blanket limits are available, but cost estimators are required on all buildings, property must be insured to value, and annual Statements of Value are required. Risks involving felony conviction or bankruptcy are ineligible. BOP and contractor geographic/property notes: any risk with an apartment is referral. Any risk within 1 mile of the coast is referral; if approved and within 2,500 feet of the coast, a minimum $2,500 deductible applies. For BOP restaurant-type risks, frying or grilling requires a UL300 wet Ansul system. Builders risk follows the completed occupancy/class, requires contractors carrying at least $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate liability, expects completion within one year, uses annual policy terms canceled pro rata, and for renovation work disallows structural renovations, major roof work, replacement of knob-and-tube wiring, flipping homes, and spec homes. Builders risk coastal risks within 1 mile are referral. Special trade contractor appetite is selective. General contractor rules include subcontracted work capped at 35% of gross receipts; subs must carry at least $1M/$2M liability; payroll is audited; snow plowing is referral with questionnaire; power washing is referral if more than incidental; LPG final hook-up is referral; and the following are disallowed/not wanted: renting or leasing equipment to others, demolition, blasting, fireproofing, trench/tunnel digging, asbestos or lead paint abatement, and arborist exposure. Class examples: eligible or more favorable classes include carpet cleaning, carpet/floor installation (no gym floors), residential/light commercial electricians (no heavy industrial/manufacturing, street/traffic light work, power line work, or alarm monitoring), excavation with at least 3 years in business/insured and no blasting, public street/municipal work, demolition, gravel pits, or hauling for hire, fence installation (no roadside fencing/guardrails), household appliance service/repair, interior decorating/paperhanging, locksmith, and plumbing residential/light commercial with no sprinkler work. Referral or restricted classes include HVAC/air conditioning with no industrial work or solid fuel device installation and referral for LPG final hook-up; cable/telephone work with no pole work or horizontal drilling; carpentry with 35% subcontracting max, no handyman operations, and no spray foam/cellulose insulation; concrete construction with no basement waterproofing; door/window installation; janitorial; landscaping/gardening with no arborist work; masonry with no load-bearing walls over 1 story; plastering/stucco with no exterior stucco/EIFS; sign painting; and tile/stone work. Ineligible classes specifically noted include drywall using Chinese drywall, glaziers, exterior painting, septic tank cleaning, and siding installation. BOP/manufacturing class notes shown in the guide include examples of restrictions or declines such as monument/tombstone sales not eligible, paper/paper product distributors referred, pizzerias referred, pipe/tobacco shops eligible only if no vape shops, hookah bars, or marijuana retailers, sporting goods stores eligible only if no guns/ammo, no archery/shooting range, no event sponsoring, and no ski binding work, laundromats requiring attendant or security and no 24-hour operations, medical/hospital supplies with no oxygen refilling, selected ceramic wall/floor tile and countertop manufacturing not eligible, and some metal/concrete/kitchen utensil manufacturing classes referred. Submission/producer notes: MMG distributes through independent agents and references its MaineGate agency portal for commercial lines. The guide states agents can apply up to 40% IRPM credit on online rating. BOP portal notes include up to 20% preferred credit not available in Virginia, $200,000 total property minimum, 3 years loss free, updates/effective age within 25 years, sprinkler credit when applicable, 10% owner-occupied credit for year-round B&Bs/motels, 15% wholesaler/sole occupancy credit, and 5% portfolio credit when MMG writes other personal or commercial lines. Contractor portal notes also include 40% IRPM and an education credit for qualifying trade school/experience. Commercial auto driver standards in the guide are also defined, including no major violations in the past 5 years and tighter standards for drivers under age 25. Overall, the current published guidance supports a disciplined small-business and artisan-contractor appetite with coastal scrutiny, habitational caution, insured-to-value expectations, and strong submission quality through the independent agency channel.

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