Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA) operates the country’s largest network of independent insurance agencies, headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire. Its roots trace back to a New England master agency built in 1983, an idea that went national in 1995. Today, more than 5,200 member agencies work with 49 Master Agencies to compete against larger captive carriers and consolidators, without giving up ownership.
Website: siaa.com
Head office address: 234 Lafayette Road, Hampton, New Hampshire 03842
Founded: 1995 (the model originated in 1983)
Founder: Jim Masiello
Company type: privately held; backed by Odyssey Investment Partners since 2021
Regions served: all 50 US states, through 49 Master Agencies
In 1983, Jim Masiello, owner of an independent agency in Keene, New Hampshire, created the Satellite Agency Network Group, known as SAN Group. It was the alliance’s first Master Agency.
The model let smaller agencies pool volume for better commissions and access to carriers, all while staying independent. SAN Group grew quickly across New England. Industry leaders and advisers later pushed for the same approach to be repeated nationwide.
These moves mark a shift from a straightforward commissions-and-access model toward one that also invests in shared technology and succession planning for its members.
Its core value for member agencies rests on collective scale across carrier access, income, training, and now, technology. Member agencies can tap into:
The alliance combines carrier access with newer technology and perpetuation tools. Together, they give agencies a full-service option for growth without merging into a larger buyer.
Independent agents remain a dominant force in commercial insurance. The Big “I”’s 2025 Market Share Report puts their share of 2024 commercial lines premium at 87.2 percent.
The same report found that independent agents were responsible for placing 61.5 percent of all property and casualty coverage nationwide. That level of market share gives alliances outsized influence over how smaller agencies reach carriers and new technology.
Succession is a growing pressure point in that market. OPTIS Partners estimates that roughly 30,000 independent agencies bring in under $1.25 million in revenue and have no clear succession plan in place. That gap has fueled years of agency mergers and acquisitions.
Sequel gives SIAA’s member agencies an alternative to that consolidation wave. Owners can join a platform built to keep their name and staff in place, rather than sell into a larger buyer’s brand.
That combination of collective bargaining power and a homegrown succession option sets this alliance apart from networks that offer market access alone.
Scroll down for SIAA’s latest deals, partnerships, and industry headlines.
