Nautilus Insurance Group

What Nautilus Insurance Group does

Nautilus Insurance Group is a U.S. Excess and Surplus (E&S) Lines commercial property and casualty insurer founded in 1985 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB), a Fortune 500 diversified insurance holding company and S&P 500 component. Nautilus writes through two carrier entities — Nautilus Insurance Company (domiciled in Arizona, NAIC #17370) and Great Divide Insurance Company (domiciled in North Dakota, NAIC #25224) — providing coverage in all 50 states and D.C. The company specializes in the high-volume, small-premium segment, serving small- to medium-sized commercial risks with low- to moderate-hazard profiles that fall outside standard insurance markets.

Nautilus offers five core E&S products: General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Excess, Light Brokerage, and Inland Marine. The Commercial Excess product supports Lead and Layered Excess Liability over General Liability, Auto Liability, Liquor Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, and Employer's Liability. Technology assets include the Nautilus eGuide (an underwriting reference tool for agent partners), Nautilus University (an industry education platform with hundreds of training assets), and a Nautilus Agent Portal for policy management, claims submission, loss run reports, and payment processing. No AI/ML capabilities, public APIs, or proprietary AI features are disclosed in the available data.

Nautilus operates exclusively through wholesale distribution, partnering with appointed wholesale general agents and Managing General Agents (MGAs) that have substantial underwriting authority. In June 2022, the company expanded digital distribution via a partnership with Pathpoint, a digital wholesale broker platform that places small commercial E&S business. Revenue is generated through commercial insurance premiums underwritten via these channel partners, with annual billing and risk-based pricing. Nautilus does not publish standalone financials; A+ (Superior) A.M. Best and AA- (Very Strong) S&P financial strength ratings reflect the Berkley member-insurer franchise. Recent leadership investments include a new CFO (October 2023), Chief Underwriting Officer (January 2024), and VP of Business Solutions (January 2026) to support data-driven growth and operational modernization.

Name

Nautilus Insurance Group

Legal name

Nautilus Insurance Group

Website

https://nautilusinsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Nautilus Insurance Group is a leading U.S. Excess and Surplus Lines carrier providing commercial property and casualty coverage for small- to medium-sized risks. It distributes exclusively through wholesale general agents and digital platforms, operating via two licensed carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Excess and Surplus Lines Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Excess Casualty (Lead/Umbrella/XS) (FSAJAGAA)

Keywords

• Commercial property insurance
• Excess and surplus lines
• General liability insurance
• Commercial casualty coverage
• Wholesale insurance distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Insurance Premiums: Nautilus Insurance Group generates revenue through commercial insurance premiums collected from policyholders. Coverage is provided by Nautilus Insurance Company and Great Divide Insurance Company for Excess and Surplus Lines products including General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Excess, Light Brokerage, and Inland Marine. The company specializes in the high-volume, small-premium market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nautilus Insurance Group underwrites and provides Excess and Surplus (E&S) Lines commercial property and casualty insurance coverage through appointed wholesale general agents and Managing General Agents. Its product suite includes General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Excess, Light Brokerage, and Inland Marine, addressing small- to medium-sized commercial risks that cannot be placed in standard insurance markets and that are written monoline or packaged. Coverage is available in all 50 states and D.C., backed by Nautilus Insurance Company and Great Divide Insurance Company (both W. R. Berkley Corporation subsidiaries).

Product overview

Nautilus Insurance Group offers a unified suite of Excess and Surplus (E&S) Lines insurance products designed exclusively for the wholesale distribution market. The product portfolio consists of five core offerings: General Liability, Commercial Property, Commercial Excess, Light Brokerage, and Inland Marine. These products are specifically designed for small- to moderate-sized commercial risks with low- to moderate-susceptibility to loss, available nationwide through appointed wholesale general agents. The company provides coverage through Nautilus Insurance Company and Great Divide Insurance Company, both members of W. R. Berkley Corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Liability General Liability insurance protects against claims for bodily injury, property damage, and personal/advertising injury. Nautilus specializes in insuring low- to moderate-hazard commercial risks, written monoline or packaged with other lines. Targeted at appointed wholesale general agents and the small-to-medium commercial insureds they serve.
• Commercial Property Commercial Property insurance protects a business's physical property from losses including fire, storms, theft, and other covered losses. Nautilus writes a wide range of low- to moderate-hazard Property classes and provides wind and hail coverage in catastrophe-exposed areas, available through wholesale general agents nationwide.
• Commercial Excess Commercial Excess insurance provides businesses with added liability protection beyond the limits of their primary coverage. Nautilus offers Lead and Layered Excess Liability over General Liability, Auto Liability, Liquor Liability, Employee Benefits Liability, and Employer's Liability, distributed exclusively through appointed wholesale general agents.
• Light Brokerage Light Brokerage provides coverage for tough-to-place risks that are not large or complex enough to meet traditional brokerage market premiums. It is a submit-only product where each risk is underwritten in-house by experienced Nautilus staff. Targeted at wholesale general agents placing difficult but moderate-sized risks.
• Inland Marine Inland Marine coverage protects assets (materials, products, equipment) that move or are transportable over land, including assets temporarily stored by a third party. The solution complements Nautilus's Property and General Liability offerings for commercial insureds placed through wholesale distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• Highly successful underwriting company dedicated to delivering superior service since 1985

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PathpointcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 June 2022Pathpoint is a digital wholesale broker platform for placing small commercial E&S business. The partnership enables Pathpoint to offer Nautilus General Liability and Excess Casualty solutions to retail agents on their platform, covering core E&S verticals including Contractors and LRO (Lessor's Risk Only). Nautilus gains enhanced digital distribution footprint reaching thousands of insurance agents.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Markel Group: Markel is a large specialty insurer with a dedicated E&S / wholesale division writing commercial liability, property, and excess on hard-to-place risks. Highly comparable to Nautilus's E&S product suite and small-to-medium commercial focus, though Markel operates across many additional lines.
• Crum & Forster: Crum & Forster is a national P&C insurer with a substantial E&S and specialty division writing GL, property, and excess casualty through wholesale partners. Comparable products, channels, and small-to-medium commercial focus, though part of a larger Fairfax portfolio.
• Zurich North America: Zurich North America is a large commercial P&C insurer with a specialty E&S and surplus lines capability writing GL, property, and excess through wholesale and direct channels. Comparable lines, though Zurich is far broader and serves accounts of all sizes.
• Westfield Insurance: Westfield is a super-regional P&C group with specialty and excess casualty capabilities, including surplus lines for small-to-medium commercial accounts. Comparable product scope and distribution through independent agents, though smaller than global incumbents.

Direct peers

• Kinsale Insurance Group: Kinsale is a publicly traded Excess & Surplus Lines carrier focused on small-to-medium commercial accounts distributed through wholesale brokers. Directly comparable in product set (GL, Property, Excess, Inland Marine-like) and high-volume/small-premium go-to-market.
• James River Insurance Group:
• Capitol Specialty Insurance Corporation: Capitol Specialty is a Wisconsin-domiciled E&S carrier writing GL, property, inland marine, and excess casualty through wholesale agents. Closely comparable in product mix, distribution model, and small-to-medium commercial E&S positioning.
• North American Casualty Co. (NAC) — part of RPS / RPS Wholesale: Risk Placement Services is one of the largest wholesale brokers and managing general agents placing E&S business, including GL, property, and excess. Comparable in the wholesale distribution ecosystem where Nautilus's agent partners operate.
• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is a major national wholesale insurance broker specializing in E&S placement for hard-to-place commercial risks. Comparable as a wholesale-channel counterpart that distributes commercial E&S property and casualty products.

Emerging players

• SkyCover Insurance: SkyCover is a tech-enabled E&S commercial MGA and digital platform focused on small commercial excess and umbrella. Comparable in targeting small commercial E&S and using digital/embedded distribution to reach retail agents, similar in spirit to Nautilus's Pathpoint partnership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nautilus-insurance-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nautilus Insurance Group