Cottingham & Butler

Cottingham & Butler is a privately held national insurance broker based at 800 Main Street in Dubuque, Iowa. It places property and casualty insurance and employee benefits and sells the consulting that surrounds them: risk management, safety and loss control, captive programs, claims management, and benefits cost management.

Group captives are a distinct part of the business. The firm has run captive programs since 1993 and says it manages 12 member-owned group captives with 380+ members and a 99% renewal rate, and that its captive clients have received over $350 million back in dividends. A captive brings together companies that form their own insurance company, which the owners then control.

Safety Management Services Company, its safety consulting arm, provides employee risk evaluation, risk improvement programs, safety training and workshops, and a safety resources portal, and has partnered with Haul Compliance to give clients an AI-driven platform covering fleet compliance, maintenance, and safety. A separate private equity and M&A advisory team handles risk and coverage evaluation during due diligence, insurance program benchmarking and optimization, and portfolio-wide placement.

The firm dates to 1887, cites 135+ years of service, and describes itself as the 3rd largest privately and independently held insurance broker in the country. It is a partner in Assurex Global, a network with 730+ partner offices worldwide. Commission and fee arrangements are not published, so ask how a specific program is remunerated.