What Petersen International Underwriters does

Petersen International Underwriters (PIU) is a privately held specialty insurance Managing General Agent founded in 1984 and headquartered in the Los Angeles area, with an additional presence recorded in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Operating as a Coverholder at Lloyd's of London for 32 years, PIU underwrites high-limit disability, life, medical, and contingency insurance for risks that traditional carriers cannot or will not cover. Its product portfolio spans personal disability (individual DI, Executive 400, Stock Option, Physicians & Surgeons, Pilot Loss of License, and a dozen other occupation-specific forms), business disability (Buy-Sell, Key Person, Overhead Expense, Loan Indemnification), athlete coverage (Draft Protection, Pro Jockey, Racer Cover), life and contingent products (High Limit Accident, Failure to Survive, Kidnap & Ransom, Critical Illness, Brand Protection), and medical plans (USAway International Major Medical, Bridge Plan, Accident Only). A recent Group Critical Illness program extends the offering into small-group employee benefits.

The business is family-owned (led by Tom Petersen as Vice President and Jimmy Petersen) with no evidence of external equity, PE, or public listing, and employs 51-100 staff. PIU distributes exclusively through independent insurance producers, agents, and brokers, supported by a dedicated Producer Zone portal for case submission, quoting, census enrollment, and online payment. Marketing leverages the company website, a long-running Communicator blog (active through 2026), a video library, social media, email newsletters, and industry event participation including NAIFA. Revenue is generated through insurance premiums on specialty policies — including high-limit cases such as $2,000,000 Critical Illness, $50,000,000 Stock Option disability, $10,000,000 Key Person life, and $100-200M accumulation risk policies — though no financial figures are publicly disclosed. The company's core capability is human-driven underwriting of hard-to-place risks enabled by Lloyd's of London capacity and 40 years of accumulated specialization.

Name

Petersen International Underwriters

Legal name

Petersen International Underwriters

Website

https://piu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Petersen International Underwriters is a privately held specialty insurance Managing General Agent and Lloyd's of London Coverholder that underwrites high-limit disability, life, medical, and contingency coverage for hard-to-place risks, distributed through independent insurance producers and brokers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Causeway Bay

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: Petersen International Underwriters generates revenue through insurance premiums collected on their specialty insurance policies including disability, life, medical, and contingency coverage. The company acts as a Coverholder at Lloyd's of London, providing high-limit specialty insurance products that traditional carriers cannot or will not provide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Petersen International Underwriters (PIU) is a specialty insurance Managing General Agent operating as a Coverholder at Lloyd's of London. The company underwrites and issues high-limit disability, life, medical, and contingent insurance policies for impaired-risk individuals, high-income professionals, businesses, hazardous occupations, and international exposures that traditional domestic carriers cannot or will not insure. PIU distributes exclusively through a network of independent insurance producers, agents, and brokers.

Product overview

Petersen International Underwriters (PIU) is a specialty insurance company providing high-limit insurance solutions for disability, life, medical, and contingency risks. The company operates as a Coverholder at Lloyd's of London and specializes in covering risks that traditional carriers cannot or will not insure. PIU's portfolio includes personal disability insurance products (Individual DI, Executive 400, Stock Option, Physicians & Surgeons, Attorneys, Dentists, Pilots, and specialty occupations), business disability insurance (Buy-Sell, Buy-In, Key Person, Overhead Expense, Contract Guarantee, Salary Continuation), athlete disability insurance (Draft Protection, Pro Jockey, Racer Cover), life and contingent insurance (High Limit Accident, Failure to Survive, Kidnap & Ransom, Critical Illness, Brand Protection), and medical insurance (USAway International Major Medical, Bridge Plan, Accident Only). The company leverages the strength of international insurance markets, particularly Lloyd's of London, to provide underwriting capacity for high-limit and hard-to-place risks. PIU recently launched a Group Critical Illness program as a guaranteed-issue product for small businesses with groups of 5 or more persons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• StarCover: Specialty disability insurance product for certain professional groups
• Executive 400
• USAway
• Buy-Sell PLUS
• Accelerated Benefit Plan
• Failure to Survive
• High-Limit Accident

Products and services

• Personal Disability Insurance Long-term own-occupation and high-limit disability income protection for individual professionals earning above standard policy limits, including physicians, surgeons, attorneys, executives, pilots, and other high-income specialists. Underwritten at Lloyd's of London.
• Business Disability Insurance Disability insurance products for businesses and partnerships that fund buy/sell agreements, buy-ins, key person protection, business loan indemnification, overhead expenses, salary continuation, contract guarantees, and severance obligations when an owner or key employee becomes disabled.
• Athlete Disability Insurance Specialty disability insurance for professional and amateur athletes protecting teams and individuals against career-ending injuries, including draft protection, pro jockey, racer cover, and golf athlete coverage.
• High Limit Accident Insurance Stand-alone accidental death insurance with optional dismemberment and disability riders, including worldwide war and terrorism coverage for hazardous occupations and travel.
• Critical Illness Insurance Lump-sum benefit coverage payable on diagnosis of covered critical illnesses such as cancer, dementia, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer's, MS, and Parkinson's, for individuals and groups.
• Group Critical Illness Insurance Guaranteed-issue group critical illness program providing lump sum benefits up to $2,000,000 per person for small employer groups (5+ persons), featuring guaranteed standard issue, no medical underwriting, and census-based enrollment.
• Life & Contingent Insurance (Failure to Survive, Kidnap & Ransom, Brand Protection) Simplified-issue death benefit insurance for business risks (Failure to Survive plans for business loan, buy/sell, key person, and confidential third-party arrangements), kidnap & ransom coverage with crisis response services, and brand protection insurance for key person loss.
• International Medical Insurance International major medical coverage including USAway Major Medical for U.S. residents abroad, International Major Medical for visitors to the USA, Bridge Plan for Medicare applicants, and Accident Only Medical insurance, with emergency evacuation and repatriation.
• International Life & Disability Insurance Life and disability coverage for U.S. citizens and U.S.-affiliated employees working or residing outside the United States.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lloyd's of LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPetersen International Underwriters has been a Coverholder at Lloyd's of London for 32 years. This partnership provides access to Lloyd's substantial underwriting capacity for specialty insurance risks, allowing PIU to offer high-limit coverage that traditional domestic carriers cannot or will not provide. Lloyd's of London, founded in 1686, is the world's oldest insurance market providing sophisticated insurance and reinsurance capacity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Principal Financial Group: Major insurance carrier offering disability, life, and critical illness products including group critical illness; competes with PIU at the group CI level but operates as a broad-based carrier with extensive distribution.
• Unum Group: Large-scale provider of disability, life, and critical illness insurance including group and individual products. Competes with PIU in disability and group CI but at mainstream scale rather than specialty/high-limit focus.
• Assurity Life Insurance: Mid-sized carrier offering individual disability and critical illness products that overlap with PIU's high-limit disability and CI offerings; broader portfolio but adjacent in niche occupation underwriting.
• GeoBlue (BCBS international): Provides international travel medical insurance for US citizens abroad, overlapping with PIU's USAway and International Major Medical products, but as part of the broader Blue Cross Blue Shield system.
• Berkshire Life Insurance Company (Guardian Life): A larger established player in individual disability insurance for professionals; offers overlapping high-limit disability products but as part of a much broader life and disability portfolio rather than a pure specialty focus like PIU.

Emerging players

• Best Doctors Insurance: Specializes in international major medical and health insurance for expats and travelers—directly comparable to PIU's USAway International Major Medical and International Life & Disability products.

Direct peers

• American Wholesale Insurance Group: Specialty MGA/coverholder distributing high-limit disability, life, and DI products to independent producers—directly mirrors PIU's distribution model and product specialization in physician, attorney, and executive disability.
• IMG (International Medical Group): Specialty provider of international travel medical, life, and disability insurance globally—closely comparable to PIU's international medical and life/disability offerings for expats and US travelers abroad.
• International Specialty Underwriters (ISU): ISU operates as a specialty insurance MGA focused on high-limit disability and life products, sharing PIU's model of placing hard-to-place risks through Lloyd's and other specialty markets. Highly comparable in target customer (high-income professionals) and product mix (executive disability, buy-sell, key person).
• DIgo (Disability Insurance Specialists): Specialist in own-occupation disability insurance for high-income professionals, overlapping directly with PIU's Executive 400, Physicians & Surgeons, and Attorneys product lines. Both operate in the high-limit individual disability niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/petersenint
• YouTubepiu.org/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/59762842531
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petersen-international-underwriters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Petersen International Underwriters