What American Risk Services does

American Risk Services (ARS) is a Cincinnati-based insurance broker, administrator, and reinsurer founded in 2008 that specializes in risk management products for the automotive finance industry. Its core product suite comprises four insurance lines — Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP), Lease Excess Wear & Tear (EWT), Collateral Protection Insurance (CPI), and Vendor's Single Interest (VSI) — sold primarily to manufacturer captive finance companies, independent auto finance companies, large dealership groups, and financial institutions, and distributed as aftermarket add-ons through automotive dealers, F&I departments, and bank branches, or as blanket programs to lessors and lenders. ARS holds insurance licenses in all 50 states and operates in the US and Canada, supporting what it describes as one of the largest EWT programs in North America since 2004.

The firm is supported by an in-house technology and analytics stack. The ARSinsure™ web platform integrates directly with lender loan management systems to automate CPI reporting, claims, and payment processing, and is backed by SSAE-16 certification and A-rated carrier paper. The analytics function maintains a historical data warehouse of more than 12 million contracts originated since 2000 and applies neural net models to forecast the Used Vehicle Consumer Price Index and to price GAP/EWT risk, enabling depreciation modeling and macroeconomic scenario testing. A specialized claims team has adjusted over 981,000 EWT, GAP, and CPI claims since 2010, with typical CPI claims paid in under three days.

Commercially, ARS earns commission income from insurers as a percentage of premiums, supplemented by fees from products sold through dealers and bank channels and by interest on premiums in transit. ARS is a member of the Accretive division of AssuredPartners, which extends its distribution and product surface, and it sells to enterprise finance clients via a direct sales team (Director of Sales, Senior Account Manager, and Account Managers) and indirectly through dealer, F&I, and bank channels across the US and Canada.

Name

American Risk Services

Legal name

American Risk Services LLC

Website

https://americanriskservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

American Risk Services is a Cincinnati-based insurance broker and administrator specializing in GAP, EWT, CPI, and VSI products for the automotive finance industry, serving manufacturer captive finance companies, independent auto finance companies, dealership groups, and financial institutions across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Finance Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Carriers (5241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Vehicle Protection & Add-on Product Financing (Warranties, GAP, Service Plans) (FSAKADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

GAP & Vehicle Protection Products (GAP Waiver/Insurance, Lease/Loan Protection) (FSAJALAC), Specialty & Excess/Surplus Lines (E&S) (FSAJAMAH)

Keywords

• Automotive insurance products
• Collateral protection insurance
• Gap insurance programs
• Excess wear coverage
• Risk management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: ARS receives commissions from insurers as a percentage of premiums due. Commissions vary by insurance company, volume of business placed, and profitability. The company may also receive other forms of compensation including contingents, overrides, profit-sharing, premium finance fees, expense reimbursements, producer subsidies, award trips, meetings and other incentives. Interest is earned on premiums held until paid to insurance companies.
2. Fee Income Products: ARS provides fee income products sold through automotive dealers, finance and insurance departments, and bank branches. These products generate fees for lessors, lenders, and dealers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

American Risk Services functions as an insurance agency, administrator, and reinsurance company that designs and distributes specialized risk management insurance products for the automotive finance industry. Its core offerings include GAP (Guaranteed Asset Protection), Excess Wear & Tear (EWT), Collateral Protection Insurance (CPI), and Vendor's Single Interest (VSI) coverage, supported by in-house analytics and claims handling. Products are sold as aftermarket add-ons through automotive dealers, finance and insurance departments, and bank branches, or as blanket programs purchased directly by lessors and lenders.

Product overview

American Risk Services is an insurance broker, risk management firm, and administration company offering a portfolio of specialized insurance products for the automotive finance industry. The core product suite includes four main insurance products: GAP Insurance (Guaranteed Asset Protection), which covers the difference between loan balances and vehicle values in total loss situations; Excess Wear & Tear (EWT) Insurance, which protects lessees from excess wear and tear charges at lease termination; Collateral Protection Insurance (CPI), which protects finance companies when collateral becomes uninsured; and Vendor's Single Interest (VSI) Insurance, which insures against damage to repossessed collateral. These products are supported by Analytics Services that utilize depreciation modeling and risk analysis, and Claims Services for handling claims across all product lines. The company operates as a subsidiary of Accretive/AssuredPartners and holds insurance licenses in all 50 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) Insurance Covers the difference between the balance still owed on a covered lease or loan and the actual value of the covered vehicle in the event of a total loss or theft, protecting lessees and borrowers from unexpected expenses and protecting lenders from collections issues. Distributed as an aftermarket product by dealers and F&I departments and via blanket programs for lessors.
• Lease Excess Wear & Tear (EWT) Insurance Waives the lessee's responsibility for damage beyond normal wear and aging on a returned leased vehicle, below amounts covered by traditional auto physical damage policies. Sold as an aftermarket product by dealerships or on a blanket basis by lessors to cover all leases.
• Collateral Protection Insurance (CPI) Protects automotive finance companies against physical damage or theft of collateral when the borrower fails to maintain required insurance, reducing damage-related losses and charge-offs. Administered through the ARSinsure web-based platform integrated with lender loan management systems.
• Vendor's Single Interest (VSI) Insurance Insures a lender's financed vehicle portfolio against theft or physical damage present on repossessed or skipped collateral where the borrower failed to maintain insurance coverage.
• Analytics Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Claims payment typically processed in less than 3 days for CPI claims
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Accretive / AssuredPartnerscoreOthersARS is a member of the Accretive division of AssuredPartners. This affiliation provides access to Accretive's breadth of Property and Casualty and Employee Benefit offerings, creating a stronger platform for bringing solutions to the marketplace. The partnership combines ARS's specialized automotive finance expertise with Accretive's broader insurance capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CNA National Warranty (CNA Financial): Underwrites and administers vehicle service contracts, GAP, and CPI products sold via lenders and dealers. Competes with ARS on specialty automotive finance coverage.
• National Auto Care: Provides F&I and vehicle protection products including GAP, EWT, and CPI to lenders and dealers. Direct niche competitor to ARS with similar distribution and underwriting partners.
• Safe-Guard Products International: Acquired by Cox Automotive, Safe-Guard is one of the largest providers of F&I products including GAP, EWT, and CPI to automotive dealers and lenders in North America. Most direct competitor to ARS across the same product set and customer base.
• Consumer Program Administrators (CPA): Administrator and provider of F&I aftermarket products including GAP and CPI for dealer and lender clients, competing for the same slice of the automotive finance channel as ARS.
• EasyCare (APCO Holdings / Dealer Tire): Sells EWT, GAP, and CPI products through dealer F&I channels, overlapping directly with ARS's product suite and dealer-led distribution model.
• SWBC: Provides GAP, CPI, and other vehicle protection products distributed through lenders and dealers. Competes head-to-head with ARS for the same automotive finance channel and uses a similar product-plus-services model.

Emerging players

• Mechanical Breakdown Protection / Dealertrack (Cox Automotive solutions): Digital auto-finance and F&I workflow platform that interfaces with lender and dealer systems similarly to ARSinsure; an emerging integrated player whose technology stack represents adjacent competition for ARS's admin layer.

Broad incumbents

• Assurant: Dominant scaled player in vehicle protection and lender-placed insurance lines (including CPI and GAP). Operates across many countries and product lines, providing a broad incumbent comparison for ARS's specialty offerings.
• Zurich North America (Dealer/Finance Protection): Large global carrier that offers GAP and dealer protection products as part of a broader commercial insurance portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping vehicle protection capability.
• Great American Insurance Company (auto finance division): Historical underwriter and source of much of ARS's claims talent; remains a major carrier for EWT, GAP, and CPI programs that compete with ARS's placements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 American Risk Services