Northern States Agency

What Northern States Agency does

Northern States Agency (NSA) is a wholesale insurance brokerage and Managing General Agent founded in 1953 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and operating as an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. since 1967. The company exclusively serves licensed retail insurance agents and brokers, placing difficult-to-insure and non-standard commercial risks with a diversified panel of insurance carriers including National Indemnity Company, USLI, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Western World Insurance Group, Nationwide E&S/Scottsdale Insurance Company, and Berkshire Hathaway Guard. NSA earns commissions on each policy placed, offering both Agency Bill (agents retain full commission) and Direct Bill (commissions remitted approximately 60 days after insured payment) arrangements.

NSA's product portfolio spans seven core commercial lines: Commercial Auto (with sub-lines for Public Livery, Commercial Truck, Motor Truck Cargo, and Other Business Auto), Garage Liability, General Liability, Commercial Property and Inland Marine (limits up to $50 million), Professional Liability, Workers' Compensation (minimum premiums as low as $1,000), and Excess Liability/Umbrella Insurance (minimum premiums starting at $750, limits up to $10 million). The company's distribution model requires retail agents to complete a Producer Agreement, provide proof of E&O coverage, and submit business via online portal, email, or phone — coverage is not bound until written confirmation from NSA.

The company operates across seven core Upper Midwest states (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin), with affiliated Berkshire-owned wholesale agencies Pacific Gateway (PGIA) and Ringwalt & Liesche (R&L) collectively extending coverage from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. NSA differentiates on same-day/next-day quote turnaround, tenured underwriting staff with commercial insurance expertise, and the financial backing of Berkshire Hathaway. Core technology is not disclosed; the firm operates without public APIs or AI capabilities, relying on traditional submission-based workflows and a relationship-driven model.

Name

Northern States Agency

Legal name

Northern States Agency

Website

https://nsa-mga.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Northern States Agency is a wholesale insurance brokerage founded in 1953 and owned by Berkshire Hathaway, placing difficult-to-insure commercial lines (transportation, auto, property, liability) with multiple carriers on behalf of licensed retail agents across seven Upper Midwest states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Placement/Wholesale Commission: NSA operates as a wholesale insurance agency/mga that earns commissions by placing insurance coverage with retail agents and brokers. The company places business with multiple insurance carriers (National Indemnity group, USLI, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Western World, Nationwide E&S, Berkshire Hathaway Guard) and earns commissions on each policy placed. NSA offers both agency bill (where agents retain full commission) and direct bill (where commissions are remitted approximately 60 days after each individual payment made by the insured).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Northern States Agency is a wholesale managing general agency that places commercial insurance coverage on behalf of licensed retail agents and brokers who serve unique or hard-to-insure risks. NSA underwrites and places seven core commercial product lines—Commercial Auto, Garage Liability, General Liability, Commercial Property and Inland Marine, Professional Liability, Workers' Compensation, and Excess/Umbrella—through multiple carrier partners including National Indemnity Company, USLI, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies, Western World, Nationwide E&S/Scottsdale, and Berkshire Hathaway Guard. The firm serves seven core Upper Midwest states and is backed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Product overview

Northern States Agency (NSA) is a managing general agent specializing in commercial insurance for retail agents and brokers. The company operates as a single-product-portfolio insurer offering seven core commercial insurance lines: Commercial Auto (encompassing Public Livery, Commercial Truck, Motor Truck Cargo, and Other Business Auto sub-products), Garage Liability (covering Auto Dealership and Auto Service/Repair), General Liability, Commercial Property and Inland Marine, Professional Liability, Workers' Compensation, and Excess/Umbrella Insurance. NSA functions as a wholesale intermediary placing business with Berkshire Hathaway-affiliated insurers including National Indemnity, USLI, and Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. The company primarily serves seven Upper Midwest states (Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) with affiliated agencies Ringwalt & Liesche and Pacific Gateway extending coverage across the central and western United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Auto Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-Day/Next-Day Turnaround Time on quotes
• +4 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pacific Gateway Insurance Agency (PGIA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPGIA is an affiliated wholesale agency under the same Berkshire Hathaway ownership. Together with NSA and R&L, PGIA provides coverage from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. PGIA serves AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, UT, WA.
• Ringwalt & Liesche (R&L)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorR&L is an affiliated wholesale agency under the same Berkshire Hathaway ownership. Originally founded in 1950 as an owned general agency of the National Indemnity group. Together with NSA and PGIA, R&L provides coverage from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. R&L serves AR, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, MT, NE, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX, UT, WI, WY.
• National Indemnity Company (NICO)coreTechnology or IntegrationNational Indemnity Company is part of the National Indemnity group of insurance companies and is the primary coverage provider for NSA placements. NSA places insurance coverages with the National Indemnity group. NICO claims contact: PO Box 31361, Omaha, NE 68131-0361, Phone: (800) 356-5750.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brown & Riding: Brown & Riding is a privately held wholesale insurance brokerage and MGA with deep expertise in commercial property, casualty, and transportation risks, working through retail agents — analogous to NSA's wholesale placement model.
• Amwins: Amwins is the largest specialty wholesale distributor in the U.S., placing complex and non-standard commercial risks through retail brokers. Its transportation, garage, and commercial property practices directly overlap with NSA's portfolio.
• Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is one of the largest independently owned wholesale insurance brokerages in North America, placing specialty and surplus lines commercial coverage through retail agents — directly comparable to NSA's wholesale brokerage model across commercial property, casualty, and transportation risks.
• RPS Insurance Brokerage (Ryan Specialty): RPS, part of Ryan Specialty Group, is a major wholesale broker and managing underwriter specializing in specialty commercial lines including transportation and commercial auto — directly comparable to NSA's product focus and wholesale distribution approach.
• LoVullo Associates: LoVullo is a specialty wholesale insurance broker and MGA focused on excess & surplus lines commercial risks including commercial auto and garage — directly comparable to NSA's specialty transportation and small commercial lines placement business.
• CRC Group (CRC Insurance Services): CRC Group is a leading wholesale specialty insurance broker with deep expertise in commercial auto, transportation, and excess casualty — closely mirroring NSA's product mix and retail-agent distribution model across multiple U.S. regions.
• Ringwalt & Liesche: R&L is NSA's sister wholesale agency under Berkshire Hathaway ownership, originally founded in 1950 as an owned general agency of National Indemnity. Operates the same wholesale brokerage model across central U.S. states including AR, CO, KS, MO, NE, TX, and others.
• Pacific Gateway Insurance Agency: PGIA is NSA's sister wholesale agency under Berkshire Hathaway ownership, opened in 1995 to expand distribution in the western U.S. Provides the same wholesale commercial placement model across AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, UT, and WA.
• All Risks: All Risks is a national wholesale insurance broker and MGA placing specialty commercial coverage through retail agents, with significant expertise in transportation and commercial auto — overlapping with NSA's core product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Zurich North America: Zurich is a major global commercial insurance carrier and the prior employer of NSA's President. As a broad incumbent, Zurich both competes with and provides capacity to wholesale brokers like NSA across commercial auto, property, and liability lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Northern States Agency