Company Profile
Markel American Insurance Company
Company Overview
Our Expertise:
At Markel American, we pride ourselves on having staff with a broad base of knowledge in the niche insurance markets we serve. We are avid motorcycle, ATV and boat enthusiasts. When it comes to claims, we believe our customers benefit when our claims professionals have hands-on experience. That's why one of our claims associates is certified Restoration Tech specializing in the restoration of vintage motorcycles, and others come from dealership or marina backgrounds. Our focus on product knowledge allows us to provide claims service that is unsurpassed in the industry.
Our Experience:
As part of Markel Corporation, Markel American offers long-term financial strength and stability. We consistently price and underwrite our programs to provide value to our customers while maintaining the financial security they need. This consistent approach promotes long-term availability and stability in products.
At Markel American, our philosophy of doing business is simple: we want to be fair and respectful to our fellow associates, producers and customers. We appreciate our business partners and strive for long-term, mutually profitable relationships. We strive to continually enhance our products and our service so that our customers remain with us as long as they have the need for our specialty insurance products. At Markel American, we do our utmost to treat our customers and partners well and let them know how important they are to us. When in need of specialty personal lines or recreational commercial marine coverage, look to Markel American.
Company History
The history of Markel American Insurance Company begins in the early 1970s. At that time, it wasn't called Markel American, it was called American Underwriting Managers (AUM) and was an independently owned motorcycle underwriting manager in Waukesha, WI.
Gradually, other products such as snowmobiles, watercraft, mobile homes, travel trailers and golf carts were added and written for different insurance companies. Then, in 1989, AUM was sold to Shand Morahan Services in Evanston, IL. Shand Morahan (now Markel Shand) was founded in 1970 to address the need for professional liability insurance offered by and excess and surplus lines market. This excess and surplus lines insurance industry provides coverage for needs not addressed by the standard insurance market. Shand Morahan felt that the products offered by AUM would be a strong complement to their professional liability book of business-leading to the AUM acquisition.
Then, in 1991, Markel Corporation acquired Shand Services and all of its holdings (including AUM). Markel Corporation, an insurance holding company, writes specialty insurance products and programs for a variety of niche markets through its insurance subsidiaries.
In 1998, the Pewaukee division (Markel American) reached a premium volume level which allowed for its independence as a business division within Markel North America.
Since 1991, Markel American / AUM has thrived in writing specialty products and focusing efforts on underwriting profits and expense control.