Harleysville
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Carrier context - Harleysville operates as part of Nationwide; many products are legacy Harleysville-branded but follow Nationwide program structures. Personal lines – Dwelling / Home (MD example, indicative of broader Harleysville DWELLING program) Preferred/standard risks - 1–4 family dwellings, primarily owner-occupied, well-maintained, with no unusual hazards. - Properties with no prohibited animals, trampolines, or unusual liability exposures listed below. Key restricted/declined exposures (Maryland dwelling underwriting guide – use as a proxy pattern and confirm state forms) - Governmental, social or similar organizations listed as insureds. - Dwellings jointly owned by more than 2 named insureds with three or more mortgagees. - Owner-occupied dwellings located more than 400 miles from the named insured’s primary residence. - Tenant-occupied dwellings located more than 50 miles from the named insured’s primary residence. - Risks located in inaccessible areas or within 100 feet of certain commercial exposures. - Trampolines, skateboard ramps, unfenced pools, underground storage tanks (unless properly closed and documented), or any unusual / potentially hazardous condition increasing loss exposure. - Prohibited dog list (not acceptable at all): Akita, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Mastiff/Mastiff, Chow, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Husky (all varieties), Pit Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Wolf-dog hybrids; plus any animal with a bite history and exotic/wild animals as pets. - Liability for business pursuits, many types of watercraft, snowmobiles, or incidental motorized land conveyances unless allowed by specific program rules. Geographic notes - MD dwelling guide explicitly references distance-from-primary-residence rules (400 miles owner-occupied, 50 miles tenant-occupied). Treat this as a red flag rule to confirm in other states or for home programs in your region. Workers Compensation - Harleysville Insurance Company is licensed for Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability (e.g., NY DFS listing). Treat appetite as standard small to mid-market WC following Nationwide commercial appetite; confirm class suitability with the underwriter for higher-hazard or specialty classes. - Expect tighter scrutiny on high-hazard construction, heavy manufacturing, longshore/excess statutory exposures, and accounts with poor loss history. Commercial Property / Commercial Lines (general) - Harleysville historically focuses on small and mid-sized commercial accounts via agents and brokers, with a preference for packaged business (BOP/CPP) rather than monoline where practical. - Flood solutions and inland marine/human services are available in some programs via Harleysville-branded or partner facilities; use as enhancement to core property or package placements. - For risks outside standard guidelines (unusual occupancies, poor condition, significant open hazards, or large coastal CAT exposure), instructions are to contact the underwriter for possible exception or placement in an alternate facility. Flood - Harleysville offers a web-based flood policy system and technical support for agents writing both residential and commercial flood, positioning itself as an agent-focused flood market. This is generally used to complement underlying home or commercial property placements. Submission and processing expectations - Commercial lines submissions (excluding inland marine in at least one described workflow) are entered and reserved by agents through the Harleysville/Nationwide commercial lines portal (accessExpress / accessHarleysville//CL). New business is started under NEW BUSINESS → COMMERCIAL LINES and then routed to the appropriate rating platform by line and risk characteristics. - Agents are expected to: - Enter complete account information in the portal, including accurate class codes, payrolls/receipts, location details, and prior carrier/loss information. - Use live chat or the commercial customer contact center for processing, underwriting, billing, or system issues as needed. - Use the designated fax and email addresses for underwriting/processing support where required by the portal instructions. - For personal lines dwelling business, follow the state-specific Dwelling and Personal Liability underwriting guide; risks outside printed guidelines should be cleared with an underwriter before binding. Broker / producer notes - Harleysville remains distributed through independent agents and brokers; appetite and authority may differ by region and Nationwide profit center. - For any risk that appears to fall into the restricted or prohibited categories (distance-from-residence, prohibited dogs, trampolines, high-hazard exposures, etc.), producers are directed to "contact your underwriter on risks outside these guidelines" rather than assume acceptability. - Use Harleysville flood products as an additional tool for agents wanting to grow flood portfolios, especially when paired with Harleysville/Nationwide home or commercial property. Operational use - Treat the Maryland dwelling guide as a model for similar Harleysville home/dwelling programs: screen for distance-from-residence, animal exposures, unusual hazards, and number of owners/mortgagees before quoting. - For WC and commercial property, assume a mainstream small commercial appetite aligned with Nationwide and be proactive about flagging higher-hazard classes and poor loss experience for underwriter review. - Always verify state-specific variations and current Nationwide/Harleysville program bulletins before binding, especially for coastal property, CAT, and high-hazard WC classes.