For many insurance carriers, growth traditionally has been achieved by accruing new accounts slowly, one policy at a time. An independent agent brings in a prospective customer, coverage is quoted, and then a new account gets added (usually to the books of whichever carrier offers the best rate). Carrier-led book rolls can shift this equation, allowing more competitive insurers to access entire portfolios of business to grow not incrementally, but at scale and aligned with the carrier’s appetite, strategy, and profitability.
More than mere administrative paperwork, a book roll can be a powerful tool for carriers to scale efficiently, deepen agency relationships, and enter new markets—all while delivering a seamless experience for valuable agency partners and end-insured customers.
Why book rolls matter in insurance
At its simplest, a book roll is the process whereby an agency transfers their existing book of business—policies, premiums, and, importantly, customer relationships—from one carrier to another. This can happen when a carrier exits a certain market, or when an agency is simply seeking a more favorable carrier partnership. For the new carrier, this form of agency-initiated book roll presents an opportunity to onboard an entire portfolio at once, gaining both premium volume and access to customer relationships already built and nurtured by trusted agencies.
But that isn’t how book rolls always play out, and the process can be driven from the carrier side, too. Instead of waiting for opportunity to come knocking, carriers can initiate a book roll by soliciting the transfer of existing business from their independent agency partners. By scanning an agency’s book of business to target the right kind of business that best aligns with a carrier’s risk appetite, carriers can win desirable accounts directly from their competitors.
Carrier-initiated book rolls
To win over these customers, a carrier has to offer something better, usually a reduced premium for equivalent coverage (and, potentially, a stronger insurance commission for the agency) given that no policyholder would switch carriers just to pay more for the same protection. To determine the exact customers for which their rate would be more competitive, book rolls provide carriers instant visibility. Through book rolls, carriers can surface detailed policy information at scale in order to put the right offers in front of the right agency partners so they can start the conversation with customers.
This competitive, data-driven process offers immediate advantages to carriers, most importantly:
- Instant portfolio growth via targeted acquisition from within an agency’s book of business, rather than gradual growth contingent on individual sales;
- Optimal customer lists for rapid market expansion, with the possibility of new regions or lines of business added quickly; and
- Stronger, more effective agency relationships, particularly when the experience is efficient, transparent, and supportive of the agent’s role in helping their customers find the right coverage for the best rate.
- Book rolls are as much about relationships as they are about numbers. Agencies remain the trusted advisors, explaining to customers how a switch could save money or improve coverage. The carriers that can facilitate this process more easily are more likely to pull ahead of the competition.
A closer look at modern book rolls
Until the widespread adoption of digital workflows between carriers and agencies, executing a carrier-led book roll required weeks of manual work, with endless hours spent sorting declaration pages on site, often while occupying some unlucky agent’s desk, then re-keying data, and fighting format inconsistencies. From start to finish, a large book roll could easily take months to sort through and reconcile massive troves of information, creating friction that could easily slow momentum and strain working relationships with agencies.
With a modern digital data exchange, it’s an invitation that’s as simple as an email. Efficient, secure access to an agency’s book of business provides carriers standardized, accurate policy data for streamlined analysis to evaluate premiums, appetite, and potential gaps. By unobtrusively identifying the accounts to target for transfer through book rolls, carriers can strengthen ties with agency partners, who would prefer to place business with the insurers that actively help them spot savings opportunities for their customers.
Again, success in insurance comes down to relationships, and a contemporary, connected book roll process is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. In a book roll process that benefits everyone, a carrier can signal the type of risks they want to write, demonstrate their ease of doing business, and give their agency partners good reasons to bring customers along. For growth-focused carriers, modern book rolls are a way to scale smartly, improve trust with agencies, and open pathways to even more advanced data analytics.
Trusted connectivity technology
Powered by Vertafore, Book Roll is built to help carriers grow faster, without adding complexity. Digitally request agency portfolios, securely receive policy data, and analyze it all within one trusted interface. The result? Less friction, smarter decisions, and stronger agency relationships.