MGAs moving actuarial capability to ‘front line’ – Broadstone

Actuarial capability at MGAs is increasingly being deployed not just as a regulatory safeguard, but as a key driver of underwriting performance, pricing discipline and portfolio management.

This is according to new research from insurance consultancy Broadstone, released yesterday (7 April 2026) in partnership with risk insights firm InsTech.

The report, titled MGAs and Actuaries in 2026 – The State of the Market, found that 72% of MGAs apply actuarial expertise to underwriting performance reviews, 71% to pricing adequacy and 67% to claims development and trend analysis.

Cormac Bradley, senior actuarial director at Broadstone, explained “MGAs that are scaling successfully tend to prioritise how quickly insight flows from claims and reserving into pricing and underwriting actions”.

That need for insight, the report suggested, drove demand among MGAs for “more embedded, responsive actuarial capability that enhances decision-making without slowing the business”.

Performance impact

Broadstone said that the mode of deployment differed from that seen at traditional insurers, where actuarial input often centres on compliance or reserving insight.

Bradley added: “What’s striking is how firmly actuarial work in MGAs has moved into the commercial engine room.

”In insurers, actuarial activity is often heavily shaped by regulation and governance cycles but, with MGAs, we’re seeing actuaries embedded much closer to underwriting decisions, with a clear focus on speed, relevance and performance impact.

”That speed of feedback is becoming a differentiator, not just for performance management, but for credibility with carriers and reinsurers.”