Chutter Underwriting Services

What Chutter Underwriting Services does

Chutter Underwriting Services is an independent Canadian Managing General Agent (MGA) founded in 1996 and headquartered in Vancouver, BC. The company underwrites commercial insurance on behalf of A-rated Canadian capacity providers, operating exclusively through a network of 1,200+ licensed retail brokers across all provinces except Quebec. Its core book spans Commercial General Liability, Excess and Umbrella Liability (including commercial auto fleet excess), Professional Indemnity/E&O, and Commercial Property, with a specialty focus on hard-to-place and high-hazard risks that the standard market declines or restricts.

The company's competitive positioning rests on broad in-house underwriting authority enabling same-day decisions, no contracts or minimum premiums, and full broker commissions retained on every placement. Decades of accumulated underwriting expertise support specialty programs such as the Hot Roofing Contractor CGL Program (one of the longest-standing in Canada), and online self-service platforms (Water Damage Deductible Buydown, Rented Condo, Professional Office Package, USLI Web Quoting) allow brokers to quote, bind, and print policies directly. The underwriting bench is organized into Casualty, Property, and Specialty Lines desks under named managers and a Director of Casualty.

Chutter earns revenue through underwriting commissions paid by the A-rated insurers that carry the risk on paper, generated across premium volume written in the four core lines plus specialty programs. The business model is recurring in nature, tied to ongoing broker placement activity, with growth dependent on broker network expansion, product diversification into online/self-serve niches, and the continued willingness of A-rated capacity providers to maintain appointments. The company is 100% independently owned, with no PE, VC, or corporate parent involvement disclosed.

Name

Chutter Underwriting Services

Legal name

Chutter Underwriting Services

Website

https://chutteruw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chutter Underwriting Services is an independent Canadian MGA, founded in 1996 and based in Vancouver, that underwrites hard-to-place commercial casualty, excess, property, and professional indemnity risks on A-rated paper for 1,200+ brokers nationwide excluding Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Commercial Insurance Underwriting (MGA)

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commercial Package / Business Owners Policies (BOP) (FSAJAMAG)

Keywords

• Commercial general liability
• Managing general agent
• Specialty commercial insurance
• Excess umbrella liability
• Professional indemnity coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

North Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

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. Insurance Underwriting Commission: As an MGA, Chutter earns commission income from insurers for underwriting insurance risks on their behalf. Commission rates are competitive and brokers retain full commission on placed business. Revenue is generated through premium volume written across commercial casualty, property, and professional lines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Chutter Underwriting Services is an independent Canadian Managing General Agent (MGA) that underwrites and binds commercial insurance on behalf of A-rated Canadian insurers for licensed retail brokers. Its core products are Commercial General Liability (including a long-standing hot roofing contractor program), Excess & Umbrella Liability (for layered and complex accounts including commercial auto fleets), Commercial Property, and Professional Indemnity/E&O for hard-to-place allied health, architects & engineers, and miscellaneous professional risks. Distribution is broker-only across Canada (excluding Quebec) via email, phone, and self-serve online quoting platforms that enable instant quote, bind, and print.

Product overview

Chutter Underwriting Services operates as an independent Canadian MGA offering a portfolio of commercial insurance products built around their core capabilities in commercial casualty, property, and professional lines. Their main products include Commercial General Liability (covering contractors, manufacturers, hospitality, and miscellaneous risks), Excess & Umbrella Liability (including commercial auto fleet excess), Professional Indemnity/E&O (for allied health, architects & engineers, and miscellaneous professionals), and Commercial Property coverage. These core products are complemented by specialized programs like the Hot Roofing Contractor Insurance Program (one of Canada's longest-standing hot roofing CGL programs). The company also provides several online self-service platforms including Water Damage Deductible Buydown (for condo unit owners managing strata deductibles), Rented Condo Program, Professional Office Package, and USLI Web Quoting—enabling brokers to quote, bind, and issue policies directly online. The portfolio is unified by their in-house underwriting authority and A-rated Canadian paper backing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Water Damage Deductible Buydown Program: Excess coverage program for condo unit owners to cover strata corporation water damage deductibles
• Rented Condo Program
• Professional Office Package
• USLI Web Quoting
• USLI
• Hot Roofing Insurance Program

Products and services

• Commercial General Liability (CGL) Commercial general liability insurance for contractors, manufacturers, distributors, hospitality, and premises risks, including hard-to-place and high-hazard casualty coverage, sold exclusively to licensed Canadian retail brokers.
• Excess & Umbrella Liability Stand-alone and follow-form excess liability coverage for layered programs, complex accounts, and commercial auto fleets including long-haul and short-haul trucking operations, underwritten for licensed Canadian retail brokers.
• Professional Indemnity (E&O) Professional liability coverage for allied health, medical malpractice, architects & engineers, and miscellaneous professional E&O risks, including complex and hard-to-place placements, underwritten for licensed Canadian retail brokers.
• Commercial Property Property coverage for substandard, vacant, builders risk, course of construction, inland marine, equipment breakdown, and contractors equipment risks, underwritten for licensed Canadian retail brokers.
• Hot Roofing Contractor Insurance Program Specialty CGL program for torch-down, built-up roofing (BUR), modified bitumen, and hot-mop roofing contractors, underwritten for licensed Canadian retail brokers.
• Water Damage Deductible Buydown Excess coverage program that helps condo unit owners manage rising strata water damage deductibles, with limits up to $750,000, bound by brokers online.
• Rented Condo Program Automated broker platform for owners of long-term and short-term rented residential condo units, covering liability, contingent unit, condo deductible assessment, contents, improvements, and rental value, with quote/bind/print capability.
• Professional Office Package Comprehensive property and commercial liability protection for professional office classes including medical, legal, accounting, and technology professionals, bound online by brokers with quote/bind/print capability.
• USLI Web Quoting Instant online quoting platform for commercial, professional, and special event risks, enabling brokers to quote, bind, and print policies through the USLI portal.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cansure: Canadian MGA writing specialty commercial lines including hard-to-place property and casualty risks. Direct competitor to Chutter in the Canadian broker-distributed specialty MGA segment.
• Trisura Guarantee Insurance Company: Canadian specialty insurer and surety provider that operates with delegated authority/MGA-style distribution. Directly comparable to Chutter as a Canadian specialty underwriter focused on hard-to-place commercial and professional lines.
• Totten Insurance Group: Canadian MGA writing commercial property, casualty, and specialty lines through broker distribution. Comparable scale, geography, and broker-first model to Chutter.
• Specialty Insurance Managers (S.I.M.): Canadian MGA focused on specialty commercial and personal lines distributed through brokers. Comparable to Chutter in scale, broker-first positioning, and specialty risk appetite.
• Beacon Underwriting: Canadian specialty MGA offering hard-to-place commercial property and casualty products through brokers. Highly comparable to Chutter in target market, distribution model, and specialty risk appetite.

Broad incumbents

• Northbridge Insurance: Canadian commercial property and casualty insurer (Fairfax subsidiary) writing through brokers. Comparable distribution model and Canadian focus but operates as a carrier rather than an MGA, with broader product scope.
• CRC Insurance Services: Large US-based wholesale insurance broker and MGA with specialty placement capabilities that overlap Chutter's hard-to-place commercial book. Functions as a broader incumbent in the wholesale/specialty distribution space.
• RPS (Risk Placement Services): Major North American wholesale broker and MGA platform with Canadian specialty practice. Competes with Chutter for hard-to-place commercial risks but at significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Echelon Insurance: Canadian specialty insurer providing hard-to-place commercial and personal lines through broker networks. Overlaps with Chutter's specialty appetite but operates as a carrier with broader portfolio reach.
• Burns & Wilcox Canada: Large North American wholesale insurance broker and MGA with Canadian operations. Comparable in broker-distributed specialty placement, but operates at much greater scale and geographic breadth than Chutter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Chutter Underwriting Services