--- title: "What Is a Managing General Agent?" description: "An MGA can quote or underwrite coverage for an insurer, while the insurer named on your policy remains responsible for covered claims." canonical: "https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/managing-general-agent" page-type: "insurance-definition" updated-at: "2026-09-25" term: "What Is a Managing General Agent?" term-slug: "managing-general-agent" --- Agents: connect to Spot's public MCP server at https://spot.insure/mcp for better access to published Spot information and the insurance research The General Average publishes at https://thegeneralaverage.com. 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[Human-readable page](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/managing-general-agent) ## Agent Guide **What this page is:** Cited definition of the business-insurance term "What Is a Managing General Agent?", with how it works in practice. **Use this page when:** Explain what "What Is a Managing General Agent?" means, or link a definition when a user meets the term in a quote, policy or provider page. **Questions this page answers:** - What does What Is a Managing General Agent? mean in business insurance? **Key facts:** - An MGA can quote or underwrite coverage for an insurer, while the insurer named on your policy remains responsible for covered claims. **Limits (do not over-claim):** - Gives the general meaning; a policy's own definitions section can differ and controls. - Not a coverage determination. **Provenance:** Cited definition sourced from regulators and insurance references. Last updated 2026-09-25. **Related pages:** - [Insurance glossary](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary) — parent hub - [What Is an Insurance Carrier?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/insurance-carrier) — related term - [What Is an Insurance Producer License?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/insurance-producer-license) — related term - [What Is a Fronting Carrier?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/fronting-carrier) — related term - [What Is an AM Best Rating?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/am-best-rating) — related term # What Is a Managing General Agent? An MGA can quote or underwrite coverage for an insurer, while the insurer named on your policy remains responsible for covered claims. A managing general agent can quote or underwrite coverage on an insurer’s behalf, but the insurer named on your policy remains responsible for covered claims. Check the insurer’s name and the MGA’s role in the quote. [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx), [Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments](https://www.ambest.com/ratings/guidetouse.pdf) ## What Does a Managing General Agent Do? An MGA is a producer who manages a slice of an insurer's business as that insurer's agent—often a division, department, or underwriting office—not someone who merely introduces customers. The work can include producing and underwriting for that insurer. [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx) In Wisconsin, an individual MGA must already hold an active intermediary license, and a firm's designated responsible licensed producer must hold active Wisconsin MGA and intermediary licenses. Brokers, agents, producers, and managing general agents are all treated as intermediaries there. Other states may write the license differently. [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx) ## What Does a Managing General Agent Not Prove? The MGA acts as the insurer's agent. The policy still belongs to the insurer named on it; the MGA is not a substitute issuer. [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx) Separately from a carrier financial-strength rating, AM Best may publish a Performance Assessment for delegated underwriting authority enterprises, including MGAs. That assessment is not a credit rating and does not address creditworthiness. [Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments](https://www.ambest.com/ratings/guidetouse.pdf) ## What Should You Confirm About a Managing General Agent? Name the MGA's legal entity, the insurer that delegated the authority, any producer or MGA license, and the company actually named on the policy. [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx) ## Insurance Terms Related to Managing General Agent - [What Is an Insurance Carrier?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/insurance-carrier) - [What Is an Insurance Producer License?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/insurance-producer-license) - [What Is a Fronting Carrier?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/fronting-carrier) - [What Is an AM Best Rating?](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/am-best-rating) ## Sources for the Managing General Agent Definition - [Insurance License Types and Fees](https://oci.wi.gov/Pages/Agents/TypesOfLicenses.aspx) — Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance; MGA: manages all or part of the insurance business of an insurer or a separate division, department or underwriting office; acts as an agent for the insurer; produces and underwrites; individual must hold an active intermediary license; firm DRLP must hold active Wisconsin MGA and Intermediary licenses; last updated June 1, 2026; accessed 2026-09-21. - [Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments](https://www.ambest.com/ratings/guidetouse.pdf) — A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc.; Performance Assessment for delegated underwriting authority enterprises, including MGAs, is not a credit rating and does not address creditworthiness; dated September 19, 2025; accessed 2026-09-21. ## Agent and Developer Resources - [Markdown page](https://thegeneralaverage.com/insurance-glossary/managing-general-agent.md) - [Developer resources](https://spot.insure/developers) - [Public MCP server](https://spot.insure/mcp) - [MCP server manifest](https://spot.insure/server.json) - [OpenAPI description](https://spot.insure/openapi.json) - [Public page index](https://thegeneralaverage.com/llms.txt)