Specific Solutions

What Specific Solutions does

Specific Solutions, Inc. is a multi-generational brokerage general agency (BGA) headquartered in Williamsville, New York, distributing life insurance, annuities, long-term care, disability income, and impaired risk products through appointments with over 50 insurance carriers. The firm serves independent insurance advisors and financial institutions, including bank trust departments and credit unions, by providing multi-carrier access, case design expertise, application processing, and policy review services. Founded in 1976 with roots tracing to Long & Katzman and Associates (1963), the firm is family-owned; leadership includes Thomas Long as President/Co-Chairman, Amber Cress as Executive Vice President/Co-Chairman, and Brandon Long as Vice President of Operations. The firm has placed $1 billion+ in cumulative annuity premium, "millions" in life premium, and over 100,000 policies across its lifetime. Named institutional customers include Fulton Bank and Lakeland Bank.

The company's technology platform is anchored by the App-Solution program, a proprietary application intake service in which firm-employed interviewers (not automation) conduct client phone interviews averaging 10 minutes versus 30 minutes for traditional applications, compressing the advisor's administrative workload. Supporting products include the Quick Quote Process (24-48 hour expedited underwriting for impaired-risk clients, with 70%+ of offers approved as applied for), the Trial Application Program (informal underwriting assessment with 96%+ approval rate), the Policy Review Program (80,000+ reviews completed, 91% within 30 days), Case Design Services, Advisor Training with CE credits, and a Disability Up-Sell Program. The technology stack is composed of standard third-party SaaS integrations: DocuSign for HIPAA-compliant electronic signatures, Constant Contact for mailing-list communications, and Acuity Scheduling for appointment booking. The firm is HIPAA-compliant for handling client health information.

Specific Solutions operates on a transaction-fee brokerage model, earning commissions from carriers on placed life, annuity, long-term care, disability, and impaired risk premium. The go-to-market is sales-led, combining direct relationships with hundreds of independent advisors across multiple platforms nationwide and channel partnerships with bank trust departments and credit unions via the Institutional division. Pricing is quote-based with no minimum premium requirement, and revenue is generated across the policy lifecycle through placement commissions, case management, commission processing, and licensing/contracting services for advisors. Securities are offered through a separate FINRA member broker-dealer (The Leaders Group, Inc.), which is unaffiliated with Specific Solutions.

Name

Specific Solutions

Legal name

Specific Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://specificsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Specific Solutions is a multi-generational brokerage general agency distributing life, annuity, long-term care, disability, and impaired risk insurance from 50+ carriers to independent advisors and bank trust departments, anchored by its proprietary App-Solution intake platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

Annuities & Investment-Linked Insurance Solutions (Retail) (FSAAAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benefits, Insurance & Long-Term Care Planning Navigation (Medicare/Medicaid/LTC) (HLADALAI), Annuity & Insurance-Based Retirement Solutions Advisory (FSAEABAH)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• Life insurance distribution
• Annuity placement services
• Long term care insurance
• Impaired risk underwriting

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: The company operates as a brokerage general agency earning commissions from insurance carriers for placing life, annuity, long term care, disability income, and impaired risk insurance products. They represent over 50 insurance companies and place annuity and life premiums on behalf of advisors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Specific Solutions is a multi-generational brokerage general agency that gives insurance advisors and financial institutions access to over 50 insurance carriers for placing life, annuity, long term care, disability income, and impaired risk cases. The firm underwrites and designs cases, supports advisors with proprietary application-processing technology (App-Solution), and provides ongoing case support, training, and policy review services.

Product overview

Specific Solutions is a multi-generational, multi-carrier insurance brokerage general agency (BGA) established in 1976, offering access to over 50 insurance companies. The company provides a technology-enabled platform anchored by the App-Solution program, which streamlines the insurance application process through phone interviews. Additional services include Quick Quote Process, Trial Application Program, Policy Review Program, Case Design Services, Advisor Training, and Disability Up-Sell Program. The core insurance product portfolio includes Life Insurance, Annuities, Long Term Care Insurance, Disability Income Insurance, and specialized Impaired Risk Insurance. The company markets variable products and serves advisors across multiple platforms nationwide, having placed over one billion in annuity premium and millions in life premium with over 100,000 policies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Insurance Placement Multi-carrier life insurance placement service providing insurance advisors access to life insurance products from over 50 carriers through a single brokerage relationship.
• Annuity Placement Multi-carrier annuity placement service giving insurance advisors access to annuity products from the firm's panel of carriers.
• Long Term Care Insurance Placement Multi-carrier long term care insurance placement service for advisors seeking long term care coverage options.
• Disability Income Insurance Placement Multi-carrier disability income insurance placement service for advisors, with a supporting Disability Up-Sell program to enhance case value.
• Impaired Risk Insurance Placement Specialty impaired risk insurance placement service providing advisors with case design and underwriting support for higher-risk applicants across multiple carriers.
• App-Solution Program Proprietary application-processing service that automates and streamlines insurance application submissions, reducing processing time from roughly 30 minutes to 10 minutes for insurance advisors.
• Quick Quote Process Quick Quote service providing advisors with rapid underwriting opinions, often delivered in as little as 15 minutes, to support fast case movement.
• Trial Application Program Trial Application program that lets advisors obtain an informal underwriting assessment before submitting a formal application, reducing wasted submissions and shortening case cycles.
• Policy Review Program Policy Review program that evaluates in-force life insurance and annuity policies to identify replacement, upgrade, or improvement opportunities for advisors and their clients.
• Case Design Service Case design service providing structured support to advisors designing, structuring, and placing complex cases, particularly impaired risk scenarios.
• Advisor Training Advisor training programs providing continuing education (CE) credits and product knowledge to support advisor development.
• Disability Up-Sell Program Disability Up-Sell program that helps advisors add disability income coverage to existing or pending life insurance cases to increase case value and coverage adequacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Interview times reduced from 30 minutes to 10 minutes on average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Long and Katzman & AssociatesfoundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1976Founding company established in 1963 that merged with Specific Solutions to form the current entity. Long & Katzman and Associates, Inc. and Specific Solutions, Inc. merged as part of the company's multi-generational history. The merger combined two generations of insurance brokerage expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ash Brokerage (now part of OneDigital): Large life insurance brokerage general agency with multi-carrier access and technology-enabled case design, directly comparable to Specific Solutions' core distribution and underwriting support model.
• Crump Life Insurance Services: Wholesale life insurance brokerage general agency offering multi-carrier product access, case design, and impaired risk expertise to independent advisors, mirroring Specific Solutions' product mix and advisor-focused GTM.
• Senior Market Sales: Insurance brokerage specializing in life, annuity, long-term care, and Medicare products for advisors, with comparable carrier relationships and specialty focus on senior market and LTC placement.
• CreativeOne: Multi-carrier brokerage general agency providing life, annuity, and disability products with case design and advisor support, similar in product breadth and advisor-centric service model.
• Simplicity Financial Marketing: Insurance marketing organization offering multi-carrier access to life, annuity, and disability products for independent advisors, with overlapping product portfolio and distribution approach.
• Kestro Financial: Boutique life insurance brokerage general agency providing multi-carrier case design and impaired risk support to advisors, comparable in size and specialty positioning.
• Aimcor Group: Large insurance marketing organization representing multiple carriers for life, annuity, and disability products distributed through independent advisors, similar in core BGA model and advisor services.
• Brokers International: Insurance brokerage and marketing organization offering multi-carrier life, annuity, and long-term care products with case design and back-office support to independent producers.

Broad incumbents

• SelectQuote: Public, scaled insurance distribution platform that operates both direct-to-consumer and advisor-channel life and annuity distribution, representing a much larger, capital-backed competitor in adjacent distribution models.

Others

• Fulton Bank (as customer) / regional bank trust distribution peers: Named distribution partner of Specific Solutions; regional bank trust departments and wealth platforms represent a customer category for institutional policy review and embedded insurance distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/specific-solutions-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Specific Solutions