Frequently Asked Questions

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In short — if you have a business or assets to protect, we can help.
Ascent works with nearly every major line of commercial coverage.

• Workers’ Compensation Insurance
• General Liability Insurance
  • Professional Liability
    • Errors & Omissions (E&O)
    • Medical & Legal Malpractice
    • Educators Legal Liability
    • Law Enforcement Liability 
    • Abuse & Molestation
  • Management Liability
    • Employment Practices Liability (EPLI)
    • Directors & Officers (D&O)
    • Fiduciary Liability
    • Employee Benefits Liability (EBL) 
• Pollution Liability
• Cyber Liability
• Liquor Liability
• Commercial Property
  • Fire & Hazard
  • Business Personal Property
  • Inland Marine (Contractors Tools & Equipment)
  • Builders Risk
  • Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)
• Commercial / Fleet Auto
• Cargo Insurance
• Surety Bonds
  • License & Permit Bonds
  • Construction Bonds 
  • Court Bonds
  • Fidelity Bonds 
• Crime / Employee Dishonesty
• Specialty Programs (Education, Municipalities, Special Districts, Nonprofits, and other Public Entities)

Just like your current agent (or that 1-800 number), we’re paid directly by the insurance carrier.

Every policy already includes a built-in commission — so in most cases, there’s no additional cost to you for having us as your advocate.

For certain specialty or surplus lines (E&S) accounts, a modest broker fee may apply to cover the added administrative and compliance requirements. We’ll always disclose this upfront so there are no surprises.

In addition to brokerage services, Ascent also offers enhanced consulting, safety, and HR support through our Ascent Business Solutions platform. These services go beyond what’s funded by carrier commissions and are designed for organizations seeking a deeper level of strategic partnership — from risk management and compliance to employee training and culture development.

Bottom line: you get transparency, expertise, and real partnership — whether it’s through your insurance program or extended business support.

If you’re happy with your carrier but want a local, hands-on advocate, we can often take over your policy through a simple Broker of Record (BOR) letter.

This gives us permission to represent you and work directly with the carrier — so we can start negotiating, advising, and supporting right away.

When renewal season comes, we:

• Check your program against competing markets
• Identify coverage gaps or savings opportunities 
• Negotiate optimal renewal terms
• Help you compare programs — not just prices
   

We also go beyond quoting — our risk management support helps lower your Total Cost of Risk (TCOR) through partnerships in HR, safety, compliance, and analytics.

That’s exactly where we come in.

Whether you’re brand new to commercial insurance or just need a confidence check, we’ll walk you through what’s essential, what’s optional, and what’s smart for your industry.

We can start with a simple review of your current policies to identify gaps or overlaps.
From there, we’ll help you customize coverage for your risk profile, operations, and budget.

If we find you’re already in a great spot, we’ll tell you — no pressure, no push.
We believe in building relationships, not just closing sales.

We can start the conversation at any time.

Most commercial markets open 90–120 days before renewal, but benchmarking and early planning give you leverage.

Once you’re an Ascent client, we monitor your renewal cycle annually — so you always know when the best time is to review or shop your program.

It depends on the size and complexity of your business:

• Small businesses: can often be quoted and bound the same day or within a few days.
   
• Larger or specialized organizations: may take longer due to underwriting and data verification.
   

The more information we have, the faster and more accurate your quotes will be.

We typically start with:

• Your current insurance policies (declarations pages or full policy)
• 3–5 years of loss runs (claims reports) from your current carrier(s) 
• Basic business details: operations, payroll, employees, safety practices, etc.
   

The better we understand your operation, the more effectively we can represent you to underwriters — and secure stronger pricing and coverage.

Generally - not unless you want them to.

Benchmarking your coverage or pricing doesn’t trigger any carrier notifications.

If you choose to move forward with us, then we’ll handle the transition smoothly through the BOR process — no awkward conversations needed.

We’re not a high-turnover agency chasing sales. We’re selective in who we partner with because our goal is long-term alignment and service, not volume.

Easy! You can reach us however works best for you:

📞 Phone: (720) 672-9774

📧 Email: info@ascent-insurance.com

🗓️ Schedule a Consultation

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