The Voice of Insurance Ep286 Terry McLean SageSure: Go to where there is margin
Jan 27, 2026
Terry McLean, insurance entrepreneur and founder of SageSure who built a cat-exposed homeowners specialty through underwriting, tech, and capital partnerships. He recounts founding the firm after major hurricanes. He explains choosing coastal and cat-exposed risks, underwriting filters, scaling across states, using ILS and Lloyd’s for capital, and a long-term, disciplined growth philosophy.
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From Cleanup Job To Founding SageSure
- Terry McLean describes his entry to insurance after cleaning up an ailing Florida insurer and building technology platforms.
- He launched SageSure in 2009 after partnering with capacity providers and writing the first policy in September 2009.
Go Where The Margin Is
- SageSure targets preferred coastal customers because the best customers were previously subsidizing the worst.
- They underwrite selectively, inspect 100% of risks, and price to make money for carriers while offering competitive products.
Underwrite By Roof, Score, History
- Inspect roofs and claims history before writing coastal homeowners and prioritize newer roofs.
- Use insurance score, roof age, and claims history as primary underwriting filters rather than blanket rejections.