IAT Insurance Group business insurance

Overview

IAT Insurance Group is a privately owned specialty property, casualty and surety insurer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is known to agents mainly through its operating company names: Harco National, TransGuard, Acceptance, Occidental Fire & Casualty, Wilshire and, in surety, International Fidelity (IFIC) and Allegheny Casualty. Its NAIC group, named for the Cayman Islands parent IAT Reinsurance Company, was ranked No. 57 among U.S. business insurers by 2025 commercial lines direct premiums written, with $1.54 billion, based on NAIC market share data. It does not rank in the national top 10 in any line. The mix is unusual. Inland marine is the largest line at $532.4 million, followed by commercial auto ($251.7 million), fire ($231.2 million) and surety ($207.3 million).

The group's all-lines premium, $3.11 billion, is about double the commercial figure. The rest is in lines outside the commercial total, such as the homeowners insurance IAT writes (including as the carrier for program managers like SageSure in Connecticut and Massachusetts) and the occupational accident coverage it sells to owner-operator truckers. The NAIC group also includes Commercial Alliance Insurance Company and two reciprocal exchanges, Elevate and SureChoice Underwriters.

IAT has more than 900 employees and more than 30 offices. It is organized into eight business units: Commercial Transportation, Excess & Surplus, Inland Marine, Surety, Management Liability, Programs, Homeowners and Reinsurance. It sells only through independent agents and brokers. Bill Cunningham is CEO; Todd Bateson became chief operating officer in May 2026.

History

IAT is controlled by the Kellogg family. A 2020 New Jersey regulatory filing lays out the chain. Goose Creek Capital, a Wyoming company, owns IAT Reinsurance Company Ltd. in the Cayman Islands. IAT Re owns IAT Insurance Group, Inc. in North Carolina, which owns Harco National, which in turn owns TransGuard and, through it, IFIC. In December 2019, Peter Kellogg agreed to sell Goose Creek's voting shares to his son, Charles Kirkland Kellogg. North Carolina approved that change of control in April 2020, and New Jersey's hearing panel recommended approval later that year. The company still describes itself as privately held and independent.

IAT built its commercial transportation franchise partly by acquisition. It bought TransGuard Insurance Company of America and related companies from the moving company SIRVA, closing on January 5, 2006. TransGuard remains IAT's moving and storage brand. In April 2018, IAT agreed to buy IFIC Surety Group of Newark, New Jersey, the parent of International Fidelity Insurance Company and Allegheny Casualty, which then had 220 employees and more than $150 million of premium. That deal was IAT's entry into surety. At the time IAT reported $1.3 billion of gross written premium, 700 employees and six business units. It has since added management liability and homeowners units.

Business insurance products

Commercial transportation. Auto liability, physical damage, motor truck cargo, occupational and non-occupational accident, "occupational compensation" and workers' compensation for for-hire motor carriers, fleets and owner-operators. Covered operations include local and long-haul, intermodal, dry van, reefer, flatbed and agricultural haulers (see trucking insurance: the coverages motor carriers need and motor truck cargo insurance: how it works and where it stops). TransGuard writes an admitted package for household goods, office and industrial movers, including military movers. The package bundles motor carrier liability, physical damage, cargo and warehouse legal liability, property, crime, general liability and equipment, with a supported umbrella. It is available in every state except Massachusetts and Hawaii.

Inland marine. IAT's largest line nationally: construction (builders risk, installation and contractors equipment), transportation and logistics, communications towers and stations, fine arts, and medical and electronic equipment. Target classes include contractors, equipment dealers and logistics firms. It also runs a wrap program alongside the California FAIR Plan (see inland marine insurance for tools, equipment and goods in transit).

Excess and surplus lines. Non-admitted general liability, liquor liability and property in all 50 states and D.C. Limits reach $10 million, and IAT will take part in the first $50 million above primary. Follow-form excess, umbrella and excess auto liability are also available. Agents can rate, quote, bind and issue through IAT's Unity platform for classes such as artisan contractors, mercantile and light manufacturing, apartments and condos, restaurants (liquor at 30% or less), convenience stores and daycares. See excess and surplus lines insurance explained.

Surety. Contract surety is the largest segment. IAT also writes commercial bonds (including U.S. Customs bonds through C.A. Shea & Company), subdivision bonds for developers and home builders, and specialty contract bonds for contractors with thin financial statements. IAT reports a U.S. Treasury listing above $113.5 million (see bid, performance and payment bonds: how contract surety works).

Other units. Management liability covers D&O, employment practices liability, fiduciary, crime and excess. The group also writes aviation (aircraft, aviation liability and airports), program business and reinsurance through IAT Re: catastrophe excess of loss and structured quota share.

Who it insures

Small and mid-sized businesses with specialty exposures, placed through agents. Transportation is the core: Trucking company insurance, owner-operators leased to motor carriers, and Moving company insurance from independents to van line agents. The E&S unit binds hard-to-place habitational, restaurant and contractor classes. Inland marine and surety target General contractor insurance, subcontractors, equipment dealers and developers. Surety also serves privately held companies and Fortune 2000 accounts needing high-limit bonds.

IAT publishes detailed appetite guides by unit, so your agent can check fit before submitting.

How to buy

Through an independent agent. IAT says it deliberately works with a select network of retail and wholesale agents rather than a broad appointment base, and its website's Find an Agent tool lists them. There is no direct online quoting for businesses. Appointed agents use Unity for eligible E&S and other small-account business, while larger or complex risks are underwritten by the business units. Surety runs through agents who specialize in bonds. Policyholders pay bills online through IAT's payment portal. Billing questions go to 800-821-8014.

Claims

Report a general claim 24/7 at 866-576-7971, online through IAT's claims center, or by emailing an ACORD form to [email protected]. Homeowners claims go to 877-842-0227. Surety claims go to 844-679-3194 or [email protected] (PO Box 819, Newark, NJ 07102). Cyber claims under management liability policies have a separate line, 844-987-0678. IAT says its claims operation includes local special investigation units, a national network of heavy equipment appraisers and multilingual support. Loss control specialists for trucking, moving and storage, and inland marine are located around the country.

Financial strength and ratings

On February 6, 2025, AM Best affirmed the A- (Excellent) financial strength rating and "a-" issuer credit rating of IAT Reinsurance Company and the Harco National Group companies and revised their outlooks to positive from stable. Those companies are Acceptance Casualty, Acceptance Indemnity, Commercial Alliance, Harco National, International Fidelity, Occidental Fire & Casualty, TransGuard and Wilshire. Allegheny Casualty's A- rating was affirmed with a stable outlook. AM Best cited IAT Re's strongest-level risk-adjusted capital, a strengthening reserve position and profitable recent results. It expects continued earnings to grow surplus. IAT's materials still describe its companies as rated A- (Excellent) as of May 2026.

As a private company, IAT does not publish consolidated financial statements on its website.

Strengths and weaknesses

IAT is a well-established specialty market for trucking, moving, inland marine and surety, with long-term private ownership and a positive rating outlook. Its rating is a notch below many specialty peers, and the many company names can confuse buyers.

• Strengths: Deep, long-running transportation franchise, including the TransGuard moving and storage package and owner-operator coverages. Broad specialty shelf: inland marine, E&S package with binding authority, management liability and a T-listed surety. Stable private ownership, with AM Best's outlook moved to positive in February 2025. Published appetites and an agent quote-bind-issue platform for small accounts.
• Weaknesses: A- rating, lower than many competitors, which can matter for contracts requiring A or better. Sold only through a select agent network, with no direct quoting. Many legal entities (Harco, TransGuard, Acceptance, Occidental, Wilshire, IFIC) appear on policies and certificates. Limited public financial disclosure.

How to contact IAT Insurance Group