Guides
The broker of record letter, explained
Moving brokers and moving insurers are two different actions. Here is how a broker of record letter works.
Southern Alberta
Commercial Insurance Broker in Lethbridge
Southern Alberta gets serviced from a distance by most brokerages, and it shows in the files that come to us. This page sets out how we work with Lethbridge businesses.
Lethbridge is far enough from the province’s two big markets that a commercial account here is often somebody’s least important file. That matters more than it sounds, because the businesses are not simple. Agri-food processors and haulers issue contracts with insurance requirements written into them, the university and college have their own, and chinook wind does real damage to property most winters. A broker who has not read the contract or asked about the yard is guessing. Velocity carries a small enough book to read both.
Why Owners Move
What we hear fromLethbridge business owners.
01
I sent them a contract and nobody read it
Processor and hauling agreements set out limits, additional insured status and wording that a standard package may not include. Filing that document instead of reading it is how a business finds out it cannot satisfy a contract it already signed.
02
I never speak to the same person twice, and they never know my business
Sold by one person, serviced by another, renewed by a third. The account has no owner, so nothing accumulates and every conversation starts from nothing. It is the single most common reason a Lethbridge owner calls us.
03
My renewal just turns up as a bill
The number moves and nobody explains it. No question about whether revenue changed, no test of the market, and no mention of the wind and hail loading that southern Alberta property has been carrying for several years now.
04
I can never get a straight answer about what I am covered for
Asking a simple question produces a promise to check and then silence. What the policy does, what it excludes and what your deductible looks like should be answerable on the spot by whoever sold it to you.
Why We Stand Out
What you get insteadas our client in Lethbridge.
- Proudly independent, with fourteen insurance partners behind you
- Nobody owns a piece of us, so there is no insurer with first claim on your file and no target steering where it goes. If your renewal comes back wrong, the same file can be in front of thirteen other underwriters within days.
- Relationships, not transactions
- You get one experienced broker for the whole relationship, not a rotation. No call centre and no ticket number, and the person who quoted the file is the one who takes the call when a chinook has moved your signage.
- Deep commercial expertise
- More than twenty years spent inside brokerages, across underwriting, difficult placements, hard-market renewals and claims advocacy. Reading a processor’s insurance schedule and knowing which clauses are standard and which are worth pushing back on comes out of that.
- Built around how you really operate
- A hauler running into Montana, a downtown retailer and a food processing plant need three different programs. We ask where the trucks go and what the contracts demand before recommending anything, because that is what changes the answer.
- Explained in plain language
- No jargon and no assumed knowledge. You are told what you have bought, what it will not do and where the wording could be argued, so nothing about the policy is a surprise if you ever have to use it.
- Superior service, backed by advanced technology
- The technology here was built by us, for us, and it exists to take the paperwork off your desk and ours. Sign into the client portal and your coverage, your documents and your billing history are in front of you and current, with no phone call first. It was designed around people, so the parts you touch are the simple ones.
Your Broker
Mandy Stierman · Founder & Principal Broker
Licensed Alberta broker · 20 years in insurance
Velocity Insurance Inc. is a proudly independent, female-led commercial brokerage founded and owned in Alberta. Mandy was formerly an Account Executive with Spruceland Insurance and is a member of the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta.
What clients sayabout working with us.
★★★★★
“She took the time to explain everything clearly in a way that actually made sense… her rates were more than competitive, and the level of service she provided was truly exceptional. It’s so refreshing to work with a woman entrepreneur who is not only amazing at what she does, but also genuinely cares about her clients.”
TJ Aneca · a month ago · Google
Reviews come from clients across Alberta, Lethbridge included. Read them on Google
Common Questions
Choosing a brokerin Lethbridge.
Do you have an office in Lethbridge?
No. We work remotely across the province and southern Alberta is a normal part of the book. Alberta licensing is provincial, so nothing about where we sit limits what we can place or how a claim gets handled.
Who will be handling my account?
Mandy Stierman, owner and principal broker, from the first quote onward. She is the one who reads your contracts, negotiates with the underwriter and answers the phone later. There is no handover once you sign.
What sets Velocity apart from a bigger brokerage?
A large office runs on volume, and volume is why southern Alberta files get standardised and slow. We keep the book small enough that your account has one owner who knows the contracts you work to.
You are independent. How do I know the price is competitive?
Fourteen insurance partners and no house insurer means the file has to earn its home every year. You see what the alternatives quoted next to our recommendation. A broker with one company can only ever offer you their own best number.
What happens at my renewal?
The file is reviewed before it renews. We check what has changed, look at whether the market should be tested, and if we remarket it you get the results with the reasoning attached rather than a bill.
How quickly do you respond?
Same business day on questions, and certificates as soon as we can produce them once cover is bound. If a processor or a landlord has put a deadline on it, say so and it moves to the front.
What does it cost to use a broker?
Nothing on top of the premium. The insurer pays the commission out of what it already charges you, so the cost exists either way. What you get for it is somebody negotiating on your side.
How easy is it to switch insurance brokers?
Easier than most people assume. A single broker of record letter transfers the policy with the insurer, wording and premium all unchanged, nothing cancelled and no gap. It does not have to wait for your renewal.
Could you review my current insurance program?
Yes, free of charge and without obligation. Send the documents and Mandy reads them properly, then tells you what is missing, what is over-bought and whether the price stands up. An honest no-change recommendation is a real outcome.
The Next Step
Talk to the brokerwho would handle your file.
Send us what you have and we will tell you what we would do with it. If we are not the right brokerage for your business we will say so on the first call.
Talk to a Lethbridge broker
How do you prefer to work through your insurance?
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