Over the last 20 years, the structure of the insurance industry has changed. Carriers have purchased or merged with other carriers and large regional and national brokers have swallowed up smaller independent agents. On top of those changes, our society has changed the way businesses work in America and our national economy has become part of a global economy.

All these changes have had a major impact on the local insurance agents and underwriters. To grow, agents need access to markets and underwriters need valuable relationships with agents. Wholesale agents have grown to be a greater part of the industry in a variety of aspects. This course examines how the roles and needs of wholesale relationships.

By the end of the session, attendees will be able to

• Describe how wholesale agents aid others to gain market access.
• Discuss the special risks that wholesale agents seek to find coverage for.
• Discuss the specialized knowledge that wholesale agents need and gain from their work in the wholesale arena.