Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC)

What Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) does

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) is an Excess and Surplus (E&S) lines specialty insurance carrier that operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Selective Insurance Group (NASDAQ: SIGI). Founded in 1979 and held within Selective since December 31, 2011, MUSIC writes specialty and non-standard risks that admitted-market carriers decline, distributing coverage exclusively through wholesale general agents with binding authority. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with operational presence in Dresher, Pennsylvania, employs 11-50 people, and holds an A.M. Best A+ (Superior) financial strength rating.

MUSIC underwrites 9 product lines spanning more than 1,000 classes of business and is licensed and active in all 50 states. Its core technology stack is a specialty underwriting platform that supports delegated binding-authority workflows, enabling wholesale producers to quote, bind, and issue policies directly within approved appetite. This delegated model is characteristic of the U.S. surplus lines market: agents hold the underwriting authority, while MUSIC provides the paper, the form filings, and the aggregate exposure management. The product breadth across 1,000+ classes signals an appetite-driven specialty strategy rather than a narrow-line focus, with each class governed by underwriting guidelines and pricing tools maintained at the carrier level.

The business model follows standard E&S underwriting economics: wholesale general agents place business with MUSIC as the non-admitted carrier, MUSIC collects gross written premium, cedes portions of risk via reinsurance, invests the float, and pays claims and operating expenses. Revenue is the sum of net earned premium and investment income on float, with profit driven by combined ratio performance. Pricing is set per account based on class of business, loss history, and exposure characteristics, and is communicated to producers through bound-rate filings and underwriting guidelines. End-customers are U.S. businesses and individuals whose risks fall outside standard admitted-market underwriting criteria, ranging from habitational to commercial specialty lines.

Name

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC)

Legal name

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company

Website

https://music-ins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) is an E&S specialty insurance subsidiary of Selective Insurance Group writing 9 product lines across 1,000+ classes of business, distributed exclusively through wholesale general agents with binding authority in all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

Keywords

• Surplus lines insurance
• Excess and surplus coverage
• Specialty commercial insurance
• Wholesale general agent binding
• Non-admitted property liability

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premium Revenue: MUSIC generates revenue through insurance premiums for customized property and liability insurance coverage written on a contract binding authority basis. Policies cover more than 1000 classes of business across niche industries including contractors, garage, habitational, lessors risk, farm and ranch, manufacturing, amusement, mercantile, and special events.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) provides excess and surplus (E&S) lines property and liability insurance coverage on a contract binding authority basis for more than 1,000 classes of business across niche industries. Coverage is delivered through a national network of appointed wholesale general agents across all 50 U.S. states, with most quotes returned within 24 hours.

Product overview

Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC) is an excess and surplus (E&S) lines insurance company that offers customized property and liability insurance for more than 1,000 classes of business. Established in 1979 and operating as a subsidiary of Selective Insurance Group since December 31, 2011, MUSIC provides E&S lines coverage through a network of appointed wholesale general agents. The company offers nine distinct insurance product lines: Garage Insurance, Contractors Insurance, Habitational Insurance, Lessors Risk Insurance, Farm and Ranch Insurance, Manufacturing Insurance, Amusement Devices and Centers Insurance, Mercantile Insurance, and Special Events Insurance. MUSIC delivers most quotes within 24 hours and provides coverage in all 50 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garage Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Most quotes delivered within 24 hours
• +1 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Selective Insurance Group, Inc.coreOthers · 31 December 2011MUSIC became an excess & surplus (E&S) lines subsidiary of Selective Insurance Group, Inc. on December 31, 2011. The company shares an A+ (Superior) rating from A.M. Best with its parent company and affiliates. MUSIC operates as a trusted affiliate providing specialized E&S insurance products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Lexington Insurance: Lexington Insurance (an AIG company) is one of the largest US excess and surplus lines carriers, writing a broad range of commercial property and liability E&S business through wholesale brokers and MGAs — directly comparable to MUSIC's distribution model and class-of-business breadth.
• Scottsdale Insurance (Nationwide E&S): Scottsdale Insurance is Nationwide's dedicated E&S lines subsidiary, writing commercial property and liability for hard-to-place accounts through wholesale producers. Operates with a similar multi-vertical, agent-binding-authority model to MUSIC.
• Kinsale Insurance: Kinsale Insurance is a publicly traded E&S lines specialty carrier focused on commercial property, casualty, and professional lines for hard-to-place small and mid-market accounts. Highly comparable to MUSIC in class mix, distribution through wholesale brokers, and technology-enabled underwriting.
• James River Insurance: James River Insurance writes commercial E&S lines including commercial auto, casualty, and specialty property through wholesale and program business. Directly overlaps with MUSIC's binding-authority E&S model and small/mid-market commercial focus.
• Colony Insurance: Colony Insurance is an E&S lines carrier writing commercial property, casualty, and specialty liability for niche and hard-to-place risks via wholesale distribution — closely comparable to MUSIC's specialty, multi-vertical E&S approach.
• Capitol Specialty Insurance: Capitol Specialty Insurance Corporation writes specialty E&S commercial property and casualty through wholesale producers, with a focus on small to mid-sized accounts in niche classes — directly comparable to MUSIC's wholesale-only, multi-vertical E&S book.
• Evanston Insurance (Markel): Evanston Insurance is Markel's dedicated E&S carrier, writing commercial property, casualty, and specialty risks through wholesale brokers and MGAs. Highly comparable in class breadth and binding-authority distribution model to MUSIC.
• Prime Insurance Company: Prime Insurance Company writes E&S commercial property and casualty for hard-to-place and specialty classes, including habitational and contractors, through wholesale producers — closely overlapping MUSIC's specialty and hard-to-place risk focus.
• North American Capacity Insurance: North American Capacity Insurance writes commercial E&S lines through wholesale brokers across multiple specialty classes including property, casualty, and professional lines — a directly comparable E&S specialty carrier in distribution and class mix to MUSIC.

Broad incumbents

• Markel: Markel is a specialty insurer with a large E&S and excess/surplus book (including Evanston Insurance) covering commercial property, casualty, and specialty lines through wholesale distribution. Substantially larger than MUSIC but directly overlapping in class of business and channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mesa-underwriters-specialty-insurance-company

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (MUSIC)