PersonalUmbrella

What PersonalUmbrella does

PersonalUmbrella.com Insurance Services, Inc., founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, is a managing general agent (MGA) that distributes admitted personal and small-commercial umbrella insurance exclusively through licensed independent insurance agents and brokers. The company's core offering is a web-based platform that enables producers to obtain quotes in approximately three minutes and order policies in another three minutes, with no application and no motor vehicle record (MVR) required; admitted coverage is backed by Markel Insurance Company (A.M. Best A XV, financial size category $2B+), with limits available up to $10,000,000 across 47 states plus the District of Columbia. The technology stack is a proprietary online portal supporting self-service quoting, policy editing, ordering, and review, complemented by separate insured-facing (PersonalInsured.com) and MyMGA.com sub-brand platforms.

The business model is commission-based: PersonalUmbrella pays producers 15% commission on new policies and 10% on renewals, while MyMGA.com business pays a flat 10% on both new and renewal premium, with commissions settled quarterly against gross premiums paid to the program administrator. Distribution runs exclusively through independent agents and brokers (producers) who register through the website, receive a Producer ID for login-based access, and integrate with major agency management systems including Applied Systems and ASCnet. Producer acquisition is driven by industry trade shows (Big I, PIA, IAOA, AMS/NetVu, Applied/ASCnet, Farmers) and earned media in Rough Notes, Insurance Journal, and Independent Agent / Insurance Agent magazine. Underwriting relies on a centralized in-house team of roughly a dozen underwriters supported by phone-based underwriter availability, with policies typically issued within 72 hours.

Leadership is concentrated in a long-tenured operating team — including a Chief Marketing Officer (Daina Kawchack Smith), VP Business Development (Michael Blewett), Underwriting Manager (Eric Stewart), and MyMGA General Manager (Mary Nyquist) — with multiple family-named staff across underwriting, payments, and accounting functions suggesting an owner-operated private company. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds, no parent company, and no recorded M&A activity, sustained over 27 continuous years of operation through 2026.

Name

PersonalUmbrella

Legal name

PersonalUmbrella.com Insurance Services, Inc.

Website

https://personalumbrella.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PersonalUmbrella.com Insurance Services, Inc. is a managing general agent founded in 1999 that distributes admitted personal umbrella insurance through a web-based platform to licensed independent agents and brokers in 47+ states, earning commission on Markel-backed policies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Umbrella Insurance Services

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Umbrella Insurance (FSAJANAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

Keywords

• Umbrella insurance
• Excess liability coverage
• Managing general agent
• Insurance underwriting services
• Personal liability insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Emeryville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission on PersonalUmbrella Policies: The company earns commission revenue by acting as a managing general agent, earning 15% commission on new policies (1st year premium) and 10% commission on renewal policies (2nd year and continuing). Commission is paid quarterly based on gross premiums paid to the program administrator.
2. Commission on MyMGA.com Policies: The company also earns commission revenue from MyMGA.com policies at a flat 10% rate for both new and renewal policies (1st year, 2nd year and continuing).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

PersonalUmbrella.com Insurance Services, Inc. operates as a managing general agent (MGA) and managing underwriter that issues personal and commercial umbrella insurance policies backed by Markel Insurance Company (A.M. Best A XV, admitted). Licensed independent insurance agents and brokers use its web-based platform to quote and order umbrella policies in minutes, with no application or motor vehicle record required and coverage limits up to $10,000,000. The company operates in 47 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and pays producers a 15% commission on new business and 10% on renewals.

Product overview

PersonalUmbrella.com operates as a managing underwriter platform offering personal and business umbrella insurance products exclusively through licensed insurance agents and brokers. The core platform (PersonalUmbrella.com) enables rapid quoting and policy ordering with a 3-minute quote-to-order process, while the companion MyMGA.com platform handles MyMGA-specific policies. Markel Insurance Company serves as the primary admitted insurer with an A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent), providing coverage limits up to $10,000,000. The company offers a direct bill and agency bill options with commissions of 15% for new policies and 10% for renewals through PersonalUmbrella.com, and 10% for both new and renewal policies through MyMGA.com. PersonalInsured.com serves as the policyholder portal for accessing policies and online payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyMGA.com: Related MGA (Managing General Agent) platform offering additional insurance products, with 10% commission for new and renewal policies

Products and services

• PersonalUmbrella.com Personal Umbrella Insurance Policy Admitted personal umbrella insurance policy issued by Markel Insurance Company through the PersonalUmbrella.com platform. Coverage limits up to $10,000,000, including Excess UM/UIM, with optional addition of apartments and offices. Available to independent insurance agents and brokers for their personal lines clients across 47 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia. Policies are issued within 72 hours with no application and no MVR required for quoting.
• MyMGA Umbrella Insurance Policy Umbrella insurance policy distributed through the MyMGA.com platform to licensed insurance producers, including Florida special market placements handled by the MyMGA General Manager. Carries a flat 10% producer commission on both new and renewal business (1st year, 2nd year and continuing).

Quantifiable outcome

• Quote in 3 minutes - Order in 3 minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

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

One partnership is on record.

• Markel Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarkel Insurance Company is the primary insurer for PersonalUmbrella's umbrella program. Markel has an A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent) with financial size category XV ($2 Billion or greater). The company provides admitted umbrella policy forms with $0 S.I.R. and offers limits up to $5,000,000 in Wyoming and similar limits in other states.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RPS (Risk Placement Services): RPS is one of the largest US MGAs and wholesale brokers, operating a personal umbrella program marketed to independent agents. Directly comparable MGA business model, producer-channel focus, and admitted carrier backing.
• Tapco Underwriters: Tapco Underwriters operates a personal umbrella program distributed through independent agents with online quoting - a direct comparable to PersonalUmbrella in product, channel, and target customer (insurance producers placing personal umbrella).
• Venture Insurance Programs (Westfield): Venture Insurance Programs is a managing general underwriter offering personal umbrella and related specialty programs to independent producers. Direct comparable: MGA structure, admitted paper, producer-channel GTM.

Emerging players

• SkyCover Insurance: SkyCover is a digital-first excess liability / personal umbrella MGA offering online quotes through a producer portal. Comparable product offering and channel; represents the digitally native next-generation version of PersonalUmbrella's model.

Broad incumbents

• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is a major specialty wholesale brokerage and MGA placing umbrella and excess liability business for independent agents. Comparable channel and product overlap, though operates much more broadly across specialty lines.
• CRC Insurance Services: CRC is a large wholesale insurance broker placing excess and umbrella coverage through independent agents nationally. Comparable channel reach and product category, with broader portfolio.
• Amwins: Amwins is one of the largest US wholesale distributors and MGAs, with specialty programs including personal umbrella distributed via independent agents. Comparable channel and product set, much larger scale.
• NSM Insurance Group: NSM is a specialty MGA building and underwriting niche programs distributed through producer networks, with personal lines exposure. Comparable MGA business model and producer-channel GTM.
• Brown & Riding: Brown & Riding is a specialty wholesale brokerage placing excess, umbrella, and liability coverage for independent agents. Comparable channel and product overlap, with broader specialty portfolio.
• High Street Insurance Partners: High Street is a large independent insurance agency network that places personal umbrella coverage and competes for the same producer relationships PersonalUmbrella serves. Comparable end-customer (independent agents) and product line, though operates a full-service brokerage rather than MGA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PersonalUmbrella
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/personalumbrella

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 PersonalUmbrella