An agent working exclusively for a single firm. He or she is obliged to submit business only to that firm, or at least give that firm first rights of refusal on the case.

Captive agents that are non-established are usually paid on a combination of salary and commissions earned from selling the policy contract. Also, the firm usually provides its captive agents with an allowance for office expenses as well as employee benefits such as pensions, life insurance, and health insurance. 

The established captive agent is usually paid exclusively on a commission basis.  This type of agent will tend to have more in-depth knowledge of that firm's policies, however, he or she will hardly ever be equipped to offer the industries' best price on any particular product offering.

Independent Agent Broker

Simply said, independent agents are appointed to sell policies from many insurers. The agent is independent from all insurers thus, the independent agent's responsibility is solely focused on evaluating the client's needs and the pricing of the product chosen.

While searching for the brokerage market's best place for a client's business, independent agents pay all their own expenses and keep their own records and earn their income from brokerage commissions on the policies they sell.