Personal lines insures individuals and families (auto, home); commercial lines insures businesses and organizations.
Personal Lines vs. Commercial Lines
Personal lines insures individuals and families (auto, home); commercial lines insures businesses and organizations.
Personal lines and commercial lines split insurance by who is being covered.
- Personal lines protects individuals and households — personal auto, homeowners, renters, umbrella, and similar. It is higher-volume, more standardized, and heavily quoted through comparative raters.
- Commercial lines protects businesses — general liability, commercial property, commercial auto, workers\' compensation, professional liability, and packages like the BOP. It is lower-volume but higher-premium, more customized, and more application- and underwriting-intensive.
The distinction shapes agency operations: personal lines favors speed, automation and download, while commercial lines relies more on ACORD applications, submissions to underwriters, and relationships with wholesalers and MGAs for harder-to-place risks.