Insurance
Home›Insurance›Industry & Deals›Markel partners with Midwest General to expand Califor…
Markel partners with Midwest General to expand California workers' comp
The expansion comes as California’s workers' comp advisory pure premium rate was set to rise 6.6% to $1.65 per $100 of payroll effective September 1, 2026.
Markel’s insurance unit has announced a strategic partnership with Midwest General Insurance Agency to expand its small business workers’ compensation offerings in California, aiming to grow the book profitably in the state.
Midwest General, a subsidiary of Acrisure, focuses on small workers’ compensation accounts and has served as a managing general agency in California for more than 20 years. The firm supports agency partners with online quoting and turnkey services that cover marketing, underwriting, policy issuance, claims, and loss control, and Markel said Midwest’s underwriting discipline and data-driven approach were central to the decision.
Markel also highlighted Midwest’s California market experience and said its approach to account selection aligns with Markel’s risk selection and carrier relationship strategy. Midwest CEO Max Carney called the partnership an outgrowth of mutual respect built over time, citing shared priorities around risk selection and client service.
The deal arrives shortly after California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved a 6.6% increase in the state’s advisory pure premium rate effective September 1, 2026, raising the benchmark to $1.65 per $100 of payroll. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California had sought a 10.4% increase, pointing to rising cumulative trauma claim frequency and medical cost inflation, before the commissioner settled on the lower figure after a public hearing process.