American Agency System

American Agency System

A way to sell insurance whereby a self-employed individual or an independent company offers policies through different, competing insurers. This person or company is responsible for finding potential policyholders and often explains the advantages and disadvantages of individual policies. If a client buys a policy, the person or company receives a commission from the insurer. The advantages to the American agency system are that it keeps costs down for insurance companies (because they do not have to pay for marketing themselves) and provides potential policyholders a wider array of options. It is also called the independent agency system.