What Holborn Corporation does

Holborn Corporation is an independent reinsurance brokerage firm founded in 1920 and headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in Bloomington, Minnesota and Overland Park, Kansas. The firm is 100% employee-owned under an ESOP structure and serves US insurance organizations — with particular specialization in mutual insurance companies — through three integrated service lines: reinsurance brokerage, analytical services (actuarial, catastrophe modeling, applied modeling), and strategic advisory (enterprise risk management, capital advisory, rating agency advisory, portfolio management). Holborn is staffed by 101–250 employees including brokers, actuaries, catastrophe modelers, claims professionals, contracts professionals, consultants, and accountants, organized into dedicated account teams for each client.

Holborn's core technology stack consists of proprietary analytical tools developed over decades and used to differentiate its advisory services. These include RiskRater (a reinsurance pricing engine tuned for portfolios of mutual insurers), HIDRA (Holborn's Integrated Dynamic Reinsurance Analysis, a property reinsurance buying engine using a scorecard methodology), ModelFit (a tool that compares client catastrophe experience to vendor model outputs by isolating frequency and severity assumptions), Eye in the Sky 2 (an exposure management and catastrophe risk modeling application with enhanced simulations), CATEX Pivot Point (a reinsurance transaction and claims tracking system), URS Risk Explorer (an asset modeling tool used in capital advisory), and a SaaS-based reinsurance platform with a secured Partner Portal for client data exchange. The firm also integrates third-party geospatial tools (Insurity Geospatial powered by SpatialKey) for concentration and live-event monitoring.

Holborn's revenue model is professional-services based: the firm earns commissions and fees from placing reinsurance treaties on behalf of US insurance carriers and providing adjacent analytical and advisory services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is tailored to each client's risk profile and treaty structure. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct broker-to-carrier relationships built on long-tenured account teams, supported by thought-leadership marketing through industry conferences (RAA, NAMIC, IACP, RMS Exceedance) and earned-media recognition (Top Independent Reinsurance Brokerage Firm 2025 from Insurance Business Review; #1 Expertise & Market Knowledge, Intelligent Insurer). Notable customers include Broome Co-operative Insurance Company, Norfolk & Dedham Mutual, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan, Federated Mutual Insurance, Acuity, Grinnell Mutual, North Star Mutual, and Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. of Iowa.

Name

Holborn Corporation

Legal name

Holborn Corporation

Website

https://holborn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Holborn Corporation is an independent, 100% employee-owned reinsurance brokerage founded in 1920, serving US insurance organizations—particularly mutual carriers—with proprietary analytical tools, catastrophe modeling, strategic advisory, and global reinsurance market access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reinsurance Brokerage

NAICS

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

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Reinsurance Claims, Accounting & Contract Administration (Broker Services) (FSAOAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Casualty Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAD), Stop-Loss & Reinsurance Administration (Captive/Level-Funded Support) (HLAEALAB)

Keywords

• Reinsurance brokerage
• Catastrophe modeling
• Risk analytics
• Enterprise risk management
• Reinsurance placement

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Reinsurance Brokerage Services: Holborn operates as an independent reinsurance intermediary/brokerage providing risk assessment and reinsurance solutions to US insurance organizations. Revenue is generated through commissions and fees from placing reinsurance treaties on behalf of client insurance companies. Services include risk analytics, contract and claims management, and maintaining trading relationships with reinsurance markets worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Holborn Corporation is an independent reinsurance brokerage firm that places reinsurance treaties on behalf of US insurance organizations and delivers risk analytics, contract management, claims handling, and strategic advisory services. The firm serves as an intermediary between primary insurance carriers (with deep specialization in mutual insurers) and the global reinsurance market, supported by proprietary analytical tools such as RiskRater, HIDRA, ModelFit, Eye in the Sky 2, and CATEX for pricing, catastrophe modeling, exposure management, and transaction tracking.

Product overview

Holborn Corporation offers reinsurance brokerage services as a unified platform of proprietary analytical tools and client services. The core offerings include reinsurance brokerage/brokering, client services (accounting, claims, contracts, market security, transition services), analytical services (actuarial, applied modeling, catastrophe modeling), and strategic advisory services (enterprise risk management, capital advisory, rating agency advisory, portfolio management). The product portfolio centers around proprietary tools including RiskRater® for reinsurance pricing, HIDRA® for property reinsurance analysis, ModelFit® for catastrophe risk modeling, Eye in the Sky 2 for exposure management, and a SaaS-based reinsurance platform for claims and accounting. The firm also leverages third-party tools like Insurity Geospatial powered by SpatialKey for geospatial risk visualization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ring of Honor: Recognition program established in 2020 to honor exceptional employees who have greatly distinguished themselves over their careers within the reinsurance industry and at Holborn.

Products and services

• Reinsurance Brokerage / Broking Services Independent reinsurance brokerage placing treaties on behalf of US insurance organizations, providing global market access, risk assessment, and dedicated broker teams for each client.
• Client Services Back-office and ongoing service support covering accounting, claims handling and recovery, contracts management, market security, and transition services for insurance organization clients.
• Analytical Services Actuarial services, applied modeling, and catastrophe modeling and solutions delivered by Holborn's Analytics Department for client reinsurance and risk decisions.
• Strategic Advisory Services Enterprise risk management, capital advisory, rating agency advisory, and portfolio management advisory services for US insurance organizations, supported by tools such as URS Risk Explorer and Holborn's Risk Management Dashboard.
• RiskRater Proprietary reinsurance pricing engine designed to manage portfolios of mutual insurers with a systematic, consistent approach and cohort-based rating for smaller companies with sparse histories.
• HIDRA (Holborn's Integrated Dynamic Reinsurance Analysis) Proprietary property reinsurance buying engine that analyzes the implications of reinsurance buying decisions to efficiently cede volatility at cost-effective premium using a scorecard methodology.
• ModelFit Proprietary tool that quantifies frequency and severity assumptions embedded in commercial catastrophe model output and compares them to actual losses to build a custom view of catastrophe risk.
• URS Risk Explorer Proprietary asset modeling tool used by Holborn in capital advisory and capital modeling engagements with insurance clients.
• Eye in the Sky 2 Exposure management and catastrophe risk modeling application with enhanced simulations supporting larger datasets, faster response, more refined deterministic loss calculation, and flexible simulation and reporting.
• CATEX Pivot Point Reinsurance Transaction System Reinsurance transaction and accounting system that improves efficiency and accountability by giving clients transparency when tracking the progress of claims and reinsurer performance statistics.
• Partner Portal Secured data transfer and client access portal enabling electronic exchange of data between Holborn and its insurance clients.
• SaaS-based Reinsurance Platform Electronic client interface offering fast access to loss reporting facilities and day-by-day monitoring of amounts recovered from reinsurance markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Risk-adjusted pricing reduced more than 10% on average in core catastrophe placements
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lockton Re: Independent reinsurance brokerage arm of Lockton, the world's largest independent insurance broker. Directly competes with Holborn in US reinsurance placement, analytics, and advisory services for insurance carrier clients.
• RPS (Ryan Specialty): Specialty insurance brokerage with a growing reinsurance practice. Competes with Holborn for US-based insurance organization clients, particularly in specialty and excess casualty reinsurance placements.
• Aon Reinsurance Solutions: Global reinsurance brokerage arm of Aon plc, providing treaty and facultative reinsurance placement, analytics, and capital advisory to insurance clients. Directly competes with Holborn for US insurance organization mandates, with broader geographic and product coverage.
• BMS Group: Independent insurance and reinsurance broker offering treaty, facultative, and capital advisory services. Competes with Holborn for US insurance organization reinsurance placements and strategic advisory mandates.
• Guy Carpenter: Marsh McLennan-owned reinsurance broker and Holborn's largest direct competitor. Both serve US insurance organizations across property, casualty, and specialty lines, but Guy Carpenter operates globally with vastly greater headcount and capacity for mega-mandates.
• Howden Re: Independent global reinsurance broker formed through the merger of TigerRisk and Hyperion. Competes directly with Holborn in property and casualty reinsurance brokerage, with growing US presence and similar client focus on primary insurers.

Broad incumbents

• Willis Towers Watson Reinsurance: Global reinsurance brokerage practice within WTW. Competes with Holborn for US-based insurance organization mandates as part of a broader advisory and consulting portfolio, with greater scale but less mutual-insurance specialization.
• JLT Re (now part of Marsh): Reinsurance broker now integrated into Marsh McLennan. Was historically a direct independent competitor to Holborn for US insurance organization reinsurance placements; now part of a larger global incumbent.

Emerging players

• McGill and Partners: Fast-growing independent specialist reinsurance and risk broker. Targets similar primary insurer clients as Holborn but focuses more on specialty and large complex placements; competes for US reinsurance brokerage mandates.
• Acrisure Re: Reinsurance brokerage arm of Acrisure, a rapidly growing insurance brokerage conglomerate. Competes with Holborn for US-based insurance organization reinsurance placements, leveraging PE-backed scale and aggressive M&A.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/81870

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Holborn Corporation