What Cornerstone Underwriting Partners does

Cornerstone Underwriting Partners is a private, for-profit specialty insurance entity operating out of Oak Ridge, United States, with 11-50 employees, whose underlying operations correspond to the MGA business branded as Asero Insurance Services. The company functions as a Managing General Agency (MGA) operating under delegated underwriting authority agreements granted by unaffiliated insurance carriers; under these agreements it may underwrite and issue insurance policies on behalf of participating carriers. It operates as a subsidiary of Acrisure, a diversified financial services and insurance conglomerate. The company offers nine industry-focused insurance programs spanning Cannabis, Contractors (general and New York-specific), Logistics, Property, Security, Snow Removal, Transportation, and Workers Compensation, with corporate narrative also referencing cyber as part of the forward roadmap. The underlying technology stack is the delegated authority structure itself: form libraries, underwriting guidelines, and carrier-issued policy administration on behalf of multiple carriers, with no proprietary software platform disclosed.

The business model is B2B distribution through licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers, with no direct-to-consumer channel. Revenue derives from underwriting premiums under delegated authority, with the economics reflecting the spread between collected premiums and paid claims/operating costs, supplemented where applicable by wholesale-broker product distribution. Programs are segmented by vertical (cannabis, contractors, transportation, security, logistics, snow removal, property, workers compensation), with geographic specialization for New York contractors. Marketing presence is limited to a corporate website (cornerstone-underwriters.com / aseroins.com) and a LinkedIn page (linkedin.com/company/asero-insurance). The company competes on niche specialization and carrier panel access rather than scale or technology differentiation. No revenue figures, headcount detail, founding date, or leadership roster are disclosed in the input data, and the operational footprint appears domestic only.

Name

Cornerstone Underwriting Partners

Legal name

Asero Insurance Services

Website

https://cornerstone-underwriters.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornerstone Underwriting Partners is a US-based specialty Managing General Agency operating as a subsidiary of Acrisure, underwriting nine industry-focused insurance programs across cannabis, contractors, logistics, security, transportation, and related verticals under delegated authority and distributing exclusively through licensed agents and wholesale brokers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Ridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Underwriting Premiums: Asero Insurance Services generates revenue through underwriting insurance policies across multiple specialty lines. Under delegated authority agreements with unaffiliated insurance carriers, Asero underwrites and issues policies, earning premium revenue from the difference between collected premiums and paid claims/operating costs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cornerstone Underwriting Partners is an MGU services provider that delivers underwriting, pricing, and policy issuance authority solutions across multiple specialty commercial lines. It operates delegated binding authority programs covering niche classes such as cannabis, contractors, logistics, property, security, snow removal, transportation, and workers' compensation, distributed through licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers.

Product overview

Asero Insurance Services operates as a specialty Managing General Agency (MGA) offering a portfolio of industry-focused insurance programs. The company provides nine distinct insurance programs spanning various sectors: Cannabis, Contractors (general and New York-specific), Logistics, Property, Security, Snow Removal, Transportation, and Workers Compensation. These programs are distributed through licensed retail agents, wholesale brokers, and authorized distributors under delegated underwriting authority agreements with unaffiliated insurance carriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cannabis Insurance Specialty commercial insurance program designed for cannabis-related business risks, distributed through licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated underwriting authority.
• Contractors Insurance General liability and related coverage program for contractors, placed through retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated authority.
• Contractors NY Insurance State-tailored contractors insurance program specifically for New York placements, addressing jurisdictional forms and filing requirements.
• Logistics Insurance Specialty commercial insurance program for logistics operators, distributed via licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated underwriting authority.
• Property Insurance Commercial property insurance program for specialty commercial risks, placed through retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated authority.
• Security Guard Insurance Specialty commercial insurance program tailored for security guard operations, distributed through licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers.
• Snow Removal Insurance Specialty commercial insurance program for snow and ice removal contractors, placed through retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated authority.
• Transportation Insurance Specialty commercial insurance program for transportation operators, distributed via licensed retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated underwriting authority.
• Workers' Compensation Insurance Specialty workers' compensation insurance program for commercial employers in niche verticals, placed through retail agents and wholesale brokers under delegated authority.

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Unaffiliated Insurance CarrierscoreOthersAsero Insurance Services operates under delegated underwriting authority agreements granted by unaffiliated insurance carriers. Under these agreements, Asero may underwrite and issue insurance policies on behalf of participating carriers. This partnership arrangement forms the core of Asero's business model as an MGA.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is a specialty wholesale broker and MGA distributing across multiple niche verticals through licensed agents — a closely analogous specialty distribution and underwriting model.
• Brown & Riding: Brown & Riding is a national wholesale insurance broker with specialty practices across transportation, construction, and other niche verticals, distributing through retail agents in a model parallel to Cornerstone/Asero's.
• Amwins: Amwins is a large specialty insurance distributor operating both wholesale brokerage and MGA/program business across transportation, property, contractors, and other specialty lines, competing in the same channel and verticals.
• CRC Group: CRC Group is a major wholesale specialty insurance distributor and MGA platform with delegated authority programs across transportation, construction, and other specialty lines, directly comparable to Cornerstone/Asero's program set.
• RPS (Risk Placement Services): RPS is one of the largest U.S. wholesale brokers and MGA operators, distributing specialty insurance through retail agents and brokers across dozens of industry verticals — the same core model Cornerstone/Asero follows.

Emerging players

• SkyCover: SkyCover is an emerging MGA focused on transportation and trucking specialty insurance, directly overlapping Cornerstone/Asero's transportation and logistics programs.
• Paramount MGA: Paramount MGA is a niche MGA operating specialty programs in transportation and commercial lines, comparable in scale and approach to Cornerstone/Asero.
• Distinguished Programs: Distinguished Programs is a specialty MGA providing delegated authority programs across multiple niche verticals (real estate, hospitality, contractors), sharing Cornerstone/Asero's multi-program MGA model.

Broad incumbents

• Acrisure (parent): Acrisure is Cornerstone/Asero's parent company and one of the largest insurance brokers/MGA operators in the U.S.; while not a direct competitor, its broader MGA strategy shapes Cornerstone/Asero's strategic context and competing internal priorities.
• IAT Insurance Group (program division): IAT provides delegated authority to program administrators and operates its own program business across specialty lines, sitting on the carrier side of the relationship Cornerstone/Asero maintains with its carrier partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornerstone-underwriting-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cornerstone Underwriting Partners