Why a Captive might be for you.
The Captive team at Maury, Donnelly & Parr serves as trusted risk advisors to mid-market companies seeking greater control, transparency, and return on their insurance spend through group captive solutions. We are a specialized team focused on helping businesses escape the volatility of the traditional insurance market and take ownership of their risk.
Our clients are typically best-in-class operators—often in construction, manufacturing, logistics, or professional services—spending $250,000 or more on their General Liability, Auto, and Workers Compensation coverages. These companies are frustrated by annual premium increases despite strong loss performance and are looking for a smarter, more stable approach.
Our Solutions Include:
- Captive Feasibility Assessments: Evaluating whether a group captive is the right fit based on your risk profile, financials, and safety culture.
- Program Placement & Onboarding: Matching you with the right group captive based on industry, loss experience, and growth objectives—then guiding you through the full onboarding process.
- Ongoing Stewardship & Strategy: Captive membership isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. We offer ongoing analysis, reporting, and renewal strategies to help you maximize returns and control total cost of risk.
- Exit Support & Long-Term Planning: Whether you grow out of a group captive or explore other risk financing options, we support you through every stage of your captive journey.
With decades of collective experience and a national network of captive partners, our goal is simple: help businesses take ownership of their insurance and transform it from a cost center into a profit opportunity.
Core Eligibility Criteria
- Annual P&C Premiums: $250,000 – $2,000,000+
- Loss History: At least 3 years with strong performance
- Operations: Stable, safety-conscious, and well-managed risk
Industries We Serve Best
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Transportation & Logistics
- Wholesale & Distribution
- Environmental & Waste Services
- Professional Services
- Agribusiness & Food Operations
- Oilfield Services (support, non-exploration)
- Franchised Auto Dealerships
Ideal Risk Characteristics
- Low frequency / manageable severity claims
- Strong internal safety protocols
- Active risk and claims management
- Desire for long-term cost control vs. short-term savings
Business Mindset
- Entrepreneurial or second-generation ownership
- Open to strategic insurance alternatives
- Frustrated with unpredictable premiums
- Interested in building equity and sharing underwriting profit
Not an Ideal Fit
- Startups or businesses with no credible loss history
- High-hazard or uninsurable operations (e.g., demolition, explosives)
- Organizations chasing the lowest annual premium
- High-loss companies with limited controls in place
Let’s Talk
If your client or company fits this profile, let’s explore how group captives can provide stability, control, and a return on your insurance investment.
Maury, Donnelly & Parr – Captive Programs Team
Trusted Advisors. Proven Strategies. Long-Term Value.
Industry Allies & Partners
We don’t just seek to understand the insurance landscape of this unique specialty market; we seek to understand the overall operational challenges that our clients face daily. As such, we work to engrain ourselves into the niche industries in which we operate.
Group Captive Solutions FAQ
What is a captive?
A captive is a licensed insurance company owned by the business or businesses it insures. Instead of paying premium to a carrier that keeps the underwriting profit, the owners fund their own expected losses and keep what is left over.
Why would a client want one?
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Return of underwriting and investment income profit. Premium not spent on losses and expenses can come back to the owner as dividends, along with investment income.
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Pricing is tied to their own results. Rates follow the client’s loss history, not the market cycle or the carrier’s book.
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Control. Owners have a say in claims handling, safety resources and service providers.
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Stability. Less exposure to hard market swings and sudden non-renewals.
What is the trade-off?
The client takes on risk. A bad loss year costs more in a captive than under guaranteed cost. Captives also require collateral, a multi-year commitment and real engagement in safety and claims.
How is a captive different from guaranteed cost or a large deductible?
Guaranteed Cost
Who holds the risk: Carrier
Who keeps the underwriting profit: Carrier
Collateral: None
Large Deductible
Who holds the risk: Client, up to the deductible
Who keeps the underwriting profit: Client saves on premium, but no investment income or ownership
Collateral: Yes
Captive
Who holds the risk: Client, through the captive, up to a retention
Who keeps the underwriting profit: Client, as the owner
Collateral: Yes
What lines of coverage go into a captive?
Most often workers’ compensation, general liability and auto liability. Auto physical damage is often included for fleets. Single parent captives and cells can also write property, medical stop loss and hard-to-place risks.
Does the client still get a real insurance policy?
Yes. In most programs an admitted, A-rated fronting carrier issues the policies and certificates. The captive reinsures the fronting carrier for the retained layer, and reinsurance sits above it for large losses.
Who is a good captive candidate in general?
A financially stable business with better than average losses, a real safety culture and an owner who thinks long term. Captives reward best-in-class operators. They are not a fix for a distressed account.
Let’s Get Started
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