One national relationship.
Hedge serves eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S. through one consistent relationship.
Why agencies choose Hedge over Burns & Wilcox
Hedge vs Burns & Wilcox
Burns & Wilcox combines wholesale brokerage and MGA capabilities and states that it has no retail operation. Hedge is also focused on retail insurance professionals. Compare the exact underwriting or brokerage route, account team, and quoted terms; consider Hedge when its named-team model and current account fit meet the agency’s needs.
National reachResponsive serviceNo Hedge wholesale feeSame four-person team
Named-team wholesale optionHedgeResponsive service. No wholesale fee.
VS
Alternative service modelBurns & WilcoxNational scale
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 teamThe same four people through intake, bind, renewal, and service
Why agencies choose Hedge
National reach. Responsive service. No Hedge wholesale fee.
These differences affect the next hard account.
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.
No Hedge wholesale fee.
No sub-brokering and no layered commission stacks. Premium, taxes, and filing charges remain account-specific.
One team owns it.
The same four people stay through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service.
For this account
Is a delegated underwriting route or open-market brokerage the better fit?
- Confirm whether the Burns & Wilcox route is a brokerage unit or an MGA and binding office.
- Compare any facility’s eligibility and referral requirements with the brokerage work the account needs.
- Ask each team who will handle changes, certificates, renewal, and questions after the policy binds.
Hedge's service model: fees and account ownership. These are account-selection criteria, not measured comparisons of placement success or response time.
Recommendation
Where does Hedge fit your account?
Is a delegated underwriting route or open-market brokerage the better fit?
The Hedge service model
Start here
Consider Hedge when these needs match.
- You want one team and a more compact handoff pattern for an eligible account.
- You need explicit confirmation before any file is released outside Hedge.
Next step: get appointed with Hedge.
Account fit
Consider Burns & Wilcox when these needs match.
- The account fits a Burns & Wilcox office or broker with proven class expertise.
- You want a long-established platform that combines delegated authority and open-market capabilities.
Ask the proposed team to confirm the specific route and service owner.
What happens after intake
With Hedge, ownership is obvious.
The same team reads the file, asks for what is missing, waits for your release authority, routes the account, and stays through service.
Where Burns & Wilcox may fit
The account fits a Burns & Wilcox office or broker with proven class expertise.
Burns & Wilcox
Submit→Find division→Confirm desk→Name owner
Hedge
Team reviews file→Same four people→You approve release→Same team services
Hedge makes the owner and the release decision explicit. Ask Burns & Wilcox to map the same path before you send.
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 | Burns & Wilcox | Hedge |
|---|---|---|
| Account fit | The account fits a Burns & Wilcox office or broker with proven class expertise. | You want one team and a more compact handoff pattern for an eligible account. |
| National reach | North American platform | Yes. Hedge serves eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S. through one national service model. |
| First useful response | Ask the exact Burns & Wilcox 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. The company name does not tell you which division, office, or broker will own the work. Name that team before comparing service. | The same four-person team through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service. |
| Brokerage-side cost | Confirm Burns & Wilcox'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 Burns & Wilcox 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 Burns & Wilcox may win | The account fits a Burns & Wilcox office or broker with proven class expertise. You want a long-established platform that combines delegated authority and open-market capabilities. | Confirm Hedge can support the required class, state, coverage structure, and market route before deciding. |
An account to work through
Review each coverage line and its exclusions.
Illustrative account example. This is a decision exercise, not a customer placement or a measured comparison of providers.
The situation
A restaurant adds late-night entertainment and alcohol service, changing the questions that a delegated quote path must answer.
What would change the choice?
Prefer terms that address the account’s actual exposures and a team that will explain the remaining gaps. A package containing both lines is not enough to determine whether the coverage works.
Read the related coverage or placement guideWhat to compare on this file
- Describe alcohol service, entertainment, security practices and any lapse in coverage using the same submission for each proposed route.
- Compare general liability and liquor liability separately, including assault-and-battery treatment and any conditions on entertainment or hours.
- Identify inspection and post-bind requirements and distinguish a binder from an issued policy.
Related work from a real Hedge account
Related cases describe Hedge’s work on separate real accounts. They do not establish that the other providers participated, declined the risk, charged more or would have produced a different result.
General and liquor liability for a bar after a lapse
A bar that reported a lapse in insurance obtained a binder for general and liquor liability. The binder included assault-and-battery exclusions on both lines, so the placement required attention to the actual coverage terms.
Binder confirmed. A confirmed general and liquor liability binder. The reviewed records do not establish delivery of an issued policy, completion of every post-bind condition, or coverage for the earlier uninsured period.
Hedge’s records reviewed .
Example reviewed by Hedge Specialty on . Explore verified account outcomes.
Common questions
Compare Hedge and Burns & Wilcox on speed, cost, ownership, and fit.
Review speed, fees, ownership, market release, and the cases where Burns & Wilcox may fit better.
Why choose Hedge over Burns & Wilcox?
Burns & Wilcox combines wholesale brokerage and MGA capabilities and states that it has no retail operation. Hedge is also focused on retail insurance professionals. Compare the exact underwriting or brokerage route, account team, and quoted terms; consider Hedge when its named-team model and current account fit meet the agency’s needs. Hedge charges no wholesale fee and keeps a named four-person team on the account. These are service commitments, not a measured response-time advantage over Burns & Wilcox.
How fast does Hedge respond?
Hedge reviews the file promptly, identifies missing information, and keeps you updated while pursuing market terms. Quotes depend on account eligibility, a complete file, and market response. There is no guaranteed turnaround or quote on every risk.
How is the Hedge service model different from Burns & Wilcox?
Every Hedge account gets the same four-person team through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service. Burns & Wilcox'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 Burns & Wilcox 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 Burns & Wilcox 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 · Burns & Wilcox facts: Burns & Wilcox difference, IBA 2026 recognition · 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.