The latest Insurance Times Schemes Index – an in-depth analysis of exclusive data from broker schemes software provider SchemeServe – reveals that two major schemes performed exceptionally well in what has been a strong six months for brokers
Schemes brokers saw a strong six-month trading period between December 2025 and May 2026, with 10 out of 14 of the schemes that brought in more than £500,000 in commission over the period seeing a year-on-year growth.
Two schemes, however – residential property owners and household – stood out from the crowd, posting dramatic uplifts in commissions of 149% and 94% respectively, statistics that brokers will be only too happy to hear.
This is according to the latest Insurance Times Schemes Index, a quarterly analysis of premium, commission and renewals data across major insurance schemes, supplied exclusively by broker schemes software provider SchemeServe.
SME package was the largest earning scheme across the past six months, bringing in a total of £7.3m in commission from £39.4m in premiums. Commercial combined schemes, meanwhile, brought in £5.6m for brokers from a gross written premium (GWP) of £35.6m.
The third of the traditional big three schemes, commercial property owners, generated £4.5m in commission from £38.1m of premiums. Brokers operating in the scheme reliably see a considerably lower premium-to-commission ratio than other large schemes.
Household (£2.7m), residential property owners (£2.6m), professional indemnity (£2.4m), combined liability (£1.7m), excess of loss liability (£980,000), pub and clubs (£920,000) and specialist combined (£900,000) schemes rounded out the top 10 highest earners.
The strong earnings demonstrated across many schemes reveal why some insurers have identified the market as a meaningful opportunity.
Alex Hardy, director of delegated and distribution at specialty (re)insurer SiriusPoint, explained that partnering with MGAs and brokers in the schemes market can often be “highly attractive” because they occupy “really good niches or customer groups that exist because they’re being underserved by the market”.
However, such firms need to reach a certain scale to validate themselves as viable opportunities. To that end, SiriusPoint works with partners that incubate and support schemes businesses – both newly formed and mature – with pricing, marketing or regulatory assistance.
Residential property owners and household schemes rally
In terms of year-on-year growth, the schemes market posted another strong showing, but two major schemes stood head and shoulders above the crowd – residential property owners and household.
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Residential property owners brokers have seen a 149% increase in commission earnings since the same six-month period one year ago, while household brokers have seen an equally impressive 94% uplift in business.
Medical insurance (42%), professional indemnity (34%) and marine cargo (26%) brokers all saw meaningful growth between periods, while only SME package (-1%), combined liability (-9%), motor trade (-18%) and pubs and clubs (-25%) brokers saw income drop.
While headline figures give a reliable pulse check of the market, the underlying data can be much more nuanced. Gavin Lillywhite, senior vice president of business development at Xceedance, explained that firms can benefit from advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) to drive the success of their performance analysis and reporting.
“If you go back to basics, you’re looking at premiums, distribution costs, claims costs, incurred but not reported (IBNR), your accuracy of reserving and your operational costs,” he said.
“They’re the core, headline figures – and they’re okay just as numbers – but where AI starts to come in and starts to bring in value [is in the details].”
For example, assessing not just the volume of business a broker brings in over the short term or their commission ratios, but whether the brokers are bringing in best-in-class, sustainable business that is profitable over the long term.
He concluded: “Getting the granularity of the factors that are driving the numbers, whether it’s distribution costs, whether it’s claims – what types of claims are driving your claims ratio? Is it coming from a particular program? Is it coming from a particular postcode? That’s where the data really starts to come into its own.”
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