Special Section sponsored by TMPAA

Meadowbrook Insurance Group

Program categories include: specialty programs, professional liability, commercial packages, and workers compensation, among others

Meet the “Expanding Meadowbrook,” the specialty lines company that aligns client service with regional team expertise

Known as “The Program People,” Meadowbrook Insurance Group continues to execute on its mission to meet the growing and diverse needs of its clients.

A significant change to Meadowbrook in 2008 is the merger with ProCentury Corporation (parent of Century Insurance Group), a specialty excess & surplus lines company. The combined strategy of the two companies is to provide many specialty offerings while using the merged entity’s distribution systems.

According to Meadowbrook Senior Vice President of Insurance Company Operations Joseph Mattingly, “The merger creates a number of valuable synergies and strategic advantages that will enable the combined organization to not only continue to provide exceptional service, but to open up new and exciting opportunities.

“The most often heard word around our offices lately is ‘synergy,’” Mattingly says. “There are very few redundancies between these two firms. Meadowbrook’s programs and ProCentury’s products and distribution systems don’t overlap. The expertise in each organization will remain,” Mattingly continues. “There’s going to be very little in the way of integration challenges because our cultures, technology and commitment to customer service mirror one another’s closely.”

The ProCentury merger adds distinct new expertise to an already broad portfolio of insurance acumen. Meadowbrook remains a full service specialty lines company with a program focus, and now offers full service E&S capabilities.

As a result, Meadowbrook will continue to expand its program capabilities while broadening its product base through an enlarged network of agents. At the same time, the ProCentury offerings will appeal to many Meadowbrook agents.

“Truly, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” notes Christopher J. Timm, president of Century Insurance Group. “And that’s what will happen as people get to know the expanded Meadowbrook/ProCentury combination.”

The company’s emphasis remains on small- to mid-sized commercial property/casualty program business, while also supporting program administrators and MGAs who are developing newer products. Archie McIntyre, senior vice president of business development, notes, “For program agents in today’s challenging market, product expansion and access to new markets is vital. Agents need to also be supported by a binding relationship with the same carrier with which they are doing program business. We are uniquely positioned to fulfill that role.”

Meadowbrook is enhancing its customer service orientation based on the expertise of regional personnel rather than the traditional territorial approach found in the standard market.

“Specialty programs remain a high priority,” notes James Mahoney, senior vice president, field operations. “We look at those $3 million to $10 million programs as our niche, and we are now communicating our ability to serve those specialty needs, regardless of geography. We have broad expertise, not limited by location or territory. Regardless of the specialty, Meadowbrook can assist the agent to develop programs nationally or regionally.”

Meadowbrook also works with larger MGAs and recognized program administrators who operate on a multiple program approach, according to McIntyre. “This provides a stronger balance to the relationship for both the agent and carrier.”

Additionally, Meadowbrook’s ability to align interests with incentive-based compensation arrangements rounds out the partnership with Meadowbrook. We reward our partners in both hard and soft market conditions.

“Serving our diverse range of clients has required a significant investment in technology,” McIntyre says. “We have embraced and adopted emerging technologies in order to expand our operational efficiencies and give exceptional service to our agents and insureds.” *