Maine Mutual Insurance Group (MMG Insurance)

Carrier appetite summary

Scope & Geography: - Regional P&C carrier writing in ME, NH, VT, PA and VA. Commercial lines guidelines explicitly reference MMG’s five operating states and note special treatment for risks within 1 mile of the coast, including higher minimum deductibles for approved coastal risks. Preferred / Target Business (Commercial lines context – useful for portfolio and companion placement to home/boat): - Business Owners Program: small to mid-size main-street accounts with at least $200,000 in total property limits, 3+ years loss free, and buildings with effective age within 25 years (either built or fully updated: electrical, plumbing, heating and roof within 25 years). Sprinklered property is strongly preferred (30% property premium credit). Target classes include offices, most retail, light manufacturing, beauticians, janitorial, small landscapers, and other low-to-moderate hazard classes. - Contractors: wide appetite for standard trade contractors, with pricing flexibility through 40% IRPM and additional credits for experience/education (2-year trade school or 10 years’ experience). Companion Commercial Auto and IM schedules are encouraged; MMG may offer IM on a standalone basis for large schedules. - Startups: “Likely Approval” list for new ventures includes beauticians, light manufacturing (especially food classes with low receipts), janitorial, cable/telephone, small landscapers, most retail, and offices, subject to satisfactory background/experience and loss profile. - Workers’ Compensation: provided through Eastern Alliance as a companion to MMG commercial policies in ME, NH, VT, PA and VA; positioned as “best-in-class” underwriting with 3-tier pricing, accessed via MMG’s Agency Portal. Risk Selection – General Commercial Underwriting: - Protection class: PC 1–8 acceptable; PC 9 acceptable up to $750K TIV with referral above that; PC 10 ineligible. - Property valuation: blanket limits available, but cost estimators are required on all buildings and risks must be insured to value. Annual Statements of Value are required for blanket property accounts. - Insured profile: any insured with felony conviction or bankruptcy is ineligible. BOP / Habitational / Builders Risk – Key Restrictions (relevant when home is written with MMG and placed in a commercial form such as B&B or mixed-use): - BOP general rules: - Any risk with apartment exposure must be referred to underwriting. - Any risk within 1 mile of the coast must be referred; approved accounts located within 2,500 feet of the coast require a minimum $2,500 property deductible. - Any risk with frying or grilling operations must have a UL300 wet Ansul system. - Special Trade Contractor rules: - Any contractor risk with apartment exposure must be referred. - Coastal rule mirrors BOP: within 1 mile of coast = refer; if approved within 2,500 feet, minimum $2,500 property deductible. - Subcontracted work must not exceed 35% of gross receipts; all subs must carry at least $1M per occurrence / $2M general aggregate GL limits. - Payroll is subject to audit. - Power washing beyond incidental must be referred. - Snow plowing must be referred and requires a questionnaire. - Prohibited: demolition or blasting, fire proofing operations, asbestos or lead paint abatement, arborist operations, rental or leasing of equipment to others, trench/tunnel digging, and LP gas work with final hook-up (LPG final hook-up must be referred). - Builders Risk: - New construction capacity follows the ultimate occupancy/class of the completed structure. - Projects must be built by contractors with at least $1M per occurrence / $2M general aggregate liability limits. - Premises liability available when construction is performed by a GC that names the insured as an Additional Insured; endorsement CG 21 44 is used to limit liability to the insured location. - Construction is expected to be completed within one year; policies are written annually and canceled pro-rata when completed. - Renovators Risk: no structural renovations, no major roof work, and no replacement of knob & tube wiring; risks involving house flipping or spec homes are not eligible. - Coastal rule again applies: any risk within 1 mile of the coast must be referred and approved coastal risks within 2,500 feet require a minimum $2,500 deductible. Pricing Tools & Credits (Agent / Broker Notes): - Agent-controlled IRPM: up to 40% IRPM credit on Business Owner, Contractor, and Commercial Auto rated through MMG’s Agency Portal (MaineGate). MMG explicitly states they trust agents to apply credits as necessary to make accounts competitive and encourages agents to call their assigned underwriter if portal premiums are not competitive. - Preferred BOP credit: 20% preferred credit is available for qualifying BOP risks (not available in Virginia). These typically require 3 years loss-free, effective age within 25 years, and other preferred characteristics. - Additional BOP / habitational credits include 10% owner-occupied credit for B&Bs/motels occupied year-round and 15% credit for wholesalers in sole occupancy buildings. - Portfolio credit: 5% portfolio credit is available when MMG writes any other qualifying line (personal or commercial), incentivizing package placement of home, auto, watercraft, or small commercial with the same carrier. - Commercial Auto credits: 40% IRPM available; additional 5% secondary rating credits may apply for contractor classes and certain farm-related secondary use, plus 5% portfolio credit where MMG writes other lines. Personal Lines – Homeowners (operational notes from product positioning, not a full UW manual): - MMG markets standard homeowners plus two enhancement packages: Home Advantage and Home Advantage Ultra. These increase limits for items such as medical payments to others, valuable papers and securities, watercraft and trailers, jewelry/theft sublimits, silverware/theft, money and bank notes, golf equipment, and provide broader dwelling, personal property, and additional coverages like identity fraud, personal injury, refrigerated property, special computer coverage, water backup/sump overflow, and replacement cost for certain outbuildings. - Operationally, agents are expected to: - Place standard HO forms and then optionally attach Home Advantage/Ultra for clients needing higher sublimits and additional extensions. - Review exposures like small watercraft, trailers, and personal injury to determine whether they are better handled via endorsements on the homeowners policy vs. separate watercraft policies. - Use MMG’s portfolio credit structure by packaging HO with auto, watercraft, and/or companion commercial where appropriate. Personal Lines – Watercraft / Boat (Mariner Watercraft Policy – product level detail, not full UW manual): - MMG offers a dedicated Mariner Watercraft Insurance policy marketed for recreational boats, with coverage for physical damage to the watercraft, liability, and associated equipment. Homesite and marketing material highlight summer/seasonal use and peace-of-mind for boaters. - Operational expectations for agents (inferred from MMG’s general approach and positioning): - Use the watercraft policy for larger or more complex crafts (size, value, or horsepower) that exceed homeowners watercraft sublimits, or where broader hull and liability coverage is required. - Consider packaging home, auto, and watercraft to leverage MMG’s portfolio credits and simplify claims handling for the insured. - Follow standard MMG personal lines guidelines via MaineGate and refer non-standard exposures (older hulls, high-performance or high-speed boats, unusual navigational territories, or commercial/charter use) to personal lines underwriting. Submission & Workflow Expectations for Agents/Brokers: - Agency Portal (MaineGate) is the primary platform for quoting and binding Commercial Lines and Eastern Alliance workers’ compensation. MMG promotes high agent autonomy, including the ability to apply IRPM and class-specific credits within defined ranges. - For risks triggering referral conditions (coastal proximity, apartments, certain trade operations, older construction with major renovations, or classes on the “Generally Not Eligible” list), agents should: - Submit full details through MaineGate and attach required questionnaires (e.g., snow plowing) and supporting documentation (photos, construction/renovation details, updates to wiring/roof, etc.). - Coordinate directly with the assigned MMG underwriter when portal indications are not competitive or when exceptions are requested. - For property risks insured on a blanket basis, agents must provide cost-estimator supported values and supply annual Statements of Value. - Workers’ comp is accessed and quoted through MMG’s portal but underwritten and issued by Eastern Alliance under the MMG–Eastern Alliance partnership; agents should treat this as a companion placement coordinated with MMG commercial. Notable Declines / Must-Refer Classes (Commercial – relevant when packaging home/boat with small business): - Declined or generally not eligible: PC 10 locations; insureds with felony convictions or bankruptcies; demolition or blasting contractors; fire-proofing operations; asbestos/lead paint abatement; arborist operations; trench/tunnel digging; spec home and house-flipping projects; several heavy/technical contractor classes and higher-hazard manufacturing, full-scale restaurants, auto body/repair, septic tank cleaning, woodworking shops, excavators (with instruction to contact underwriting if there is a strong reason to consider). - Mandatory referrals: any risk with apartments (BOP or contractor context); any risk within 1 mile of coast; frying/grilling exposures; power washing beyond incidental; snow plowing; LPG with final hook-up; older habitational with structural work or major roof wiring changes (under Renovators Risk), and higher protection class/high TIV property. Overall Broker Takeaways: - MMG is a relationship-driven regional carrier with strong appetite for packaged accounts (home, auto, watercraft, and small commercial) within their five-state footprint. - They grant meaningful pricing discretion to agents via MaineGate and IRPM/credit tools but enforce clear structural underwriting rules around coastal exposure, habitational/apartment exposure, subcontractor controls, and high-hazard classes. - For home and watercraft, expect standard regional-carrier personal lines underwriting with details administered through MaineGate and local underwriters; leverage enhancement packages and portfolio credits to strengthen account retention and pricing competitiveness.

Referenced source pages