Private Client Select (AIG) homeowners insurance

Overview

Private Client Select (PCS) is the name behind what used to be AIG's Private Client Group, one of the established insurers of expensive homes, art and collections in the United States. Since July 2023 it has operated as an independent managing general agency formed by AIG and funds managed by Stone Point Capital. PCS designs, sells and services the coverage, but the policies themselves are still issued by AIG insurance companies, which is why AIG's name and an AIG company appear on the declarations page.

AIG's group ranked #34 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $954.1 million and a 0.50% national share, according to NAIC market share data. AIG's annual report says its insurance for high-net-worth individuals in the U.S. is offered through PCS, covering homes, autos, umbrella liability, yachts, fine art and collections. Because that premium is spread across expensive homes nationwide, AIG is not among the 10 largest homeowners insurers in any state; its only top-10 listing is a 10th place in Puerto Rico with a negligible share.

PCS sells through brokers and independent agents, not directly to consumers.

History

AIG traces its roots to 1919, when Cornelius Vander Starr opened an insurance agency in Shanghai. The group received U.S. government support during the 2008 financial crisis and finished repaying it in 2012. Its Private Client Group competed with Chubb and PURE Insurance for expensive homes and collections that standard insurers are not built to cover.

On February 13, 2023, AIG announced a binding agreement with Stone Point Capital to move the Private Client Group onto an independent MGA platform, saying it had been looking for structures that would let the business be supported by third-party capital over time. The deal closed on July 3, 2023, and the business was rebranded Private Client Select Insurance Services. Private Client Group staff, including the leadership team then headed by Kathleen Zortman, moved to PCS. Today PCS's chief claims officer and chief underwriting officer are both former AIG personal-lines executives.

Homeowners coverage

PCS insures primary estates, seasonal homes and portfolios of homes, along with the fine art and collections inside them, plus autos, yachts and excess liability. Its published materials stress restoration with original-quality materials and craftspeople, and a risk management service that evaluates each property, including local fire department response times.

PCS does not publish its policy form or endorsement list online, so ask the broker for the specimen policy. On a high-value home, the questions that matter most are whether the dwelling is covered at guaranteed or extended replacement cost, whether you can take a cash settlement if you choose not to rebuild, how the policy handles building-code upgrades, what the wildfire or hurricane deductible is, and whether collections are scheduled or covered on a blanket basis. The high-value home insurance: what changes above $1 million guide walks through these features.

Which AIG company issues your policy matters. PCS's legal notice lists ten AIG insurers, among them AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Assurance Company and American Home Assurance Company. AIG's notices also say some property coverage may be provided by a surplus lines insurer, which does not generally participate in state guaranty funds. If your declarations page shows a surplus lines carrier, the policy form, rate regulation and guaranty fund protection differ from an admitted policy.

Discounts and savings

AIG's published policyholder notices show how mitigation is credited. In Colorado, the wildfire portion of the premium can be reduced by 10% for a verified property mitigation action such as an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation, 5% for ember-resistant vents, 8% for no eaves or enclosed eaves, 4% for a residential sprinkler system, with further credits for masonry or fire-resistive construction and roofs other than wood shingle. Florida policyholders may qualify for the state's windstorm mitigation credits. Oregon applicants are told that wildfire mitigation such as home hardening and defensible space is considered in eligibility. Elsewhere, ask the broker which credits apply; PCS does not publish a discount list.

Where it sells and recent market moves

PCS is licensed as an insurance producer in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (as PC Select Insurance Services in California), with its principal office in St. Petersburg, Florida. Coverage is subject to underwriting and may not be available in every location, so start early if the home is in a high wildfire or coastal hurricane zone.

The most important change for policyholders was the 2023 move from AIG to PCS: the service and claims organization moved to PCS, while AIG companies continued to issue the policies. AIG's 2025 annual report says net premiums written from its U.S. high-net-worth business fell in 2025, partly because of changes in the reinsurance structure, which suggests more of the risk is now shared with reinsurers.

Claims

PCS takes claims 24 hours a day at 888-760-9195 (international callers use 302-482-6000). Claims are administered with Sedgwick, the large claims-services firm; PCS's chief claims officer, a 32-year AIG veteran, manages that partnership. Brokers can report a loss by email to [email protected]. For billing, call 888-978-5371.

High-value claims tend to turn on documentation. Keep appraisals for scheduled items current, photograph rooms and finishes, and ask early whether your policy pays the cost to match undamaged areas of custom materials.

Ratings and reputation

The financial strength behind a PCS policy is AIG's. According to AIG's 2025 annual report, its major insurance companies carry an AM Best rating of A (Excellent), affirmed in November 2025 with the outlook revised to positive; S&P upgraded them to AA- (Very Strong) in May 2025, Moody's to A1 in June 2025, and Fitch to AA- in November 2025. These are the financial strength ratings of AIG's main insurers; confirm the rating of the specific company on your declarations page.

AIG was not ranked in J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Home Insurance Study, and PCS has no published J.D. Power ranking of its own.

Who it suits

PCS suits owners of expensive or architecturally significant homes, multiple residences and serious collections who use a broker and want a specialist service model with AIG's balance sheet behind it. It is a poor fit for an average-value home or a buyer who wants to shop online, and in some locations the coverage may come from a surplus lines insurer rather than an admitted one.

• Strengths: Policies backed by AIG insurers rated A (Excellent) by AM Best and AA- by S&P (2025); coverage for homes, collections, yachts and excess liability in one program; licensed in all 50 states; risk management services.
• Weaknesses: Sold only through brokers and agents; policy features and discounts are not published online; claims run through a third-party administrator; some coverage may be placed with a surplus lines insurer outside guaranty fund protection.

How to contact Private Client Select (AIG)