Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC

What Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC does

Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC (IIABSC) is a private, nonprofit state trade association headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, serving independent property-and-casualty insurance agencies and their employees throughout the state. Founded in 1899, the association functions as a membership organization rather than a software or insurance carrier, generating revenue primarily through tiered annual membership dues (agency, associate, and Palmetto Partners corporate sponsorship) supplemented by continuing education programs, designation courses (CISR, CIC, AAI), classroom seminars, webcasts, prelicensing review, and event-based programming.

The association's product surface spans insurance products for member agencies (Errors & Omissions, Cyber Liability, Agency Umbrella, Group Health), insurance products for agency clients (Big I Markets online marketplace, RLI personal umbrella, RLI in-home business), and professional services including Trusted Choice branding, ACORD forms licensing, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and InsurPac political fundraising. Technology infrastructure consists of a digital membership platform with online resource hub, continuing education delivery system, TrustedChoice.com consumer referral platform, and member access to the Big I Markets quoting and binding platform — most of which are delivered through national IIABA partnerships rather than proprietary builds.

IIABSC's go-to-market is sales-led association membership targeting South Carolina independent agencies, with annual conventions, spring conferences, and a Young Agents program as core acquisition and retention levers. The organization holds exclusive state-level advocacy representation before the South Carolina General Assembly and Department of Insurance, has won the IIABA Excellence in Education Diamond Award for eight consecutive years, and leads the nation in InsurPac political fundraising. It operates with a small staff (1–10 employees) and is governed by an elected board of directors under recent chairs Robbie Nalley (2025), Tonya Thomason (2024), and Jay Taylor (2023), with Becky McCormack serving as President & CEO.

Name

Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC

Legal name

Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC

Website

https://iiabsc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IIABSC is a South Carolina state trade association serving independent property-and-casualty insurance agencies through membership dues, continuing education, advocacy representation, and access to insurance markets and branding programs such as Big I Markets and Trusted Choice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from independent insurance agencies, agency employees, and corporate associate members. Tiered by agency size and membership category including agency membership, associate membership, and Palmetto Partners corporate sponsorship.
2. Education Programs and CE Courses: Revenue from continuing education courses, classroom seminars, webcasts, designation programs (CISR, CIC), prelicensing review courses, and professional development training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IIABSC is a state trade association serving independent insurance agents and brokers in South Carolina. It delivers value through annual membership dues, advocacy and government affairs representation, continuing education and professional designation programs (CISR, CIC, AAI), and exclusive access to insurance products and market platforms such as E&O coverage, Big I Markets, and RLI products. The association also provides networking events, scholarships, and consumer-facing brand identity through Trusted Choice.

Product overview

Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC (IIABSC) is a state association serving independent insurance agents through a comprehensive portfolio of member benefits and services. The organization offers insurance products for agencies (Errors & Omissions, Cyber Liability, Agency Umbrella, Group Health), insurance products for clients (Big I Markets platform, RLI Personal Umbrella, RLI In-Home Business), professional education and CE programs, Trusted Choice branding and marketing resources, ACORD forms licensing, and advocacy services. The association does not offer a single unified software product but rather serves as a membership organization providing access to various insurance markets, educational resources, and advocacy representation for independent insurance agents in South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trusted Choice: Marketing and branding program for independent agents providing insurance services to consumers.
• Palmetto Partners
• Young Agents Program

Products and services

• Errors & Omissions (E&O) Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Member agency achieved 500% one-year return on TrustedChoice.com Advantage subscription investment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Trusted ChoicecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational brand initiative providing independent agents with shared marketing identity, customizable advertising content, consumer referral website (TrustedChoice.com), and brand materials. IIABSC members participate in Trusted Choice branding program for consumer-facing visibility.
• Big I MarketscoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline market access platform exclusively for Big 'I' members enabling access to specialty insurance markets including cyber insurance through Coalition partnership. Provides quoting and binding capabilities for various insurance products.
• CoalitionstrategicTechnology or IntegrationTechnology-enabled cyber insurance solution partnered with Big I Markets. Provides automated risk assessment during quoting, ongoing threat monitoring for policyholders, and dedicated claims/security team. Available exclusively through Big I Markets for Big 'I' members.
• RLI InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBig 'I'-endorsed standalone personal umbrella carrier. IIABSC promotes RLI PUP and RLI In-Home Business products to member agencies with reasonable underlying limit requirements compared to competitors.
• ACORDcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational association funds ACORD form end-user licenses for member agencies with gross P&C revenue under $50 million, effective January 2020. Enables standardized insurance forms access for members.
• Exam FXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrelicensing exam materials provider offering video study packages, live online study, and self-study options for SC property & casualty and life & health exams at member rates.
• ABENminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance education webcast provider for CE courses including ethics, L&H, and P&C topics. IIABSC members access ABEN courses at member rates.
• WAHVE (Work At Home Vintage Experts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract talent solution matching retiring experienced professionals with agency talent needs. Helps member agencies fill talent gaps with work-at-home vintage professionals.
• Rough Notes (Advantage Plus)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual Risk Consultant platform rebranded as Rough Notes Advantage Plus. Provides risk overview information for 650+ business classes, customizable questionnaires, and coverage checklists. Members receive $200 discount.
• National Alliance for Insurance Education & ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization sponsoring SC Outstanding CSR of the Year award. Provides CISR, CISR Elite, and CIC designation programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• AmWINS Group: Specialty wholesale broker and distribution partner that sponsors IIABSC advocacy and Big I Markets activity. Comparable to other AmWINS-style specialty distributors that interact with IIABSC's member agencies and participate in the same insurance ecosystem.
• Trusted Choice: The consumer-facing branding program that IIABSC members participate in. While not a traditional peer, Trusted Choice is a directly adjacent ecosystem participant whose performance and brand investment materially affect IIABSC member outcomes.
• Insurance Journal: A leading insurance industry trade publication. Adjacent to IIABSC's communications function (Agent News eNewsletter, SC Agent & Broker Magazine) and serves a similar information-distribution role for independent agents nationally.

Direct peers

• Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia (IIAG): A neighboring Southeastern state IIABA chapter with comparable membership, advocacy, and education programs. IIAG competes for IIABA awards and InsurPac rankings directly with IIABSC, making it a close functional peer.
• Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT): A large state IIABA-affiliated association serving independent agents in Texas. Comparable mission, structure, and member services as IIABSC, but operating in a much larger state market — useful as a scale benchmark.
• National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA): A competing national trade association for independent insurance agents with affiliated state/regional chapters. PIA operates a parallel model of advocacy, education, and member benefits, making it the most direct competitive peer at the national level.
• Big I New York (Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York): Another large state IIABA affiliate serving independent agents in New York. Operates the same member-service model (advocacy, CE, market access, branding) and frequently competes with IIABSC for national recognition and awards.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA): The national federation that IIABSC is affiliated with. IIABA provides the shared platforms (Big I Markets, Trusted Choice, ACORD licensing, designation programs) that IIABSC distributes to its SC members, making it the closest large-scale parent-like organization with overlapping mission and member services.
• Liberty Mutual Insurance: Major P&C carrier that sponsors IIABSC's InsurPac fundraising and competes for direct-carrier share. Represents the carrier side of the distribution relationship IIABSC members depend on, and a broad incumbent in the same industry.
• Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB): National association representing large commercial insurance brokers and agencies. While IIABSC focuses on smaller independent agents, CIAB operates in the same advocacy/education/member-services lane at the larger-broker end of the spectrum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IIABSC
• Facebookfacebook.com/SCBigI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of SC