Market access
How Many Insurance Companies Can an Ontario Insurance Broker Compare?
Short answer
There is no fixed number. An Ontario brokerage can place business only with insurers it holds a market agreement with, and access differs by product, region and risk type. A small brokerage may hold a handful of agreements; larger independents hold dozens across personal, commercial, specialty, life and benefits markets. Ask which insurers are available for your specific product.
Written by BrokerUnion Insurance Editorial Team · Reviewed by Muqit Aziz, Principal Broker, BrokerUnion Insurance Inc. (RIBO licensed) · Last reviewed
Key takeaways
- Market access is contractual: a brokerage needs an agreement with each insurer it places business through.
- Access is product-specific, a brokerage with wide auto access may have narrower commercial or benefits access.
- Managing general agents (MGAs) and specialty markets extend access for harder-to-place risks.
- No brokerage can access every insurer in Canada; some insurers sell only direct.
- A headline number is only meaningful when the underlying insurers are named.
Why the number varies
Insurers grant market agreements selectively, based on premium volume, loss ratio, geography and specialisation. A brokerage that writes a lot of commercial construction may hold specialty agreements another brokerage cannot obtain, and the reverse is equally true in personal lines.
Not every agreement is usable for every quote either. An insurer may accept auto but not property in a given postal code, or may decline a specific occupancy or vehicle class.
How to verify a brokerage's access
- Ask for the list of insurers, not just the count
- Ask which of those insurers are available for your product and location
- Ask how many were approached on your specific file, and which declined
- Ask whether specialty or MGA markets were used, and why
BrokerUnion's market access
BrokerUnion publishes the insurers and markets it works with rather than only a number. The published directory groups them by product area, and availability always depends on product, risk, location, underwriting criteria and BrokerUnion's applicable market agreements.
What to consider
- More markets is not automatically better if none of them suit your risk.
- A named list you can check is stronger evidence than a marketing figure.
Authoritative sources
Where this information comes from
- Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario — RIBO. Reviewed August 7, 2026.
- Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario — IBAO. Reviewed August 7, 2026.
- Members and industry participants — Insurance Bureau of Canada. Reviewed August 7, 2026.
This page is educational and general in nature. Coverage, eligibility and pricing vary by insurer and by policy. The policy wording governs in all cases.
How BrokerUnion helps
- The insurers and markets BrokerUnion works with are published on a public directory page.
- Personal, commercial, specialty, life, group benefits and travel markets are grouped by product area.
- Your broker can tell you which markets were approached on your file and which declined.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which insurance companies does BrokerUnion work with?
BrokerUnion publishes its insurer and market list, grouped by product area, on the Insurance Companies and Markets page. Availability depends on product, risk, location, underwriting criteria and applicable market agreements.
Does a broker quote every insurer they have access to?
No. A broker approaches the markets that are appropriate and eligible for your specific risk. Approaching an insurer that will decline the risk adds nothing.
Can a broker access insurers that sell direct to consumers?
Generally no. Some insurers distribute exclusively through their own channel and are not available through brokers.