5 Ways Wholesalers and MGAs Help Agents Win in a Softer Market

• March 15, 2026

By Andy Roe

Commercial property & casualty premiums across all account sizes in the fourth quarter of 2025 were the softest they have been since 2017, according to The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) quarterly survey. As the market continues to soften, you may see more carriers chasing business, with broader appetites and aggressive pricing.

While this creates opportunities, it also brings challenges, especially for excess & surplus lines agents navigating shifting appetites and increased competitive pressure. Even in a soft market, wholesalers and managing general agents (MGA’s) play a critical role in helping agents protect their accounts, retain clients and grow efficiently. Here are five ways:

1) Help agents compete beyond just price. When everyone is just quoting on premium, it’s actually the value that wins accounts.

Some examples of added value include highlighting key coverage differences, carrier stability, long-term considerations and hidden limitations in “too good to be true” options. This helps clients make smarter decisions without agents having to undercut the premium of every quote that comes across their desk.

2) Keep ahead of appetite changes. Soft markets shift weekly. Appetites expand, then contract, then shift again.

Wholesalers and MGA’s stay on top of which carriers are moving into new classes, which appetites are temporary and where you’ll get the fastest path to a bindable quote. This saves time and prevents wasted submissions and remarketing.

3) Offer tools to be faster and more efficient. When premiums drop, agents need to increase volume or improve efficiency to maintain revenue. Wholesalers and MGAs offer support through online raters, streamlined submissions, rapid turnaround, multi-carrier quoting options and dedicated underwriting support.

4) Protect accounts before the market tightens again. Soft markets don’t last. Wholesalers and MGAs help ensure agents continue to build accounts by offering accurate valuations, clear COPE details, strong documentation, and placements with carriers that will stay invested in the account when rates shift.

This will enable agents not to have to scramble later or re-educate clients who bounce around based solely on price.

5) Expand your reach. Even if carriers are writing more business directly, agents still get access to a broader range of markets, solutions for tough classes that admitted carriers won’t touch, knowledge of exclusions, endorsements and unique excess & surplus nuances, product specialists in niche markets and guidance on unusual or emerging exposures. Wholesalers and MGA’s become the difference-maker as competition increases.

Andy Roe is president & chief operating officer at Arlington/Roe^®.