Commission, normally calculated as a percentage of the premium paid to the insurer for the specific policy, is paid to us by the insurer for the distribution and servicing of your insurance policy. Our commission is included in the premium paid by you. The individuals at Garrett Agencies who place and service your insurance may be paid compensation that varies directly with the commissions we receive.
On occasion, with more complex business insurance programs and where additional resources, products or services are appropriate, a fee may be negotiated for placement of insurance coverage or additional services. Fees charged for the placement of insurance will be outlined in a proposal and approved, usually in writing, prior to the insurer binding coverage. On occasion, we may receive both commissions and client-paid fees for placing insurance, which generally will be disclosed in writing to you in advance. In certain circumstances clients pay us mutually agreed-upon fees for additional services, such as third party administration of employee benefits or workers’ compensation programs.
We may receive revenue or further benefits from our insurance brokerage activities in other ways, including, but not limited to, from insurance company promotional events, payments from insurers for promotional marketing and/or employee training and development, fees or a percentage of the interest paid to us for the administration of premium finance contracts, interest paid to us by financial institutions earned on fiduciary or trust accounts in which we hold your premium payments pending remittance to the insurance company, and fees paid to us for policy and/or claims administration and/or loss control services that we provide.
We have access to the products and services of every insurer in Canada and beyond; however, we believe our ability to provide the best combination of products, service, value and ongoing access to capacity is enhanced by focusing on a manageable number of carrier relationships. These strategic relationships include many of the most respected national and regional insurance companies in the insurance industry (the “Strategic Carriers”). Although we will continue to access our other insurance company relationships where appropriate, we expect that many of our clients’ insurance needs may be met through the Strategic Carriers. The Strategic Carriers may pay us enhanced compensation, which we intend to use in part to invest in initiatives to improve our ability to serve our customers’ and to optimize their insurance buying experience. A portion of any enhanced compensation from our Strategic Carriers may be used to incentivize our employees to prioritize, investigate and access the products and services of our Strategic Carriers for the purpose of consolidating the number of insurance markets with which we deal, while at the same time addressing the needs of our clients. In limited circumstances, our employees may serve on boards or committees of these or other insurers with whom policies are placed.
Our goal is to be your insurance brokerage of choice. We know you have many brokerages to choose from, so to earn your confidence, we hold ourselves to the highest standard of service, a standard reflected in our written Client Commitment - we call it the Garrett Agencies Advantage.
About Garrett Agencies, how we operate, and what makes us different.
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