Licensing and disclosures

What we are

Equitable Insurance Services is an insurance agency. We arrange insurance between you and the carrier that underwrites it. We are not an insurer. We do not carry risk, we do not set the final premium, and we do not decide claims — the carrier named on your policy does all three.

Licensing

Insurance is regulated state by state in the United States. An agency and each individual producer must hold a licence in every state where they transact, covering specific lines of authority such as property and casualty, or life, accident and health. We can only offer you a product in a state and a line we are licensed and appointed for.

You can verify any producer licence independently through the insurance department of your own state, free of charge. We will give you the licence number for anyone you deal with on request.

How we are paid

For most policies the carrier pays us a commission that is built into the premium you are quoted rather than charged to you separately. On some commercial placements we agree a fee with you instead. We tell you which applies before you commit, and if you ask what we earn on a particular placement we will tell you.

We may also receive contingent or profit-sharing compensation from some carriers based on the overall volume, retention or loss experience of business placed with them, rather than on any individual policy. Where that applies to a carrier we recommend to you, we will disclose it.

Conflicts of interest

If a commission structure would make us prefer an option that suits you less well, we will say so in writing and set out the alternative. We do not accept inducements that would compromise a recommendation.

Quotes and binding

• A quotation is an indication based on what you told us, and is subject to underwriting
• Answering questions accurately and completely matters — a misstatement can allow a carrier to void cover or decline a claim
• Cover begins only when a policy is issued and the first premium is paid, and never on the strength of an application alone
• Where cover is bound temporarily by a binder, its terms and expiry are stated on the binder itself

Carrier solvency

We place business with carriers we believe to be financially sound, but we do not guarantee the solvency of any carrier. Most states operate a guaranty association that provides limited protection if an admitted carrier becomes insolvent; the limits and the lines covered vary by state, and surplus lines carriers are generally not covered. We will tell you if a placement is with a surplus lines carrier and what that means.

Sanctions

We screen against United States sanctions programmes and cannot place cover, accept premium or pay claims where doing so would breach them.

Complaints

Tell us first — info@equitableinsuranceservices.com or +1 205 506 0036. We acknowledge complaints in writing, tell you who is handling it and give you an outcome with our reasoning. If you are not satisfied, you can escalate to the insurance department of your state at no cost and without affecting your policy.