What an appetite guide contains
Appetite guides typically list target and excluded classes, often by industry code, with eligible states, premium or value ranges and conditions such as loss history. Some markets publish them openly, while others share them only with appointed brokers.
Why appetite changes
Appetite moves with a market's results, reinsurance and capacity agreements, so a guide can go out of date within the year. Wholesalers and brokers who place business across many markets must track those changes continuously, usually from emails and PDFs.
Matching risks to markets
Appetite matching is how a broker decides which markets to approach. A risk sent to the wrong market wastes both sides' time and strains the underwriter relationship, which is why experienced brokers keep so much appetite knowledge in their heads.
Where automation helps
With appetite rules held as structured data rather than PDFs, each submission is checked against every relevant market as it arrives. The rules drive intake triage for carriers and MGAs and market selection for brokers and wholesalers, with a person confirming the shortlist.