What Plum Underwriting does

Plum Underwriting is a specialist property Managing General Agent (MGA) founded in 2002 and headquartered in Basildon, Essex, with a registered office in London. The company focuses exclusively on home insurance risks that standard insurers decline or restrict, including non-standard construction, subsidence history, flood risk, criminal convictions, bankruptcy, unoccupied properties, holiday homes, landlord portfolios, and residential building works. It distributes exclusively through insurance brokers and intermediaries in the UK and Republic of Ireland via three channels: the Plum Online Portal (direct quote and bind), EDI integration with insurance software houses including OpenGI, and regionalised trading underwriting teams providing dedicated broker access to decision makers. Underwriting capacity is provided exclusively by UK-based A-rated partners — Lloyd's of London, Zurich Insurance plc, and HSB Engineering Insurance Ltd — with claims handled in-house or by HSB for building works products.

Plum's product portfolio spans nine branded UK lines (Flex, Let, Retreat, Unoccupied, HomeWorks, PropertyWorks, Amethyst, Amethyst Original, Premier) plus a parallel ROI product suite and European holiday home coverage. The technology stack is anchored by the Plum Online Portal and EDI infrastructure, enhanced by a 2022 strategic partnership with OpenGI and Verisk for address-level flood data enrichment at point of quote. Plum operates under three trading styles — Plum Underwriting, Cherish Insurance Services, and U-Sure Insurance Services — within the Global Risk Partners (GRP) group, which was acquired by Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE: BRO) in 2022. Plum monetises by collecting insurance premiums on behalf of capacity providers and retaining underwriting profit plus commission, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers since each risk is individually underwritten. As part of GRP, which controls approximately £1,800m GWP with 2,100+ employees, Plum is a core UK specialist home insurance trading entity within the wholesale/MGA segment.

Name

Plum Underwriting

Legal name

Plum Underwriting Limited

Website

https://plum-underwriting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Plum Underwriting is a UK and Republic of Ireland specialist property MGA (founded 2002) underwriting non-standard home insurance through brokers exclusively, backed by A-rated capacity at Lloyd's, Zurich, and HSB, and operating as part of the Brown & Brown-owned GRP group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Home Insurance Underwriting

NAICS

Other Insurance Related Activities (52429), Insurance Carriers and Related Activities (524)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Specialist home insurance
• Managing general agent
• Non-standard insurance
• Property underwriting
• Landlord insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premium Revenue: As a Managing General Agent (MGA), Plum Underwriting earns revenue by underwriting specialist home insurance policies on behalf of capacity providers (Lloyd's of London, Zurich Insurance plc, HSB Engineering Insurance Ltd). They collect insurance premiums from brokers/policyholders and retain underwriting profit while passing premiums to their capacity backing insurers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Plum Underwriting is a specialist property Managing General Agent (MGA) that underwrites and distributes home insurance products for non-standard risks that standard insurers decline, including unoccupied properties, holiday homes, landlord cover, residential building works, and high-value properties. The company operates exclusively through insurance brokers as intermediaries across the UK and Republic of Ireland, providing quote, bind, and policy management through its Plum Online Portal and UK EDI platforms, with capacity backing from Lloyd's of London, Zurich Insurance plc, and HSB Engineering Insurance Ltd.

Product overview

Plum Underwriting is a specialist property Managing General Agent (MGA) offering a comprehensive portfolio of home insurance products designed for risks that standard insurers decline. The company operates two primary distribution channels: the Plum Online Portal for direct broker access and eTrade EDI for integration with insurance software houses. The product suite includes Flex (non-standard home), Let (landlords), Retreat (UK holiday homes), Overseas Retreat (European holiday homes), Unoccupied (vacant properties), HomeWorks (residential building works), PropertyWorks (commercial building works), Amethyst, Amethyst Original, and Premier products. The company also offers Republic of Ireland-specific products. Products are backed by A-rated capacity from Lloyd's of London and Zurich Insurance plc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flex: Non-standard home insurance policy designed for non-standard home insurance risks including unoccupied homes, holiday homes, criminal convictions, homes with paying guests, and businesses from home.
• Let
• Retreat
• Overseas Retreat
• Unoccupied
• HomeWorks
• PropertyWorks
• Amethyst
• Premier
• eFlex
• eLet

Products and services

• Plum Online Portal (UK Products) Secure online platform for UK insurance brokers to quote, bind, and manage specialist home insurance policies including Flex, Let, Retreat, Unoccupied, HomeWorks, PropertyWorks, Amethyst, and Premier products.
• Flex

Quantifiable outcome

• Targeting £250m GWP through renewed five-year capacity partnership with Zurich UK

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Flood RecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Flood Re is a joint government and insurer initiative providing reinsurance for flood risk in high-risk areas. Plum Underwriting has partnered with Flood Re to introduce flood coverage via Flood Re into all UK portal products, enabling flood cover where previously excluded in highest-risk areas.
• Lloyd's of LondoncoreOthersLloyd's of London provides underwriting capacity for multiple Plum Underwriting products (Flex, Let, Retreat, Unoccupied). Lloyd's is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, AA- (Very Strong) by Fitch, and A+ (Strong) by S&P for financial strength.
• Zurich Insurance plccoreOthersZurich UK provides underwriting capacity with a renewed five-year partnership targeting £250m GWP. Zurich is rated AA- (Positive) by S&P and A+ (Stable) by A.M. Best for eLet and eFlex EDI products.
• HSB Engineering Insurance LtdcoreOthersHSB Engineering Insurance provides claims handling for HomeWorks and PropertyWorks products. They have specialist engineering and construction insurance knowledge with years of proven claims handling experience. HSB is rated A++ (Superior) by A.M. Best.
• OpenGIstrategicTechnology or IntegrationOpenGI provides IHP Plus application technology for the EDI platform, supporting new insurance propositions with integration capabilities. They work with Plum to enhance home insurance offering for UK brokers through technology collaboration.
• VeriskstrategicTechnology or IntegrationVerisk provides address-level flood data in real time for flood risk assessment at point of quote. Their data enrichment technology identifies unique property-specific flood risk enabling immediate underwriting decisions and pricing.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Uinsure: Uinsure is a UK home insurance MGA providing specialist household products to mortgage brokers and intermediaries, with a digital API/EDI distribution model. Highly comparable to Plum in that it underwrites on behalf of A-rated capacity, focuses on broker distribution, and targets non-standard or intermediated home risks.
• Avantia Group: Avantia is a UK specialist home insurance group (including Home & Legacy) underwriting on behalf of capacity providers, focused on non-standard, high-value, and unusual residential risks. Directly comparable to Plum's specialist non-standard home focus and broker-led distribution.
• Ripe Insurance: Ripe Insurance is a UK specialist MGA offering niche home, landlord, and lifestyle insurance products through brokers. Comparable to Plum in its niche specialist approach, broker distribution, and reliance on A-rated capacity providers for underwriting.
• Markerstudy Group: Markerstudy is a UK insurance group with a sizable MGA and managing agent operations across personal lines including home. Comparable to Plum as a UK-based MGA platform writing specialist home products on behalf of capacity providers, with similar broker-distributed model.
• Paymentshield: Paymentshield is a UK specialist insurance provider focused on home and protection products distributed exclusively through mortgage brokers and intermediaries. Comparable to Plum in broker-only distribution, specialist home product focus, and reliance on A-rated capacity backing.
• Hedron Network (now part of Arch Insurance): Hedron is a UK MGA network that aggregates specialist brokers and capacity arrangements, including many of the same broker partners Plum serves. Comparable to Plum as a UK MGA distribution and underwriting network for specialist non-standard personal lines risks.

Broad incumbents

• Liverpool Victoria General Insurance (LV= GI): LV= is one of the UK's largest personal lines insurers with significant home, landlord, and specialist cover offerings. Comparable to Plum as a UK home insurance underwriter with capacity, but operates as a broad incumbent across all personal lines rather than Plum's specialist non-standard focus.
• Ageas UK: Ageas UK is a top-five UK home and motor insurer with broad household product coverage. Comparable to Plum as a UK home underwriter, but operates as a broad incumbent carrier rather than as Plum's MGA specialist model for non-standard risks.
• Covéa Insurance UK: Covéa Insurance is a UK personal and commercial lines insurer offering home, landlord, and specialist property products. Comparable to Plum as a UK home property underwriter with broker distribution, but broader in scope and portfolio size.

Others

• Open GI: Open GI is a UK insurance software provider and Plum's technology partner powering the EDI distribution platform via its IHP Plus technology. Relevant as a strategic infrastructure peer given the deep integration of Plum's distribution with OpenGI's broker software stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PlumUW

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plum Underwriting