Great American Custom
Great American Custom is a full-service underwriting division of Great American Insurance Group, providing casualty, excess, and E&O insurance products to U.S. commercial insureds from small businesses to Fortune 1000 accounts through wholesale brokers and direct channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Great American Custom does
Great American Custom is a full-service underwriting division of Great American Insurance Group (itself a subsidiary of NYSE-listed American Financial Group) that specializes in casualty insurance for the U.S. commercial market. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with a primary office in Los Angeles, the division employs approximately 180 professionals across eight U.S. offices (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Parsippany, Philadelphia). It serves a heterogeneous insured base ranging from small businesses to Fortune 1000 and complex multinational accounts across construction, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services, real estate, and insurance distribution.
The division operates three core product lines: Excess Casualty (umbrella and excess coverage with up to $25 million limits in layered positions and 98% admitted paper), Primary Casualty (Commercial General Liability and Railroad Protective Liability for specialty trade contractors, plus ISO CGL Occurrence Form coverage up to $2/4/4 for habitational multi-family apartment risks with a $250,000 minimum premium), and Miscellaneous E&O (professional liability with $10 million in-house capacity distributed through a nationwide wholesale-only network targeting insurance agents, brokers, and miscellaneous professional services). Underwriting and policy issuance are supported by a paperless proprietary portal enabling quick quote, binder, and policy generation, with a linked forms library accessible from desktop and mobile devices.
The business model rests on a long-term commitment underwriting philosophy, generating 90% average renewal retention with 55% of insureds remaining six or more years and 7% exceeding 20 years. Distribution is primarily wholesale/broker-driven, supplemented by a direct channel for habitational risks. Pricing is quote-based with annual billing and minimum premiums ranging from $7,500 to $250,000 depending on product line and customer segment. The division is backed by Great American Insurance Group's A+ (AM Best), A+ (S&P), and A1 (Moody's) financial strength ratings, with underwriting and claims staff averaging 25 and 27 years of industry experience respectively.
Great American Custom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great American Custom
- Legal name
- Great American Custom (underwriting division of Great American Insurance Group)
- Website
- https://gamcustom.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Great American Custom is a full-service underwriting division of Great American Insurance Group, providing casualty, excess, and E&O insurance products to U.S. commercial insureds from small businesses to Fortune 1000 accounts through wholesale brokers and direct channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great American Custom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Casualty Insurance
- NAICS
- Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Other Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (524128)
- SIC
- Insurance Carriers, Nec (6399)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Excess Casualty (Lead/Umbrella/XS) (FSAJAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Construction Specialty (Wrap-Ups/Builders Risk/Contractors) (FSAJAGAH), Commercial Umbrella / Excess Liability (FSAJADAL), Professional Umbrella / Excess (E&O/D&O Wrap) (FSAJANAH)
Keywords
Where Great American Custom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices8 records
Markets served
Great American Custom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Excess Casualty/Umbrella Insurance: Provides umbrella and excess coverage for commercial clients with capacity to provide $25 million limits in layered positions. Works with small businesses to Fortune 1000 companies to fill special capacity requirements.
- Primary Casualty Insurance: Primary casualty products for commercial market including Commercial General Liability (CGL), Railroad Protective Liability (RPL), and contractors coverage. Primary in-house capacity of $2M per occurrence and $4M aggregate. Minimum premiums from $15,000 to $250,000 depending on product line.
- Miscellaneous E&O Insurance: Nationwide wholesale-only distribution for Errors and Omissions coverage. In-house capacity of $10 million. Targets multi-disciplinary insurance agents, brokers, P&C agents, and life & health agents.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | P&C Agents - Minimum premium $25,000 for $1M/$1M limit |
| Subscription | Annual | Life & Health Agents - Minimum premium $7,500 for $1M/$1M limit |
| Subscription | Annual | Commercial Contractors - Minimum premium $15,000 to $25,000 |
| Subscription | Annual | Habitational Multi-Family - Minimum premium $250,000 with $25,000 minimum retention |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Great American Custom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great American Custom underwrites and issues customized specialty casualty insurance policies through three product lines: Excess Casualty (umbrella/excess coverage up to $25M limits in layered positions for sectors including construction, manufacturing, real estate, financial services, and agriculture), Primary Casualty (Commercial General Liability and Railroad Protective Liability for contractors plus customized casualty for habitational multi-family risks), and Miscellaneous E&O (professional liability for insurance agents, brokers, and ancillary professionals). Coverage is delivered primarily on admitted paper via a paperless, proprietary underwriting portal, distributed through wholesale brokers and insurance producers.
Product overview
Great American Custom is a full-service underwriting division offering a portfolio of casualty insurance products organized around three core lines: Excess Casualty (umbrella and excess coverage), Primary Casualty (contractors and habitational multi-family risks), and Miscellaneous E&O (professional liability). The company provides these products with in-house capacity of $2M per occurrence for primary casualty and up to $25M limits in layered positions for excess/umbrella. Coverage can be written on both admitted paper (for California, Arizona, Nevada contractors and others) and non-admitted paper, backed by the financial strength of Great American Insurance Group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Excess Casualty Umbrella and excess casualty insurance providing higher liability limits to help commercial businesses build comprehensive coverage towers. Targets niche specialty markets including agricultural, food processors, construction, manufacturing, real estate, and financial services sectors, with capability to provide $25M limits in layered positions and over 98% of policies written on admitted paper. Policyholders range from small business to multi-national corporations and Fortune 1000 accounts.
- Primary Casualty — Commercial Contractors Primary casualty coverage specializing in commercial contractors including general contractors, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, painting, masonry, concrete, landscaping, and specialty trades. Provides Commercial General Liability (ISO Form CG 00 01 12 07) and Railroad Protective Liability coverage, with primary in-house capacity of $2M per occurrence and $4M aggregate and umbrella/lead excess up to $10M above primary policies. Minimum premiums from $15,000 to $25,000 with deductibles from $1,000 to $25,000 (standard $5,000).
- Primary Casualty — Habitational Multi-Family Apartment Risks Customized multi-family casualty solutions for risk-managed clients covering market-rate multi-family housing with minimal affordable/subsidized units (no senior/assisted living, no student housing). Provides ISO CGL Occurrence Form coverage up to $2M/$4M/$4M attaching above deductibles of $25,000 or higher, with self-insured retentions of $25,000 or higher and a $250,000 minimum premium with $25,000 minimum retention. Limited wholesale distribution sources nationally with direct collaboration between underwriting, claims, and distribution partners.
- Miscellaneous E&O Miscellaneous Errors and Omissions professional liability coverage offered through a nationwide wholesale-only distribution network. Covers multi-disciplinary insurance agents and brokers (including Wholesalers, Surplus Lines Brokers, Captive/Exclusive Agent Programs, Managing General Agents, Risk Managers, Safety Consultants, Loss Control Consultants), real estate services, financial-related services, and other miscellaneous professional liability accounts. In-house capacity of $10 million. Minimum premium $25,000 for $1M/$1M for P&C agents (requiring $5M revenues, or $7.5M in NJ/CA); $7,500 for $1M/$1M for life & health agents.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% average renewal retention rate
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Great American Custom
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Great American Custom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Great American Custom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Great American Insurance GroupcoreGreat American Custom is a full-service underwriting division of Great American Insurance Group, which provides the financial strength and backing. Great American Insurance Group's member companies are subsidiaries of American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), listed on NYSE.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Great American Custom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kinsale Insurance: Publicly traded specialty insurer focused on excess & surplus casualty lines, including excess and primary commercial casualty, professional liability (E&O), and layered positions for small-to-large accounts. Kinsale is one of the closest direct competitors to Great American Custom given its specialty casualty focus and similar appetite for higher-hazard risks.
- RLI Corp. Specialty P&C insurer with a casualty book that includes commercial umbrella, excess casualty, and miscellaneous professional liability (E&O) sold through wholesale and specialty broker channels. RLI is comparable to Great American Custom in its specialty-only positioning, layered excess capacity, and underwriting-led distribution.
- James River Group: Specialty insurer (E&S/commercial) including excess casualty and specialty admitted coverage distributed through wholesale brokers and MGAs. Overlaps with Great American Custom on layered excess positions, contractor and habitational adjacencies, and E&S distribution reliance.
- Houston Specialty Insurance (HSI / Gemini): Specialty excess casualty underwriter writing through wholesale brokers with admitted and non-admitted paper. Operates in similar excess casualty/umbrella niches to Great American Custom, including construction and contractor-adjacent risks, and is a direct competitor for layered excess placements.
Broad incumbents
- Markel Corporation: Diversified specialty insurer with significant excess and surplus casualty, professional liability, and primary casualty operations underwritten through wholesale brokers. Markel operates a broader portfolio than Great American Custom but is highly comparable on the casualty specialty book and appetite for hard-to-place risks.
- Aspen Insurance Holdings: Global specialty P&C insurer with a meaningful U.S. casualty book spanning excess casualty, primary casualty, and professional lines. Aspen is comparable to Great American Custom on excess casualty and E&O offerings, though distributed more broadly across geographies and product lines.
- Everest Insurance: Global specialty insurer offering significant U.S. excess casualty, umbrella, professional liability, and wholesale-distributed specialty lines. Everest is broader in scale and product scope but directly comparable to Great American Custom on layered excess casualty capacity and E&O appetite.
- Navigators / Travelers Specialty: Travelers' specialty/Navigators unit writes excess casualty, primary casualty, professional liability, and wholesale-distributed specialty coverage to commercial accounts. The specialty book closely mirrors Great American Custom's underwriting posture, though it benefits from Travelers' broader balance sheet and brand.
- Hiscox Ltd. Specialty insurer with a substantial U.S. miscellaneous professional liability / E&O book targeting small-to-mid-market accounts through wholesale and direct channels. Comparable to Great American Custom on Miscellaneous E&O targeting multi-disciplinary agents and brokers, with overlapping broker/producer networks.
- Arch Insurance Group: Specialty P&C carrier with a casualty book spanning excess casualty, primary casualty, and professional liability, distributed through wholesale brokers and MGAs. Overlaps with Great American Custom on layered excess placements and contractor/construction-adjacent underwriting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Great American Custom social profiles
Digital presenceGreat American Custom compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Great American Custom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great American Custom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Great American Custom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great American Custom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Great American Custom
What does Great American Custom do?
Great American Custom underwrites and issues customized specialty casualty insurance policies through three product lines: Excess Casualty (umbrella/excess coverage up to $25M limits in layered positions for sectors including construction, manufacturing, real estate, financial services, and agriculture), Primary Casualty (Commercial General Liability and Railroad Protective Liability for contractors plus customized casualty for habitational multi-family risks), and Miscellaneous E&O (professional liability for insurance agents, brokers, and ancillary professionals). Coverage is delivered primarily on admitted paper via a paperless, proprietary underwriting portal, distributed through wholesale brokers and insurance producers.
Is Great American Custom a public or private company?
Great American Custom is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Great American Custom founded?
Great American Custom was founded in 1992. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Great American Custom based?
Great American Custom is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Great American Custom make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Excess Casualty/Umbrella Insurance is the primary driver. The others are primary Casualty Insurance and miscellaneous E&O Insurance.
Who are Great American Custom's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kinsale Insurance, RLI Corp., James River Group and Houston Specialty Insurance (HSI / Gemini). Broad incumbents are Markel Corporation, Aspen Insurance Holdings, Everest Insurance, Navigators / Travelers Specialty, Hiscox Ltd. and Arch Insurance Group.
Does Great American Custom have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great American Custom.
What industry is Great American Custom in?
Great American Custom's product category is Commercial Casualty Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAGAA, Excess Casualty (Lead/Umbrella/XS), with a secondary code of FSAJAGAH, Construction Specialty (Wrap-Ups/Builders Risk/Contractors). Its NAICS code is 524126 and its SIC code is 6399.