Often, yes. A broker can only get quotes from the insurance companies they have a contract with, and no two brokers have the same list. The catch is that any insurer your first broker already applied to will not usually quote you again, so the new broker needs your written declines and the list of who has seen your business. Who this is for: owners whose broker came back with "nobody will quote this."
The short version
- "Nobody will quote you" usually means "none of my markets will quote you." Those are different sentences.
- Get every decline in writing with the reason. The reason tells the next broker where to go and what to fix.
- Most insurers work an account through one broker at a time, so tell the new broker which companies already saw your application.
- What a new broker is really selling you is different doors. Other insurance companies, other specialty contacts, other trade programs.
- Sometimes the answer is fixing a fact on the application, not finding a new company.
Why couldn't my current broker get a quote?
Brokers can only apply to insurers they have a contract with, plus the specialty companies they reach through a middleman. When a broker says nobody will quote you, they mean nobody on their list, and the list might be four companies. See why brokers reach different companies.
| What happened | What it usually means | Can a new broker help? |
|---|---|---|
| Broker works with few companies in your trade | A home and auto agency with two or three business insurers | Very likely. A broker focused on your trade reaches more. |
| Broker cannot reach the specialty companies | No way to reach the insurers that write roofing, demolition, new ventures, or past claims | Yes. This is the most common missing door. |
| The application described your work poorly | Insurers declined a business that does not exist, such as "general contractor" for a tile setter | Yes, but the insurers who saw the bad description will not quote again. New ones will. |
| A fixable fact was missing | No subcontractor certificates, an unexplained claim, no claims history | Yes. Fix the fact, then go to companies that have not seen you. |
| Your trade in your state is genuinely hard | Every standard insurer declined for the same reason | Maybe. Different middlemen reach different specialty insurers. Expect a higher price. |
| Someone already sent your application there | You or another broker already applied to the companies that would have quoted you | Only for insurers that have not seen you. |
What do I need from my current broker before I move on?
- Every decline in writing. The email or letter from each insurer, with the reason it gave.
- The full market list. Which insurers and specialty middlemen received your application, and when.
- The application they sent. Read the part that describes your work. If it does not sound like your business, you have found part of the problem.
- Your claims history report from your insurer (called loss runs), ideally 3 to 5 years. See how to get loss runs.
A professional broker hands these over without argument. If they refuse, request your claims history straight from your insurer.
What will a good second broker do differently?
- Read the declines first. If three insurers said "new venture" and one said "residential work," those are two different problems.
- Rewrite the description of your work. In plain words: what you do, what you do not do, how high, how much residential, how much subcontracted.
- Fix the fixable. Collect subcontractor certificates. Write a paragraph on any claim and what changed after it.
- Use different specialty contacts. Each middleman represents a different set of specialty insurers, so two of them can reach two different markets.
- Tell you the plan before applying. Which companies, in what order, and why. You approve the list so no market is tied up by accident.
What if the second broker gets declined too?
Then you have real information. If insurers in two brokers' markets say no for the same reason, that reason is the problem, not the broker. Ask what would make the account quotable: a safety program, dropping one high hazard operation, or a year of clean claims.
What this looks like in real life
Illustrative example. It is typical of what we see and is not a promise of how any specific situation would be handled.
The setup: A masonry contractor in Massachusetts with 6 employees and about $900,000 in yearly sales had one $19,000 property damage claim two years ago. His broker of eight years shopped the renewal and came back with three declines.
What went wrong: The renewal is 25 days out. He asks for the declines in writing and learns his broker applied to three standard insurers and no specialty middleman. The application called him "masonry and concrete, commercial and residential" with no note about the claim or the safety changes he made.
What it cost: Illustrative numbers: a second broker rewrites the description, adds a paragraph on the claim and the fall protection program, and sends the package to four insurers that have not seen him plus one specialty middleman. One quotes general liability at about $16,400. The specialty quote comes back at about $14,900, plus roughly $600 in Massachusetts surplus lines premium tax. Massachusetts does not run a stamping office, so there is no stamping fee. He takes the standard insurer's policy, because if that company ever went broke the state has a backstop fund, and signs 12 days before renewal.
The fix: Five companies in the second broker's market had never been asked. The claim did not change. The doors did.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a different broker get me a quote after my current broker couldn't?
Often yes, if the new broker reaches insurers your first broker could not. Insurers that already declined will not usually quote again for a while, so the new broker needs your written declines and the list of who saw your application. See where to get insurance when nobody will quote you.
Q: Why do I need my declines in writing?
The reason for each decline tells the next broker what to fix and which companies to skip. Most states also let a broker use a specialty insurer only after a set number of standard insurers have said no in writing, commonly three. Your written declines are what the broker keeps on file.
Q: Will my current broker be upset if I go to another one?
A professional broker understands. They could not place the account and you need coverage. Ask politely for the declines and the market list.
Q: Can the new broker go back to the same insurers with a better application?
Usually not. Most insurers work an account through one broker at a time. Once your first broker applied, that insurer logged the account under their name and will turn a second broker away, normally for about 30 to 90 days. It is not permanent, but the dependable path is companies that have not seen you.
Q: How do I know the second broker actually has different markets?
Ask for their market list before they apply anywhere and compare it to your first broker's list. If they overlap completely, the second broker cannot help.
Q: Will the new quote cost more because I was declined before?
Not because of the declines themselves. The price depends on your trade, payroll, state, claims history, and which insurer says yes. A specialty company's quote often runs higher, and it comes with a state tax and, in some states, a small filing fee on top. Those figures are illustrative.
Q: How fast can a second broker work if my renewal is close?
With a complete package, a few business days for standard insurers and one to two weeks for specialty companies.
How Morrow helps
Morrow is a licensed independent commercial insurance brokerage that works with contractors and trades every day. Reading another broker's declines, rewriting the application, and shopping it to the insurers that have not seen it is something we do often.
- Free contract review. Send us the contract or bid documents and we mark up the insurance section in plain English, whether or not you buy anything from us.
- Free, instant certificates. Clients issue their own certificates of insurance online in about a minute, any hour, any day, at no charge.
- Markets you cannot reach online. One application, shopped across many insurance companies for general liability, workers comp, auto, umbrella, and pollution coverage.
One more thing. This article is general information and is not legal advice or a statement of coverage. Your contract and your policy wording control in every case. Requirements vary by customer, by state, and by insurance company, so have a licensed advisor review your own contract and your own policy before relying on any of it.
Last updated: Reviewed by the Morrow commercial lines team. Last updated September 2026.