The five ways agents get stuck: (1) the aggregator owns your book, (2) release isn't guaranteed — they can slow-walk or refuse it, (3) your appointments are sub-codes, not direct — they vanish when you leave, (4) exit fees and forfeited profit sharing, and (5) non-compete / non-solicitation clauses. Every one of these is knowable before you sign. None of them is fixable after.
The most common sentence we hear from agents about their aggregator: "I wish I knew they did that before I signed up."
Not "the commission split was bad." Not "the fees were high." Those are visible up front. The regrets are almost always about what happens at the exit — and the exit terms are exactly the part of the contract nobody reads when they're excited about carrier access. Aggregators know this. The recruiting pitch covers the splits, the profit sharing, and the carrier list. It does not cover what happens to your book when you want out.
This guide is the conversation that should happen before any signature. It's written for someone evaluating any of the 26 major aggregators — the traps are structural, not specific to one company, and plenty of aggregators handle these terms fairly. The point is to know which kind you're dealing with before it matters.
In some agreements, policies are written under the aggregator's codes and the aggregator owns the expirations. You leave; the book stays. In softer versions, you "own" the book but the aggregator holds a right of first refusal on any sale, or a formula buyout applies if you take it with you.
What to check: the words "the member owns their book of business and expirations" — in the contract, not the brochure. Then check our book ownership matrix for how each aggregator handles this.
Carriers will not move your book to new codes without a release letter from your aggregator. If your contract doesn't define the release process — timeline, conditions, fees — then release happens at the aggregator's discretion and on their schedule. A hesitant aggregator doesn't have to refuse; delay alone bleeds your renewals while you sit in limbo.
What to check: a defined release process with a hard timeline (60-90 days is reasonable), the conditions that must be met, and the exact cost. "Release will not be unreasonably withheld" is weak but better than silence.
Most aggregator carrier access runs through sub-codes under the aggregator's master appointment. The production history, the relationship, the appointment itself — they belong to the aggregator. Leave, and you're re-applying to carriers as a stranger, often against new-appointment production requirements your book can't immediately meet.
What to check: which carriers would be appointed directly in your agency's name versus sub-coded, and whether there's a defined path to converting sub-codes to direct appointments (production thresholds, tenure). Some aggregators genuinely offer this; make them put the criteria in writing. More background: direct appointments vs. aggregator access.
Exit costs come in several flavors: flat termination fees, buyout formulas tied to your book size, repayment of "free" onboarding or tech costs, and — the quiet one — profit-sharing forfeiture. Most contingency and profit-sharing programs pay only members in good standing on the distribution date. Some add multi-year vesting on accumulated pools.
What to check: every fee that applies at exit, and the profit-sharing fine print for "must be a member at time of distribution." Compare programs in our profit-sharing breakdown.
Restrictive covenants range from pure non-competes (you can't operate in the territory) to non-solicitation (you can't pursue your own former clients) to non-piracy (you can't recruit other member agents). Enforceability varies wildly by state — and even an unenforceable clause can cost you a five-figure legal fight to prove it.
What to check: scope, duration, and geography of any restrictive covenant, reviewed by an attorney licensed in your state, before signing. Full breakdown: non-competes in insurance.
Send these to the recruiter in writing, and accept only answers that appear in the contract. A recruiter's verbal "oh, we'd never hold anyone back" is worth exactly nothing in year four.
One test outperforms everything else: ask for references from agents who left. Every aggregator can produce happy current members. The fair ones can also point you to former members who departed cleanly. If the recruiter gets weird about that request, you've learned what you needed to know.
Yes, if the contract says so. Some aggregators own the book outright; others hold rights over its sale or charge a buyout to take it with you. If the contract doesn't plainly say you own your book and expirations, assume you don't — and check the book ownership matrix before signing.
You need a written release before carriers will move your book to new codes. Contracts range from guaranteed release after notice (good) to release at the aggregator's discretion (dangerous). Get the process, timeline, and fees in writing before you join — it's the one negotiation you can't have on the way out.
Usually not at first — access typically runs through sub-codes under the aggregator's master appointment, which stay behind if you leave. Some aggregators convert strong producers to direct codes over time; ask for the criteria in writing.
For most new independents, yes — carrier access without production minimums is genuinely hard to get any other way, and many aggregators are fair operators. The point isn't to avoid aggregators; it's to sign with eyes open, with exit terms you could live with. The aggregator basics guide covers how the models differ.
Splits, fees, book ownership, and real agent reviews — side by side.
Browse the aggregator directory → Who owns your book, by aggregatorThis guide is general information, not legal advice — contract terms vary by aggregator, state, and year, and the only version that matters is the one in front of you. Have an attorney review before signing. See our methodology for how we source contract intelligence.