Best 10 insurance brokers in Massachusetts

If you would like to sell insurance or thinking of buying insurance in Massachusetts, Here is a detailed breakdown of the finest insurance brokers in Massachusetts.

If you live or work in Massachusetts and require insurance, it may be difficult to choose where to start.

If you Google “Best insurance agencies in MA,” you will pull up hundreds of possible firms in the state. This is likely the reason why you are here in the first place.

Obtaining information about Massachusetts insurance brokers and how to obtain a Massachusetts insurance license is one of the reasons you’re here.

This page contains the information you need to get started with purchasing or selling property and casualty insurance, life insurance, health insurance, or any combination of these lines of business.

[lwptoc]

Guide To Obtaining Your Massachusetts Insurance License

You can receive a Massachusetts License either as a person or as an entity (company); the two processes for acquiring the license are outlined below.

Individually

1. complete a pre-licensing course.

In Massachusetts, if you want to sell insurance or become an adjuster, you must pass a licensing exam. You should enroll in an insurance course to prepare for the licensure exam.

A.D. Banker & Company offers insurance prelicensing training in a variety of forms, including classroom, web classes, online courses, and self-study. The exam subject outline is cross-referenced with each course.

2. Passing a Licensing Exam/Reserving Exam Seats

Prometric provides licensing examinations. Candidates may register for their examination online or at a physical venue.

Exam fees must be paid using a Master Card, Visa, money order, corporate check, or cashier’s check at the time of reservation. Cash and money orders are not accepted. You can reserve a test using the following channels:

Prometric’s website: Here

Phone: (800) 741-9380

Fax/Mail: Registration through fax or mail consists of two steps:

Submit the registration form together with payment to:

Prometric

ATTN: MA Insurance Exam Enrollment; 200 Lord Baltimore Drive, Suite 3110 Windsor Mill, Maryland

Number: (800) 347-9242

After your registration has been processed, call (800) 741-9380 to arrange your exam.

What to Bring;

• A current, signed form of identity that must include the following:
• Be issued by the government (e.g., driver’s license, state-issued or military identification card).
• Include a current photograph of yourself as well as your signature.
• Have a name that is identical to the one used to register for the examination.

Exam Methodologies

Report to the test facility 30 minutes before the exam to be photographed and have your identification verified. All testing sessions are captured on video and audio.

No personal goods are permitted in the examination room such as mobile phones, watches, wallets, or handbags.

• Exam Style

Each mainline test is administered with multiple-choice questions.

Each exam has unidentified “experimental” questions interspersed among the scored questions. Experimental questions may be absent from your instructional materials and have no bearing on your final grade!

The minimum passing grade for each exam is 70%.

When you finish the exam, your score will be displayed on the screen and a printed score report will be sent to you. The score report will indicate whether you passed or failed the exam, as well as the proportion of right answers for each of the key parts. Candidates who do not pass the test may reschedule it without a waiting time.

Within two business days, Prometric notifies the Department of Insurance of your exam results.

3. Apply for Permission

After passing the exam, you must apply for your license online Here

As a Legal Entity (Corporation);

1. Select a business structure: sole proprietorship, limited liability company, corporation, or other?

In Massachusetts, insurance agencies may employ the following organizational forms:

• Sole proprietorship
• General partnership
• Limited liability partnership
• Corporation
• Limited liability company (LLC)
• or a limited liability partnership (LLP).

Each type has its pros and downsides. Several factors to consider include taxation, personal responsibility protection, and ownership interest flexibility.

In Massachusetts, a sole proprietorship is not qualified for a business entity producer license and needs to do business under an individual producer license. Therefore, the vast bulk of this checklist relates to business forms other than sole proprietorships seeking a registered business license.

2. Determine the availability of the agency name of your choice

Before drafting the documentation for your agency, you might wish to verify whether the name you choose is available.

To determine whether a name is available, you can search the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Corporations Division’s corporate directory and name reservation database. The online address for the Corporations Division is Here

Your agency’s name will not be approved if it is identical to or too close to an already-used or reserved name.

By submitting an Application of Reservation of Name with the Corporations Division, you may reserve a name before incorporating or filing a certificate. The filing fee is $30.00.

You must still obtain the permission of your name from the Division of Insurance, but it will be more likely to be accepted now that you have proven that it is not in use by another corporation, and you will have less reason to repeat the organizational paperwork for creating the business entity.

3. Prepare the documentation for the form of business organization you’ve selected.

Corporations require Articles of Organization and By-Laws, LLCs require Certificates of Organization and should have an Operating Agreement, partnerships require partnership agreements, and sole proprietorships require Business Certificates from the municipality where they will be conducting business. A consultation with an expert attorney can aid you in avoiding any errors in this area.

4. Obtain agency name approval

The name of any corporate organization created to serve as an insurance producer is susceptible to the prior written permission of the Commissioner of Insurance, under M.G.L. c. 155, section 9.

New Business Entity Producer candidates are no longer needed to include the word “insurance” in their corporation names as of November 14, 2003. Business Entity names must sound professional and cannot be identical to those of other entities. There can be only one DBA (doing business as) name for a Business Entity.

Individual Producers must continue to use the word “insurance” in their DBA names. Individual DBA names cannot contain the terms “group,” “associates/association,” “partnership,” or “business.”

To receive name approval, corporations must submit their unexecuted Articles of Organization. (A certified copy of your Articles of Organization and a Certificate of Existence are necessary if the organization is already formed and authorized by the Secretary of State’s office.) LLCs are required to submit a Certificate of Organization.

If a DBA is to be utilized, a Company Certificate from the town or city in which the agency will be running your business is also to be supplied with the above-required papers for approval by the Division.

5. File the necessary documentation with the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office.

If the Division of Insurance approves your name, it will indicate so on the Articles of Organization or Certificate of Organization that you filed. These can now be signed and lodged with the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division. As of July 2009, the filing price for Articles of Organization is $275 and the filing charge for a Certificate of Organization for an LLC is $500.

Concurrently, you can acquire a certified copy of the same document and a Certificate of Legal Existence, both of which must be submitted with your application for a business entity license. Certificates of Legal Existence are available for $12 each. A certified copy will cost you $10.00.

6. Complete the Application for Uniform Business Entity Licensing.

An updated iteration of the Uniform Application for Registered Business Insurance License is available online at www.nipr.com.

At least one person with a current producer’s license must be identified in the application. In Massachusetts, this individual may be a business owner, officer, director, partner, or important employee.

7. Send the application, papers, and fee to the Division of Insurance

The following items should be submitted for approval to the Division of Insurance:

• Application for an NAIC Uniform License – New Business Entity Producer

Member list – In addition to the producer that must be specified on the application, Massachusetts needs a separate list of all licensed producers (key persons, i.e., owners, officers, directors, and key employees) who will be conducting business in Massachusetts, are independently licensed as a resident or non-resident independent producers in Massachusetts, and are to be covered by the corporate entity’s license.

• Certificate of Existence for Massachusetts

Certified copy of the Organization’s Articles of Incorporation (or Certificate of Organization if an LLC)

Per the member mentioned on the member list, there is a $75 licensing fee payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

All needed licensing paperwork must be forwarded to the P.O. Box (bank lockbox) for processing of the fee check at the location shown below.

• MA Department of Insurance
• Producer Licensing
• Box number 370043
• Boston, Massachusetts 02241

Top Insurance Brokers In Massachusetts

By familiarizing yourself with all of your local insurance agency options, you’ll feel more confident in selecting the agency that’s right for you.

Listed here, in no specified sequence, are the top Massachusetts insurance brokers.

1. Kaplansky Insurance

In Massachusetts, the 1974-established Kaplansky Insurance is a well-known name. Kaplansky operates thirteen sites in Massachusetts (and one in Rhode Island), primarily in the Boston and Metrowest regions.

Kaplansky can provide its clients with a variety of alternatives since they partner with 33 personal insurance companies and 26 commercial insurance carriers.

Kaplansky is also one of the roughly 30 5-star agencies in Massachusetts (out of almost 2,000 independent agencies).

The Five Star Designation is a prestigious accreditation granted by the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents after a thorough assessment of an agency’s operations and staff.

2. HUB International

HUB International, the only global agency on the list, has 470 offices worldwide, including 40 states. They have 17 locations in Massachusetts. The Boston Business Journal called them the second-largest insurance broker in 2021.

They provide alternatives for employee compensation, financial sectors, human resources consultancy, and risk services in addition to commercial and personal insurance. They specialize in numerous business insurance areas.

3. Cross Insurance Agency

Cross Insurance Agency was established in 1954 and has since expanded to 40 locations throughout New England.

Cross Insurance Agency embodies the concept of a one-stop shop. In addition to offering personal and commercial insurance, they also provide employee benefits such as medical insurance, dental insurance, and both optional and mandatory life insurance.

Short- and long-term disability insurance, as well as vision insurance, as well as bonds, and specialty products such as guarantee and bonding, student health, building practice, medical practice, and higher education.

4. Eastern Insurance Group, LLC.

Eastern Insurance, a subsidiary of Eastern Bank, is one of New England’s largest independent insurance businesses. The Boston Business Journal ranked it as the third-largest insurance broker in Massachusetts in 2021.

Also, Eastern Insurance is a Massachusetts-based provider of personal insurance, corporate insurance, and employee benefits with a headquarters in Natick and 23 more sites across the state’s east.

With over 400 skilled specialists and a 24/7 claims and customer support center, they offer industry-specific knowledge, immediate access to claim status, and smooth follow-up with over 50 major insurance carriers, among other services.

Via their Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, they provide 10 percent of their revenues to organizations around eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Additionally, they have an outstanding research facility with educational materials such as an insurance lexicon, blogs, research papers, and risk awareness tools.

5. C&S Insurance Company

Cavallo & Signoriello Insurance Agency, established in 1959, has four sites between Boston and Providence: Dedham, Mansfield, Bridgewater, and Attleboro.

They are the ideal blend of old and new-school insurance, in that they are still a local, neighborhood firm (run by individuals who know your name and support your children’s sports teams).

But also a rapidly expanding, statewide organization with huge resources and capacities. They provide best-in-class personal insurance and commercial insurance and can utilize multiple carrier partnerships and competent team members.

All this indicates greater coverage and price for you as it also provides various specialist services for certain business industries and engages in a lot of community activities.

6. Risman Insurance Agency

This insurance was founded in 1925, now has nine locations in the Greater Boston area. Risman is licensed in 20 states and works with 40 insurance companies, allowing them to serve a wide range of personal and commercial insurance clients.

And on Google, these customers applaud the customer service at Risman. Risman is likewise a 5-star agency.

7. Keefe Insurance

Keefe Insurance, situated directly on Franklin, is a reputable and well-known agency in the area. Not only do they have pages dedicated to the many forms of company insurance they offer, but they also have sections dedicated to the various industries (like painter, masonry, etc.).

This makes it simple for specific sorts of organizations to determine which forms of insurance they require.

8. Greylock Insurance Agency

Greylock Insurance is well-known in the western region of the state, with locations in North Adams, Adams, Pittsfield, Williamstown, Great Barrington, and Westfield. Greylock Insurance Agency, a subsidiary of Greylock Federal Credit Union, provides commercial and personal insurance to the local community.

GIA is delighted to be the only entirely county-wide insurance network in the Berkshires, with 7 locations and 29 insurance experts servicing over 10,000 personal and commercial customers. Greylock Insurance Agency is a leader in the business and is well valued by its carrier partners, having attained the highest levels of performance with a number of them and acting as representatives on a number of our Agent’s Councils.

9. Murphy Insurance Agency

Murphy Insurance has offices in Bolton, Groton, Harvard, Hudson, Marlborough, Medway, and Mendon.

The company is well-known in Central Massachusetts and Worcester. In 1937, Murphy Insurance was founded as a family-owned business, and this remains true today.

As a result, they have developed deep ties with local companies and families. According to their website, they now deal with third and fourth generations of customer families. They also have a webpage specifically highlighting their values, as well as being a 5-star agency.

10. G&N Insurance

G&N Insurance, with a single location in Southborough, is perhaps the most modern entity on this list. They are on the bleeding edge of insurance trends, with a youthful workforce and a modern, video-focused website that includes a live chat option.

Their website emphasizes the ease of purchasing insurance via them, and they also have a podcast featuring interviews with corporate executives about how they achieved success.

FAQs about the insurance brokers in Massachusetts

See below for answers to the questions about the best insurance brokers in Massachusetts;

• How long is the Massachusetts insurance license valid?

Approximately three years.

• How lengthy is the Massachusetts insurance license application process?

2 to 8 weeks The majority of your time will be spent preparing for the Massachusetts insurance examination. Some individuals who have studied for as little as a week feel confident taking the exam.

• What does a Massachusetts insurance license cost?

Your insurance training, application, and exam will cost approximately $375 in total. If you fail the exam the very first time, each additional try costs $49.

A final thought about the insurance brokers in Massachusetts

As you’ve seen, working and living in Massachusetts, you have always had the perk of plenty of outstanding insurance providers to select from.

Whether you need to cover your personal needs, company, or both, you ought to be in excellent hands with any of the organizations we listed above.

Editors’ Picks

Top insurance brokers in California

Best Florida insurance brokers

Best insurance brokers in Washington state