Why agencies choose Hedge over BTIS

Hedge Specialty vs BTIS

Consider Hedge when you need a named wholesale broker to review a difficult commercial file and explain the placement route. BTIS may fit better when the account fits a BTIS program and your agency wants a marketplace application and comparison workflow. Confirm the proposed team, market route, and quoted terms for the account.

National reachResponsive serviceNo Hedge wholesale feeSame account team

Send Hedge your file Get appointed with Hedge

Named-team wholesale optionHedgeResponsive service. No wholesale fee.

Alternative service modelBTISProgram and brokerage hybrid

NationalOne Hedge relationship for eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S.

Quote supportPrompt review and clear updates as we pursue market quotes

Wholesale feeNo Hedge wholesale fee, no sub-brokering, and no layered commission stacks

Account teamYour account team through intake, bind, renewal, and service

Understand the alternative

What BTIS actually offers.

Managing general agency and online marketplace for independent insurance agents. U.S. agency marketplace; carrier, product and state eligibility vary.

The published service model

BTIS describes an MGA marketplace where agents register, select a line and complete an application to obtain supported quotes. Its producer resources separately address program-specific servicing and broker-of-record procedures.

Official public workflow and product-role descriptions checked November 10, 2026. Access and account terms remain subject to the selected route. Read the primary source ↗

Published areas of focus

Contractors and small commercial
Workers compensation
General liability and other supported marketplace products

Questions specific to this choice

Which BTIS program and carrier would quote this exact operation and state?
Does the returned result meet all coverage requirements, and what still needs underwriting approval?
Who handles servicing and a future broker-of-record request for the selected product?

BTIS combines MGA products with a comparative marketplace. Compare the actual program and underwriting requirements with a broker-led placement for a file that needs individual negotiation.

Why agencies choose Hedge

National reach. Responsive service. No Hedge wholesale fee.

These differences affect the next hard account.

01 / national

One national relationship.

Hedge serves eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S. through one consistent relationship.

02 / quotes

Review by the team that owns the account.

Hedge reviews the file, identifies what is missing, and tells you whether there is a credible next step.

03 / fees

No Hedge wholesale fee.

No sub-brokering and no layered commission stacks. Premium, taxes, and filing charges remain account-specific.

04 / service

One team owns it.

The account team stays through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service.

Recommendation

Where does Hedge fit your account?

Which BTIS program and carrier would quote this exact operation and state?

The Hedge service model

Start here

Consider Hedge when these needs match.

You need a named wholesale broker to review a difficult commercial file and explain the placement route.
You value no Hedge wholesale fee and the same account team through placement and renewal.

Next step: send the file you already have for review.

Account fit

Consider BTIS when these needs match.

The account fits a BTIS program and your agency wants a marketplace application and comparison workflow.
You already have an active BTIS relationship and understand the selected carrier's underwriting and servicing requirements.

Ask the proposed team to confirm the specific route and service owner.

Side by side

Seven operating questions for the agency.

Compare the proposed team, actual route, and terms for the same account. Hedge's column describes its published service commitments. Competitor sources are linked below; confirm desk-level service and total cost directly.

Decision	BTIS	Hedge
Account fit	The account fits a BTIS program and your agency wants a marketplace application and comparison workflow.	You need a named wholesale broker to review a difficult commercial file and explain the placement route.
National reach	U.S. agency marketplace; carrier, product and state eligibility vary	Yes. Hedge serves eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S. through one national service model.
First useful response	Ask the exact BTIS team to commit to a response standard.	Prompt file review, clear quote updates, and market terms when available.
Who owns the account	Confirm the named desk, broker, handoffs, and post-bind service owner. Program underwriting and open-market brokerage are different jobs. Confirm which lane is proposed and what happens on referral.	The same account team through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service.
Brokerage-side cost	Confirm BTIS's wholesale fees, commissions, and any intermediary layers.	No Hedge wholesale fee, no sub-brokering, and no layered commission stacks. Premium, taxes, and filing charges remain account-specific.
Before a market receives the file	Confirm when BTIS treats intake as an authorized release and an actual market send.	The retail agent explicitly authorizes release. Receipt, review, release, and market send remain separate.
When BTIS may win	The account fits a BTIS program and your agency wants a marketplace application and comparison workflow. You already have an active BTIS relationship and understand the selected carrier's underwriting and servicing requirements.	Confirm Hedge can support the required class, state, coverage structure, and market route before deciding.

An account to work through

Follow the account when the quote path refers.

Illustrative account example. This is a decision exercise, not a customer placement or a measured comparison of providers.

The situation

A small contractor fits a BTIS program on basic class information but has an exposure that may require referral. The agent compares the complete proposed terms and service path with individual Hedge brokerage review.

What would change the choice?

Use an automated route when eligibility and returned terms work for the risk. When they do not, compare the quality of the referral handoff and the next substantive action instead of assuming that speed on eligible accounts carries over.

What to compare on this file

Test the actual class, state, operations and requested limits against the current quote path. Record what caused a referral.
Confirm whether a displayed result is an indication, a quote subject to review, or terms that can proceed to a bind request.
Name the person handling exceptions and confirm whether the existing application and attachments transfer into the manual review.

Example reviewed by Hedge Specialty on 2026-09-09. Explore verified account outcomes.

Common questions

Compare Hedge and BTIS on speed, cost, ownership, and fit.

Review speed, fees, ownership, market release, and the cases where BTIS may fit better.

What does BTIS do?

When might BTIS fit better than Hedge?

The account fits a BTIS program and your agency wants a marketplace application and comparison workflow. You already have an active BTIS relationship and understand the selected carrier's underwriting and servicing requirements. Confirm the current account fit, service responsibilities and written terms before choosing.

How is the Hedge service model different from BTIS?

Every Hedge account gets the same account team through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service. BTIS's experience can vary by division, office, product lane, or named broker, so confirm the exact team that would own the account.

Is Hedge cheaper to work with?

Hedge charges no wholesale fee, does not sub-broker accounts, and does not add layered commission stacks. That does not establish the lowest total cost for a particular account. Carrier premium, surplus-lines taxes, filing charges, and any other account-specific quoted costs still depend on the placement.

Will Hedge send my submission to markets immediately?

No. Hedge routes the submission to the named account team first and does not share it with markets until the retail agent authorizes a release. Receipt, release, market send, quote, bind, and issue are separate states.

Can Hedge guarantee a quote or placement?

No wholesale broker can honestly guarantee a quote from a public comparison page. Hedge reviews the class, state, coverage, facts, submission quality, and current market route before confirming what it can do.

Do I need to replace my BTIS relationship to work with Hedge?

No. Hedge can earn a place on the difficult accounts where speed, direct ownership, and fewer handoffs matter. A productive existing BTIS relationship can remain useful for accounts that fit its strongest lane.

How do I start with Hedge?

Licensed retail insurance professionals can request an appointment or submit a risk for review. Hedge will confirm agency fit and account fit separately; an appointment request is not approval, and a submission receipt is not a quote.

Published and reviewed by Hedge Specialty on 2026-11-10 · BTIS facts: BTIS marketplace and MGA description, BTIS producer FAQs · Research methodPublic information does not confirm fit, terms, access, or authority for a specific account.

Make Hedge your first call

Bring us the hard account.

Get a file review from the same team that will own the file through placement and service.