Chelsea Financial Group

What Chelsea Financial Group does

Chelsea Financial Group, Inc. is a privately held, independently owned insurance premium finance company headquartered in Woodland Hills, California. The firm originates short-term loans that fund commercial and personal property-and-casualty insurance premiums on behalf of insureds, collecting the receivable over the policy term while the insured makes installment payments. It monetizes through interest income on the financed premium plus producer fees paid by or through the originating agent (0–4% on commercial, 2% on personal, where permitted by law). Commercial lines feature 4–10 month plans with special rates for premiums over $50K and a 20% renewal down payment; personal lines feature 10% down payments (8% with EFT), 11-month plans, and a $40 minimum ticket.

The company's platform is a web-based, encrypted loan-origination and servicing system accessed by insurance agents, brokers, MGAs, carriers, and wholesalers, with self-service online quoting, real-time reporting, mobile access, and electronic signature/notification capabilities in some states. It maintains integrations with the two dominant U.S. independent-agency management systems — Vertafore and Applied Systems — and offers custom integrations via its IT team. Acquisition is sales-led and channel-driven: agents sign up for secured web access and immediately offer financing to their end clients at the point of policy sale, with Chelsea providing a dedicated full-service team and revenue-sharing arrangements. There is no direct consumer marketing channel.

Chelsea was founded circa 2012 and by 2016 was self-described as one of the largest independently owned premium finance companies in the United States, receiving a #1 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Insurance Company designation that year. The company differentiates on independence from larger financial institutions, single-product focus, and customer-service intensity, and serves a hybrid customer base ranging from small "mom-and-pop" agencies to large enterprise insureds.

Name

Chelsea Financial Group

Legal name

Chelsea Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://chelseapremium.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chelsea Financial Group is a privately held, independent insurance premium finance company that funds commercial and personal property-and-casualty insurance premiums through short-term installment loans originated via a network of insurance agents, brokers, MGAs, and wholesalers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodland Hills

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Premium Finance Interest and Fees: Chelsea provides short-term loans to pay for property and casualty insurance premiums. Revenue is generated through interest on the financing agreements and producer/agent fees. The insured pays a down payment and Chelsea funds the remainder to insurance carriers, with the insured making monthly payments.
2. Producer/Agent Fees: Revenue sharing programs where permitted by law, with 0-4% producer fees for commercial premium finance and 2% for personal premium finance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chelsea Financial Group provides short-term loans that fund commercial and personal property and casualty insurance premiums, allowing insureds to pay over monthly installments instead of lump sums. The company delivers this financing through a secured web-based platform accessed by insurance agents and brokers, with integrated agency management system connectivity and revenue-sharing producer fees.

Product overview

Chelsea Financial Group operates as an insurance premium finance company offering a unified platform with three integrated product lines: Commercial Premium Finance (short-term loans for commercial property and casualty insurance with 4-10 month payment plans and special rates for premiums over $50K), Personal Premium Finance (web-based financing for personal lines with 11-month payment plans and 10% down payments), and General Services (supporting capabilities including online submission, real-time reporting, electronic signatures, and multiple billing options). The platform provides agents with secure web-based access to create and manage insurance premium finance quotes and agreements, with integrated agency management system connectivity to Vertafore and Applied Systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Premium Finance Short-term loan financing for commercial property and casualty insurance premiums, featuring 4-10 month payment plans, special rates for premiums over $50,000, 20% down payment on renewals (with a 25% minimum earned premium), and 0-4% producer fees where permitted by law. Designed for commercial insureds and the insurance agents who serve them.
• Personal Premium Finance Web-based premium financing for personal lines insurance and endorsements, featuring 10% down payments (or 8% with EFT billing), 11-month payment plans, 2% producer fees, and a $40 minimum. Targeted at individual insureds and the agents who place their personal coverage.
• General Services (Online Submission and Account Management) A supporting service bundle providing online submission, multiple real-time reporting capabilities, choice of billing methods, electronic signatures, electronic notifications for policy updates and billing, and support for multiple recipients. Used by agents and insureds to administer active premium finance accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• No credit checks required since insurance policy serves as collateral

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VertaforecoreTechnology or IntegrationChelsea provides integration with Vertafore agency management systems, allowing agents to seamlessly access premium financing capabilities within their existing workflow management tools.
• Applied SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationChelsea provides integration with Applied agency management systems, enabling agents to create and manage premium financing agreements directly through Applied's platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• First Insurance Funding: A leading US insurance premium finance company and subsidiary of Wintrust Financial Corporation. First Insurance Funding offers premium finance solutions for P&C insurance through agent and broker channels, directly comparable to Chelsea's product set and target customers.
• National Western Financial: A US insurance premium finance company and subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings. National Western Financial provides premium financing for P&C and other insurance lines through agent and broker distribution, making it a direct competitor with comparable product offerings and customer base.
• AFCO Premium Finance: One of the largest US insurance premium finance companies and a subsidiary of TruStage (formerly CUNA Mutual Group). AFCO provides short-term financing for P&C insurance premiums through agent and broker channels, directly competing with Chelsea across commercial and personal premium finance products.

Regional players

• Premium Credit: A UK-headquartered insurance premium finance specialist that has expanded into select international markets. Premium Credit offers short-term financing for insurance premiums through broker and intermediary channels with a comparable business model, though it primarily serves European markets rather than the US.

Broad incumbents

• Wintrust Financial: A large US financial holding company whose subsidiary First Insurance Funding operates in the insurance premium finance space. Wintrust's broader banking, lending, and wealth management portfolio provides scale, capital, and distribution advantages that Chelsea lacks as a pure-play independent.
• TruStage (CUNA Mutual Group): A large US financial services cooperative whose subsidiary AFCO Premium Finance operates in the insurance premium finance space. TruStage's broader insurance, lending, and investment portfolio provides capital depth and distribution scale that Chelsea, as an independent, must compete against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Chelsea Financial Group