Managing general agents (MGAs)
Underwriting on delegated authority from an insurer — the channel behind most instant cargo cover.
How cover is placed
An insurer delegates authority to an MGA to underwrite and issue on its behalf, within a binder that fixes the classes, limits and rates the MGA may accept. Inside those limits the MGA can quote and issue a certificate immediately; outside them it must refer back.
Who carries the risk
The insurer standing behind the binder, not the MGA. Ask which carrier that is: the MGA’s brand on the certificate is not the balance sheet paying your claim.
Typical line size
Small to mid-size shipments within binder limits; larger values get referred to the carrier.
Strengths
- Genuinely instant cover for cargo inside the binder
- Specialist focus — many MGAs know one class very well
- Low minimum premiums, so single small shipments are viable
- The channel that makes per-certificate buying practical
Trade-offs
- Hard limits: outside the binder the answer is a referral, not a rate
- You are two steps from the balance sheet — know which carrier is on it
- Claims authority is often capped, so a large loss goes to the carrier anyway
When to look here first
Occasional shippers and per-shipment buyers who need a certificate in minutes rather than a placement conversation.
How a claim is handled
Small claims are handled by the MGA under delegated authority; anything above its limit passes to the carrier, which can add a step.
What filing a claim involves →Other channels
Syndicates subscribing to a risk through a broker, with capacity for the awkward and the very large.
Balance-sheet insurers writing cargo directly or through brokers, on their own paper and wording.
Your agent, not the insurer’s — they shop the market and argue your claim.
This page describes how the cargo market is structured. It names no insurer and asserts no relationship between InsuranceScanner and any market — we have no published panel yet. Nothing here is a recommendation that a particular channel or cover is suitable for you; see the Terms for our role.