WorkflowMGAs & Delegated Authority

MGA & Coverholder Audit

An MGA and coverholder audit prepared in a day, with every finding tied to its evidence

A delegate audit prepared in a day, with every finding tied to its evidence.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo2,730recordsrisks and claims tested against the binder — 14 tests each, run in 11 minutes
demo12of 36sampled files with an exception, where a random 36 would expect 0.8
target1dayfrom files received to a draft report the auditor can sign
target100%of the delegate's risks and claims tested against the binder, not a sample
In short

What is MGA & Coverholder Audit?

An audit solution for carriers that tests each delegate's risks and claims against the binder. It tests every record on the bordereaux, draws a risk-weighted sample of files with the reason for each, runs each file's test steps against its evidence and drafts the audit report with rated findings. The DA auditor reviews, rates and signs.

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Updated

The problem

Why a delegate audit takes weeks, and the same findings come back

Auditing an MGA or coverholder means sending the information request, waiting for the bordereaux and files, picking a sample of policy and claim files by hand, ticking test steps in a spreadsheet workpaper and writing the findings up in Word. For a DA auditor with 14 delegates, each reviewed on site twice a year, that is weeks per delegate.

And a sample picked by hand rarely holds the handful of risks bound over the per-location limit or the one claim paid over settlement authority. Once the report is out, the agreed actions live in email: the delegate closes an action with a procedure update, and six months later the same exception is back on the bordereau.

estimated≈3weeksto prepare one delegate audit by hand
demo0.8exceptionsa random sample of 36 files would expect to find in this book
typical2× a yearon-site review of each MGA's underwriting and claims, where states adopted the NAIC MGA Model Act
Where a delegate audit's working days goestimated
By hand15 days
With the solution2.5 days
  • Requesting and chasing the files3 → 1 d
  • Testing the bordereaux against the binder2 → 0.3 d
  • Choosing the sample1 → 0.3 d
  • Testing the sampled files5 → 0.3 d
  • Writing the findings and the report3 → 0.3 d
  • Chasing the agreed actions1 → 0.5 d

Estimated split for one semi-annual delegate audit, by hand and with the solution.

How it works

How an audit is prepared

Six specialist agents test the whole book, pick the files most likely to fail and draft the report; the auditor rates and signs.

What comes in
Delegate's book in41 items + 36 files · binder, bordereaux, files, procedures, prior report
Agents at work
Audit request agentrequest and receipt
Then
Whole-book tester14 tests, every record
Risk-weighted samplerwhy each file
Then
File tester8 steps, cited
Then
Report drafterrated findings
Action tracker
A person decides
DA auditorrates and signs
What comes out
Signed audit report
Agreed actions tracked
Repeat history
One case, step by step

One semi-annual audit, from information request to sign-off

Harrowgate Specialty audits Bayline Coastal Underwriters, its commercial property MGA in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, for April to September 2026: 2,318 risks and 412 claims under binding authority HSI-BA-26-014. Here is how the audit is prepared, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Mon 5 Oct

    One information request, chased until it is in

    Audit request agent

    Information request IR-26-014-02 goes to Celia Marchetti, Bayline's Chief Compliance Officer: 41 items before the visit — the binder with Schedules A–D and both endorsements, six risk and premium bordereaux, six claims bordereaux, trust account statements, procedures and licences — plus the 36 sampled files once the sample is drawn. Each item is marked received only once it has been read.

    40 of 41 items in. The business continuity test report is “Not yet — test booked 22 Oct”, tied to open action A-26-15.

  2. 02Tue 6 Oct · 11 minutes

    Every risk and claim, tested against the binder

    Whole-book tester

    Fourteen tests run on all 2,318 risks and 412 claims: territory, class, TIV per location, the Tier 1 wind aggregate, sanctions screening, rating credits, issue dates, remittance, settlement authority and reserve reviews. They find 61 exceptions in 9 tests. B5 alone has 37 risks screened after bind, and the wind aggregate stands at $348.2M — 87% of the cap.

    Exceptions are never cleared by an agent. The referred bar/tavern risk and the corrected bordereau line are shown as cleared, with the reason beside each.

  3. 03Tue 6 Oct · 21:14

    36 files, picked for the risk — and the reasons shown

    Risk-weighted sampler

    Every record is scored on the plan's weights: a whole-book exception that needs the file, within 10% of a binder limit, a process raised at the last audit, a Tier 1 wind county or parish, size, month-end binding, new staff and linked records. The 14 files with an exception that needs the file go in first, then the highest scores up to 30, plus 6 at random with seed 4471. The sample locks when fieldwork starts.

    “60 of 2,730 records carry an exception (2.2%), so a random 36 would expect 0.8.”

  4. 04Mon 12 Oct · morning

    The workpaper, already mostly done

    Rachel Ostrowski · Senior DA auditor

    The file tester worked overnight: 29 of 36 files tested, 232 of 288 test steps, 11 files with exceptions. On the right, the audit report assembles itself as the tests finish — opinion “Requires improvement”, 2 High, 1 Medium and 3 Low findings, with a placeholder for the one finding still waiting on its file.

  5. 05File by file

    Why this file is in the sample, and what it proves

    Rachel Ostrowski · Senior DA auditor

    Palmetto Shores Condominium Association, Gulf Shores, scores 70 — rank 4 of 2,318 risks: TIV $17.4M is 16% over the $15M per-location limit, Baldwin County is Tier 1, the premium is top 5% of the book. Step U2 fails, and the evidence is the referral log itself, page 3.

    “No entry for Palmetto Shores Condominium Association between 1 Jun and 30 Jun 2026.”

  6. 06One click

    “Test the last 7 files”

    File tester

    Rachel presses one button. The tester reads the documents for each remaining file and ticks its eight steps one by one, each against a cited page — loss inside the policy period, acknowledgement within 3 business days, reserve reviewed, payment within authority, payee screened, the claims bordereau matching the file.

    The file tester never passes a step without a cited passage, and never guesses a missing document.

  7. 07The last file

    A hail claim paid over authority

    File tester

    CL-26-0611, Delacroix Hospitality Group: hail damage to the hotel roof and rooftop units, paid $62,400 on 24 Sep against a $50,000 settlement authority under claims agreement §5.1 — $12,400 over, with no Harrowgate approval in the file or the claims referral inbox. The claim note gives the reason.

    Claim note, O. Pryce, 23 Sep: “Paying in full to keep the hotel open — will let Harrowgate know.”

  8. 08Seconds later

    The finding writes itself into the report

    Report drafter

    36 of 36 files tested, 288 steps, 12 with exceptions. Finding F-04, “Claim paid above the settlement authority without approval”, is written into the draft as Medium. Each finding carries the condition, the criteria with the clause, the effect, the recommendation and the files it rests on — and F-02 is marked REPEAT ×3.

    Ratings are proposals from the rating matrix. The auditor sets them.

  9. 09Sent for sign-off

    High findings go to the Head of DA first

    Rachel Ostrowski · Senior DA auditor

    Rachel reads the draft and sends it to Martin Achebe, Head of Delegated Authority, because two High findings need his approval before anything is shared with Bayline. Her note explains the call: F-02 is the third sanctions-timing finding in four audits, raised to High under the repeat rule.

    “F-01 needs a decision on the three risks before the renewal discussion.”

  10. 10After the visit

    Agreed actions tracked to close — and repeats in plain sight

    Action tracker

    Every action has an owner and a due date, 30, 60 or 90 days after issue by rating. The tracker chases owners 14 and 3 days before each due date, reviews the closure evidence Bayline sends, and reopens an action when the exception comes back — as A-26-13, the April sanctions action Bayline closed on 28 Jun, has.

    Five audits since October 2024 on one line per theme: sanctions screening timing, “third time in four audits”.

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who carries a delegate audit.

The same Bayline audit, seen by the four people it runs through — what their audit season looked like, and what it looks like now.

RO
Rachel OstrowskiSenior delegated authority auditor, Harrowgate Specialty
DA auditor
Before
Spends three weeks preparing each audit and tests thirty files hoping they are the right thirty.
Now
Starts from the whole book tested and a sample weighted to the files most likely to fail; spends the time on judgement, ratings and the on-site conversation.
MA
Martin AchebeHead of Delegated Authority, Harrowgate Specialty
Approver
Before
Learns a finding is the third of its kind after the renewal, not before.
Now
Approves every High finding before it leaves Harrowgate, with the repeat history and the evidence one click away.
CM
Celia MarchettiChief Compliance Officer, Bayline Coastal Underwriters
Delegate response contact
Before
Answers a long request, then hears about findings without knowing exactly which files.
Now
Gets one request, the exact files and passages behind each finding, and her own actions with due dates — so she can fix the process, not just the file.
SR
Sunita RaoInternal audit, Harrowgate Specialty
Internal audit
Before
Has to take on trust how a sample was chosen.
Now
Reads the sampling memo — the weights, the random seed and each file's reasons — with read-only access to the audit trail.
Built on the engine

6 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Six specialist agents test the whole book, pick the files most likely to fail and draft the report; the auditor rates and signs.

Audit request agent

Builds the information request from the audit scope and the binder, sends it to the delegate's named contact, chases and checks receipt.

  • Never contacts insureds or brokers
  • Never requests outside the agreed scope
  • The auditor approves the request before it is sent
Whole-book tester

Runs 14 tests on every risk and claim in the period against the binder limits, and lists every exception.

  • Never clears an exception — only the auditor can, with a reason
  • Every exception cites the record and the limit
Risk-weighted sampler

Scores every record on risk signals, picks the files most likely to fail plus a random set, and writes the reason for each pick.

  • Never drops the random picks
  • The sample locks when fieldwork starts
  • The auditor may add or remove a file with a reason
File tester

Reads each sampled file and runs its eight test steps, attaching the document, page and passage to each result.

  • Never passes a step without a cited passage
  • Never guesses a missing document
Report drafter

Drafts each finding — condition, criteria, effect, recommendation — proposes a rating from the matrix and marks repeats.

  • Never issues the report
  • Ratings are proposals — the auditor sets them
Action tracker

Tracks agreed actions, reviews the closure evidence the delegate sends, chases owners and reopens an action when the exception comes back.

  • Never closes an action — the auditor accepts closure
  • Copies the Head of DA on overdue High actions
DA auditor

Rates and signs; Head of DA approves High findings. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask about any file, test or finding

The auditor can ask about any file, test, finding or action in the audit — or ask for a change. Every answer points to its source.

Why were these 36 files picked?

Thirty were picked by risk weight and six at random. Every file with an exception that only the file can settle is in — among them the three risks over the $15M limit, four of the 37 late sanctions screens, the two biggest rating credits and the overpaid hail claim. The other 16 are the highest scores: near a limit, Tier 1 wind, bound at month end. A random 36 would expect 0.8 exceptions; this sample found 12.

Is the sanctions finding a repeat?

Yes — the third time in four audits. It was Low in April 2025 and Medium in April 2026; Bayline closed that action on 28 Jun with procedure BCU-CP-04 v3. Since then 37 risks were screened after bind, 22 of them bound in the last three days of a month. Your repeat rule raises it to High, so Martin Achebe approves it before the draft goes out.

Draft the agreed action for the overpaid hail claim

Drafted A-26-35 for F-04: block payments over $50,000 in Bayline's claims system unless an approval reference is entered, and ask Harrowgate to approve CL-26-0611 retrospectively. Owner Owen Pryce, due 27 Dec — 60 days for a Medium finding.

Which whole-book tests came back clean?

Five of the 14: territory (B1), the Tier 1 wind aggregate — $348.2M, 87% of the $400M cap (B4), minimum premium (B7), claims inside the period and cover (B10) and duplicate payments (B14). Two more were cleared on the file: the bar/tavern class was referred and approved, and a June bordereau line was corrected in July.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

The audit workpaperThe sample, the selected file's test steps with the reasons it was picked, and the audit report assembling as the tests finish.
The information request41 items and the sampled files, each marked received once read — with the timeline from request to report.
Whole-book tests14 tests on every risk and claim against the binder, the exceptions for each, and the finding each one feeds.
The sampling planThe whole book by risk score, the 36 files picked, the weights, and what a random sample would have found.
A risk fileThe eight test steps beside the documents, each passage marked: here, a risk bound over the per-location TIV limit with no referral.
Testing the last filesEach step ticks in view against its cited page, while the report waits for the result.
A claim fileA hail claim paid $62,400 on a $50,000 settlement authority, with the claim note that explains why.
The finding, draftedAll 36 files tested, 12 with exceptions, and finding F-04 written into the draft report.
The draft audit reportScope, opinion and rated findings — condition, criteria, effect, recommendation, proposed action and evidence.
Send for approvalHigh findings go to the Head of Delegated Authority before the draft is shared with the delegate.
Actions and repeat findingsFive audits on one line per theme, and every agreed action with its owner, due date and closure evidence.
The audit plan14 delegates over six months: premium, last opinion, open actions, repeats and the next review.
SettingsThe rating matrix, sampling rules, the binder limits read for this audit, and who prepares, approves and responds.
Governance

Built for oversight: cited, approved, on the record.

Every step cites its passageA test step result always cites a document, page and passage, and every finding links to its files and whole-book test — so a reviewer can open the exact line it rests on.
A sample internal audit can checkThe sampling memo records the weights, the random seed and the reasons for each file. The sample locks when fieldwork starts; any change needs a reason.
The auditor signs; the Head of DA approves HighThe DA auditor sets the ratings and signs the report. High findings need the Head of Delegated Authority's approval before they leave the carrier.
No silent overridesClearing an exception or overriding a test step needs a reason, and the reason is kept on the audit trail with who made the call and when.
Agents propose, people decideAgents never issue reports, close actions or clear exceptions, and never contact anyone but the delegate's named response contact.
Kept for the life of the binderEvery agent step and every human decision is on the audit trail, and audit records are kept for the life of the binder plus seven years.
Configuration

Your rating matrix and sampling plan, not ours

How audits are rated, sampled and approved is a setting for each carrier, and the binder limits are read from the delegate's own binding authority.

SettingDefaultChoose from
High findingsFix within 30 days of issue · Head of DA approves before issue15 to 180 days, in steps of 15
Medium findingsFix within 60 days15 to 180 days, in steps of 15
Low findingsFix within 90 days15 to 180 days, in steps of 15
Repeat ruleOn — the same theme at two audits running raises the rating one levelOn · Off
Files in the sample30 risk-weighted · 6 random, drawn with a recorded seedSet in the sampling plan
Exceptions that need the fileUp to 4 per testAll over an authority limit; otherwise up to 2, or 4 where the last audit raised it
Risks to claims2 : 1At least one file per state
Sampling weightsOver or near a limit, prior finding, Tier 1 wind, size, month end, new staff, linked recordsTry other weights on the sample screen
Connections

Works from the documents your delegates already send

Binding authoritiesschedules, endorsements and the claims handling agreement
Risk and premium bordereauxevery risk bound in the period
Claims bordereauxevery claim, reserve and payment
Policy and claim filesthe sampled files, read-only from the delegate's systems
Premium trust account statementsremittance and loss fund
Procedures, licences and prior reportswhat the delegate said it would do, and what was agreed last time
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

target
1day
from files received to a draft report the auditor can sign
By hand≈ 3 weeks
With agents≈ 1 day
target
100%
of the delegate's risks and claims tested against the binder, not a sample
2,730 records
14 tests each
estimated
12×
the exceptions found in the same 36 files, risk-weighted against random
RandomRisk-weighted

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample audit data · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate · “typical” = published requirement (NAIC MGA Model Act, Model 225, and state adoptions — on-site review of the MGA at least semiannually). People, carriers, delegates and insureds named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What delegated authority teams ask us.

What is MGA & Coverholder Audit?

An audit solution for carriers that tests each delegate's risks and claims against the binder. It tests every record on the bordereaux, draws a risk-weighted sample of files with the reason for each, runs each file's test steps against its evidence and drafts the audit report with rated findings. The DA auditor reviews, rates and signs.

How does it test the whole book, not just a sample?

The whole-book tester reads every risk, premium and claims bordereau for the period and the limits in the binding authority, then runs 14 tests on every record — territory, class, TIV per location, wind aggregate, sanctions screening, rating credits, issue and remittance dates, settlement authority and reserve reviews. In the working solution that is 2,318 risks and 412 claims in 11 minutes.

How are the sampled files chosen?

Every record is scored on the sampling plan's weights — an exception that needs the file, near a binder limit, a process raised at the last audit, Tier 1 wind, size, month-end binding, new staff, linked records. The highest scores are pulled, plus a set of random files drawn with a recorded seed, and the sampling memo records the weights and each file's reasons.

Does it track agreed actions and repeat findings?

Yes. The action tracker chases owners 14 and 3 days before each due date, reviews the closure evidence the delegate sends and reopens an action when a later whole-book test finds the same exception. The repeat-finding history shows every theme across audits, and the repeat rule raises the rating of a theme raised at two audits running.

Do people stay in control of the findings?

Yes. The report drafter only proposes ratings; the auditor sets them and signs the report, and High findings need the Head of Delegated Authority's approval. Agents never issue reports, close actions or clear exceptions, and clearing an exception or overriding a step needs a reason on the audit trail.

Does it contact the delegate's insureds or brokers?

No. The audit request agent writes only to the delegate's named response contact, never outside the agreed scope, and the auditor approves the request before it is sent. The delegate's contact sees requests, draft findings and their own actions, and uploads evidence.

Can we use our own rating matrix and sampling plan?

Yes. Fix-by days for High, Medium and Low findings, the repeat rule, the number of risk-weighted and random files, the cap on exceptions per test, the risks-to-claims ratio and the sampling weights are all settings. The binder limits are read from each delegate's binding authority.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your audit scope, rating matrix, report template and a delegate's binder and bordereaux — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on one of your own delegates first.

See it on
your delegates.

We'll run MGA & Coverholder Audit on one of your own delegates' binders and bordereaux.