One national relationship.
One Hedge relationship for eligible difficult commercial risks across the U.S.
Three-way company evaluation
RPS vs Amwins vs Hedge
RPS, Amwins, and Hedge all operate nationally. RPS and Amwins are large specialty-distribution platforms with brokerage, delegated, and program operations; Hedge is the smaller named-team wholesale alternative. Route the account by exact lane, specialist, and service owner rather than by a platform-wide feature list.
National reachResponsive serviceNo Hedge wholesale feeSame four-person team
NationalOne wholesale 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.
Recommendation
Choose the team that fits the account.
RPS brokerage, binding, and programs are separate lanes. Amwins Brokerage, Access, and Underwriting are also separate lanes. Name both sides before comparing execution. Consider Hedge when its named-team service model and current account fit meet the agency’s needs.
Option 01Compare the proposed team
Risk Placement Services (RPS)
Your agency needs a broad platform and already knows the RPS specialist who will execute.
Wholesale brokerage, binding authority, and programs
Option 02Compare the proposed team
Amwins
Your agency already has a productive Amwins broker relationship in the exact practice you need.
Wholesale brokerage plus underwriting and programs
Hedge service model
Option 03Named-team wholesale option
Hedge
A retail agency that wants national reach, a prompt first human read, no Hedge wholesale fee, and one named team that owns the account.
Wholesale specialty insurance brokerage for licensed retail insurance professionals
Agency comparison
What each option actually does for the agency.
Compare role, response, ownership, cost, reach, and authority.
| Decision | Risk Placement Services (RPS) | Amwins | Hedge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best use | Your agency needs a broad platform and already knows the RPS specialist who will execute. | Your agency already has a productive Amwins broker relationship in the exact practice you need. | A retail agency that wants national reach, a prompt first human read, no Hedge wholesale fee, and one named team that owns the account. |
| Role in the placement | Wholesale brokerage, binding authority, and programs | Wholesale brokerage plus underwriting and programs | Wholesale specialty insurance brokerage for licensed retail insurance professionals |
| First useful response | Confirm the response standard for the exact Risk Placement Services (RPS) team or operating lane. | Confirm the response standard for the exact Amwins team or operating lane. | Prompt review. Clear quote updates. Market terms when available. |
| Who owns the next step | The named professional, desk, division, and product lane determine the working experience. | The named professional, desk, division, and product lane determine the working experience. | The same four-person team through intake, quote, bind, renewal, and service. |
| Brokerage-side cost | Confirm Risk Placement Services (RPS)'s wholesale fees, commissions, and any intermediary layers. | Confirm Amwins' 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. |
| Reach | National platform | National platform | National U.S. wholesale brokerage, subject to current licensing, appointment, product, and account review |
| Release or authority | Confirm when intake becomes an authorized market release and when a market has actually received the file. | Confirm when intake becomes an authorized market release and when a market has actually received the file. | No market sharing until the retail agent authorizes release; receipt and send remain separate states. |
An account to work through
Match the policy to the licensed operation.
Illustrative account example. This is a decision exercise, not a customer placement or a measured comparison of providers.
The situation
A healthcare account needs more than one liability line, and the agency wants one professional to reconcile the proposed terms.
What would change the choice?
The appropriate team must understand the operation and coordinate each requested coverage. Use specialty experience, actual terms and document follow-through to decide; a healthcare label alone does not settle the fit.
Read the related coverage or placement guideWhat to compare on this file
- Reconcile the facility license, services provided, staffing and exposure basis before treating the submission as complete.
- Compare general liability, professional liability and any separate abuse coverage by form, exclusions, reporting requirements and retroactive date.
- Check issued descriptions against the final underwriting documents and assign ownership of any endorsement correction.
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.
Correcting a residential-care policy after issuance
For a residential-care facility, Hedge gathered outstanding underwriting documents and then identified a mismatch between the issued policy description and the state license. The underwriter sent an endorsement, and the agent confirmed the correction looked right.
Issued policy and correction confirmed. An issued general and professional liability policy, followed by an endorsement correction confirmed in the underwriter and agent correspondence. Both liability lines used claims-made-and-reported forms with retroactive dates at inception. This case does not establish coverage for earlier acts, every requested line or additional future locations.
Hedge’s records reviewed .
Example reviewed by Hedge Specialty on . Explore verified account outcomes.
Common questions
Compare roles, costs, ownership, and authority.
Review roles, speed, fees, ownership, authority, and the cases where another route may fit better.
How should an agency compare RPS vs Amwins?
RPS, Amwins, and Hedge all operate nationally. RPS and Amwins are large specialty-distribution platforms with brokerage, delegated, and program operations; Hedge is the smaller named-team wholesale alternative. Route the account by exact lane, specialist, and service owner rather than by a platform-wide feature list.
Where does Hedge fit in this comparison?
Hedge is the independent wholesale option for agencies that value a fast first read, the same four-person account team, no Hedge wholesale fee, and explicit release control.
Is the largest company automatically the best choice?
No. Scale can help when an account needs several practices, regions, or facilities. It does not guarantee a faster answer, a lower brokerage cost, a named owner, or better post-bind service. Ask each proposed team how its capabilities address this account. RPS brokerage, binding, and programs are separate lanes. Amwins Brokerage, Access, and Underwriting are also separate lanes. Name both sides before comparing execution.
Is Hedge the lower-friction cost option?
Hedge charges no wholesale fee, does not sub-broker accounts, and does not add layered commission stacks. Carrier premium, surplus-lines taxes, filing charges, and other account-specific quoted costs still depend on the placement.
Who can quote or bind the account?
That depends on transaction role and actual authority. A carrier or properly delegated underwriting program may quote or bind within its authority. A wholesale broker structures and negotiates placement but does not become the risk-bearing insurer.
Does this page prove current market access or account eligibility?
No. Public company information explains roles and public services. Current appointment, licensing, product activation, state availability, market access, account fit, and authority must be confirmed for the specific transaction.
How should a retail agency make the final choice?
Compare the proposed teams on the account’s class, state, coverage structure, available market route, and service responsibilities. Hedge offers a named four-person team and no Hedge wholesale fee; a relevant specialist or established relationship may be a better fit for a particular account.
How do I evaluate Hedge?
Request an appointment or send Hedge a difficult risk for review. The team will confirm agency fit, account fit, missing information, and next steps without treating an intake confirmation as a quote or market send.
Published and reviewed by Hedge Specialty on · Sources: Risk Placement Services, Amwins, IBA wholesale broker review · Research methodPublic information does not confirm appointment, access, fit, terms, or authority for a specific account.
Make Hedge your first call
Bring us the hard account.
Get a file review from the same national team that will own the file through service.