The Challenge

As part of its 100% digital underwriting process, Coterie needed a product that would quickly return accurate risk information about a property to help the insurer decide whether to quote, decline, or add some form, exclusion, or endorsement to a policy.

The Solution

Guidewire HazardHub helps Coterie make better underwriting decisions by providing it with risk insights on the 30 data points the insurer monitors.

Accomplishments That Count

Seconds or less to digitally underwrite a business

35,000+

Submissions a month are run through HazardHub

HazardHub is critical to our business, because we absolutely need to know this information. What HazardHub does with rating a policy where the property is located is incredibly important to us in order to mitigate risk.

Paul Bessire, Chief Data Officer

Coterie

How Coterie Engages, Innovates, And Grows Efficiently

Business Benefits

Digitally underwrite a business in less than 20 seconds
Leverage HazardHub information to make an informed decision on accepting coverage, determine whether it needs an endorsement, and decide whether it wants to take on the risk

The Story

Founded in 2018, Coterie Insurance transforms the way small business insurance was written. By combining its tech-based approach with its insurance expertise, Coterie has simplified the insurance process by making it 100% digital. Coterie is a licensed producer in all 50 states and writes business through independent agents and brokers.

Coterie offers three products for small-business owners: Business Owner Policy (BOP), Professional Liability and General Liability. Even though its line of products is small, Coterie has seen tremendous success.

Coterie credits the work its vendors do and the insurer’s relationships with those vendors to its success. One of those vendors is Guidewire.

Coterie leverages Guidewire HazardHub data to help it make direct underwriting decisions. It also uses HazardHub information to make recommendations.

“HazardHub helps us decide whether we are going to decline coverage or add some form, exclusion, or endorsement to a policy,” says Paul Bessire, Chief Data Officer. “When a business and its address is put into our system, HazardHub is pinged, and it provides us with information that we run against our underwriting characteristics. Based on the attributes that HazardHub provides, we will either accept or reject partial or full coverage.”

While HazardHub offers 1,400 data points, Coterie specifically uses 30 data points.

Bessier says, “The biggest points we look at are hail, wildfire, distance to the coast, wind, how long it takes to get to a hospital, and location of the nearest fire hydrants.”

With HazardHub, Coterie is able to make underwriting decisions in less than 20 seconds.

“HazardHub is critical to our business, because we absolutely need to know this information,” says Bessire. “What HazardHub does with rating a policy where the property is located is incredibly important to us in order to mitigate risk.”