What sets us apart?

What makes Great American’s Environmental Division so GREAT? Along with offering industry leading environmental coverage, we provide a depth of service supported by a team of seasoned insurance professionals specializing in underwriting, technical environmental issues, risk management, and claim resolution. This combination of expertise and commitment truly distinguishes us within the marketplace.

We are dedicated to putting our clients’ needs first. We aim for every submission and policy to be handled with accuracy, efficiency, and accountability, ensuring brokers and their clients receive exceptional service and thoughtfully crafted solutions. As one of the few carriers serving the environmental sector with such longevity, our team takes pride in delivering service excellence, technical insight, and the responsiveness required to support comprehensive risk management.

Choosing Great American is more than purchasing a policy—it’s a trusted protection against costly environmental events and access to a wide range of valuable service benefits designed to support your clients at every stage.

Discover how each of our departments can provide valuable support for you and your clients.

Underwriting Services

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Great American’s Environmental Division is built on a collaborative underwriting approach that has been a core part of our strategy since day one. Our underwriting team provides customized solutions, including the ability to manuscript policy forms and tailor endorsements, ensuring coverage aligns with your clients’ unique environmental risks.

We prioritize responsiveness, acknowledging submissions promptly and offering timely feedback. For risks that fall within our appetite, we may provide an early indication of coverage and pricing. This accuracy and speed help create a smooth experience from quoting to binding and policy issuance.


What Sets Our Underwriting Apart

  • Prompt acknowledgment of submissions and clear, timely communication throughout the quoting and binding process.
  • Streamlined policy issuance thanks to all underwriting authority residing within the Environmental Division.
  • Manuscript policy forms and tailored endorsements designed specifically for your clients’ environmental exposures.
  • A broad selection of specialized programs and policy enhancements for unique industry sectors.
  • Ability to add sites, address coverage questions, and adjust policies efficiently as client needs evolve.
  • TankAssure®: An online storage tank insurance platform offering quick quotes and the ability to bind coverage within minutes.
  • Contractors ProProtect℠: Get a pollution and professional liability quote for your small contracting clients using our quick, user-friendly quoter tool.
  • Environmental Broker Toolkit: Educational resources and helpful materials to assist in better serving your clients.
  • Direct access to environmental coverage through our easy-to-use Applications and Forms process.
  • Experienced underwriters offering expert guidance from submission through policy issuance.
  • Collaboration with in-house engineering team to support risk management program development.
  • Careful evaluation of emerging contaminants and evolving environmental regulations to help ensure coverage remains relevant and appropriate.
  • Rapid and accurate Certificate of Insurance issuance for financial assurance needs, supported by in-house notaries.
  • Customer satisfaction surveys and our GREAT AMERICAN REWARDS Program are utilized to gather feedback and recognize strong collaborative relationships.

Claims Handling

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Accidents happen, and when they do, they can quickly turn into costly claims or lawsuits. Our in-house environmental claims team understands the serious impact an incident can have on an insured’s operations and profitability. With deep technical expertise and a commitment to clear, timely communication, we are dedicated to guiding clients through every step of the claims process with professionalism and personal attention.

From the moment a potential claim is reported, clients are paired with a dedicated claims professional who manages their needs from start to finish, promoting continuity, responsiveness, and a truly personalized experience. Our claims philosophy is rooted in delivering world-class service through proactive investigation, thorough analysis, and efficient resolution, all with the goal of achieving the best possible outcome while supporting our clients’ business goals and helping to protect their financial stability.


Key Features of Our Claims Services

  • Relationship focused claims handling designed to support insureds from first notice of loss through resolution.
  • Each reported claim is assigned to a dedicated claims professional who manages all aspects of the claim.
  • Continuous, consistent communication throughout the process strengthens rapport with insureds.
  • Access to a skilled network of environmental defense counsel and consultants.
  • In house claim attorneys averaging 25+ years of environmental and insurance experience, continuously trained on emerging regulations and litigation trends.
  • Legal Support Services (LSS) portal for streamlined litigation management, budgeting and cost control.
  • In house Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for identifying and addressing potential fraud.
  • Recovery & Subrogation: Subrogation allows an insurer to recoup costs incurred for a claim from a negligent third party, thereby preserving your insurance asset.
  • Claim Scenario Library featuring educational materials and interactive training tools.
  • Simple, direct channels for reporting claims and ongoing collaboration with risk management and underwriting.
  • Response & React™ Program designed to guide policyholders from initial spill response to final site approval, helping minimize disruptions and losses.
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Our Response & React program offers spill response management in all 50 states, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our large network of prequalified environmental professionals are standing by, ready to provide the knowledge and expertise you need to manage a rapid, cost effective response to your emergency.

Risk Engineering

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Accidents happen, and when they do, they can quickly turn into costly claims or lawsuits. Our in-house environmental claims team understands the serious impact an incident can have on an insured’s operations and profitability. With deep technical expertise and a commitment to clear, timely communication, we are dedicated to guiding clients through every step of the claims process with professionalism and personal attention.

From the moment a potential claim is reported, clients are paired with a dedicated claims professional who manages their needs from start to finish, promoting continuity, responsiveness, and a truly personalized experience. Our claims philosophy is rooted in delivering world-class service through proactive investigation, thorough analysis, and efficient resolution, all with the goal of achieving the best possible outcome while supporting our clients’ business goals and helping to protect their financial stability.


Risk Control Services

  • In-house experts with backgrounds in geology, hydrogeology, engineering sciences, remediation oversight, and regulatory compliance.
  • Rapid review of environmental reports, pulling out critical insights to support underwriting decisions.
  • Interpretation of technical data into clear, concise language for underwriters, brokers and insureds.
  • Identification of environmental risks, data gaps and areas requiring further investigation.
  • Seamless integration with underwriting to provide fast and accurate evaluations, helping meet tight deal timelines.
  • Ability to enhance and expand coverage through technical justification rather than relying on blanket exclusions.
  • Timely responses that help brokers deliver confident, informed guidance to their clients.
  • Strategic support for complex properties including industrial facilities, landfills, redevelopment projects and more.
  • Deep working knowledge of federal, state, and municipal environmental regulations.
  • Guidance on the impact of changing standards (e.g., PFAS, vapor intrusion updates, contaminant threshold revisions, etc.)
  • Ability to identify issues that may influence coverage, long-term liabilities or potential site reopeners.
  • Support in evaluating compliance histories, remedial strategies and ongoing regulatory obligations.
  • Continuous monitoring of evolving contaminants, exposure pathways, and regulatory priorities.
  • Insight into trends such as microplastics, ethylene oxide, 6PPD quinone, new vapor intrusion considerations, and more.
  • Evaluation of scientific developments that may influence future claims, site management or policy design.