— Commercial Real Estate Insurance · San Ramon, CA
Insurance built for the way commercial real estate actually works.
Brighton Financial places hard-to-write CRE risks across 30+ states — surplus lines, builders risk, fix-and-flip, and multi-state operator programs. Specialist coverage from a broker who has lived inside the niche for two decades.
22yrs
Real Estate Investors
30+
States licensed
$1.4B
Premium placed since 2003
40+
Carrier relationships
— Coverage
Specialist coverage across every CRE category we write.
Four primary lanes. Each one written by a producer who has placed dozens of similar risks — not a generalist learning your asset class on your dime.
Real Estate Investors
Portfolios across single-family rentals, BRRRR pipelines, and held-for-yield holdings — structured under one master program.
Fix-and-Flip Operators
Short-cycle vacant + renovation coverage that flexes with your acquisition cadence. Bind in days, not weeks.
Commercial Property
Office, retail, mixed-use, and industrial buildings — including high-value, high-hazard, and tenanted shells.
Vacant Land & Pre-Dev
Land-banking, entitlement-stage, and pre-construction risks where standard markets won't quote.
— Commercial Real Estate
CRE Specialty Program
Purpose-built coverage for commercial developers, multi-family owners, and multi-state operators.
Builders Risk
Coverage during ground-up construction and major renovation — protecting materials, structures, and soft costs through completion.
Surplus Lines
Hard-to-place risks placed through non-admitted markets in California and Florida, with broker-direct access to specialty carriers.
Fix-and-Flip
Short-term policies built for investor timelines — vacant, under-renovation, and held-for-resale properties from acquisition to sale.
Multifamily
Property and liability programs for apartment portfolios, mixed-use buildings, and multi-state operators with consolidated reporting.
— How we work
From discovery to bind — a transparent, named-carrier process.
Most brokers hand you a quote and ask you to trust it. We hand you the carrier roster, the markets we shopped, and the endorsements we negotiated for you — line by line.
Risk Discovery
We start with a working session — current schedule, claims history, lender requirements, and the deals you're underwriting next quarter. No pre-sales script.
Market Strategy
Tiered submission across admitted, surplus lines, and program markets we have direct binding authority with. You see the carrier roster, not a black box.
Quote & Negotiate
Side-by-side comparison of indications with annotated coverage gaps. We negotiate endorsements before bind — not after a claim.
Bind & Steward
Binders issued, certificates routed to lenders. Mid-term acquisitions added on the same master. Annual stewardship with claims advocacy when it counts.
— Recent placement
A 47-asset multifamily portfolio, repackaged.
"Our incumbent had us in four single-state programs that didn't talk to each other. Vernon's team rebuilt the whole stack in six weeks — one master, lower premium, and the lender certificates were issued before our refi closing."
Managing Partner · Multi-state multifamily sponsor · 6 states, $182M IV
$182M
Insured value placed
47-asset multifamily portfolio across 6 states.
−24%
Premium vs incumbent
Repackaged from 4 single-state programs to one master.
11 days
Bind to lender certificates
Including a same-day endorsement for a 9-figure refi.
Zero
Coverage gaps at takeover
Audit caught two voided endorsements before renewal.
— FAQ
Questions we hear from CRE clients before they switch.
Don't see yours? Email cre@thebfis.com — Vernon answers most inbound personally within one business day.
What does "surplus lines" actually mean for my deal?
Surplus lines (or E&S — excess and surplus) markets are non-admitted carriers who can write risks the standard market won't touch — vacant buildings, properties under renovation, high-hazard occupancies, and unusual locations. We hold direct binding authority in California and Florida, so we can quote and bind without going through a wholesale layer that adds time and cost.
How does Section 263A apply to construction insurance?
263A UNICAP rules require certain insurance costs to be capitalized into the basis of self-constructed property rather than expensed. Builders risk premium, course-of-construction GL, and certain bond costs are common candidates. We coordinate with your CPA so policies are documented in a way that survives audit and supports the cap-versus-expense position you intend to take.
Do you write deals in states outside California?
Yes. We're licensed in 30+ states and hold non-resident producer credentials in every market we regularly write. Multi-state operators are a meaningful share of our book — we can issue certificates, manage local filings, and coordinate state-specific endorsements without you needing a separate broker per jurisdiction.
What's the typical bind timeline for a fix-and-flip?
From a clean submission, we can quote vacant + renovation coverage within 48 hours and bind same-day once you have the property under contract. We hold blanket programs with several E&S carriers specifically structured for short-cycle investors — meaning we don't restart underwriting on every property.
Will you work with my existing lender or LP requirements?
We routinely build policies to specific lender, LP, and JV partner requirements — additional insureds, waivers of subrogation, primary/non-contributory wording, named storm sublimits. Send us the loan docs or partnership agreement and we'll engineer coverage to match before you bind.
How do claims work when something goes wrong?
We handle claims advocacy in-house. That means when something happens, you call us first — not the carrier. We've shepherded large fire, water, and builder default claims through to settlement, including engaging public adjusters, forensic accountants, and counsel when the carrier's first-look number doesn't reflect the loss.
— Get started
Ready for a broker who actually knows your asset class?
Twenty minutes is enough to know whether we're the right fit. Bring a current schedule of insurance, a deal you're underwriting, or just a question — Vernon will tell you straight whether we can help.
Contact Us via:
Email
vernon@thebfis.com
Phone
(888) 412-7630
Office
2258 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, CA 94583, United States
