Frequently Asked Questions

Agency Management gives you a complete cloud-hosted platform to manage:

• Customer profiles and policy history
• Documents, applications, and correspondence
• Company statements and bank accounts
• Renewals and expiration tracking
• Team productivity and workflows
• Reporting and agency performance analytics

Yes. The platform is fully cloud-hosted and supports multi-user access, so your entire team can log in and work simultaneously from any device — whether they're in the office, at home, or on the road. Role-based access controls let you manage what each user can see and do.

Yes. Our team assists with data migration from most legacy agency management platforms. During onboarding we'll review your current system and determine the best migration path for your data. Most agencies are fully set up and operational within one business day.

The Marathon System is a cloud-hosted office platform that runs alongside your carrier portals — it does not replace them. Since everything runs in a browser, you can easily switch between your carrier portals and The Marathon System in the same session. Contact us to discuss any specific integration requirements your agency has.

Absolutely. The Marathon System is highly customizable. You can configure fields, views, and processes to match how your agency works rather than forcing you to adapt to rigid software. This flexibility is one of the reasons agencies have trusted us for over 40 years.

The Marathon System does not use AL3 or IVANS — and here is why that distinction matters less than most agents think. AL3 and IVANS are data transmission standards that carry carrier data into an AMS, including documents, rate information, and policy forms. The Marathon System takes a different approach: our Download Wizard imports carrier statement data directly from carrier-provided files (PDF, XLSX, or CSV) and reconciles every transaction against your agency’s records using 8 levels of match confidence. The financial outcome is the same — accurate books, matched transactions, flagged exceptions — without the AL3/IVANS infrastructure cost. Documents and rate tables remain accessible through your carrier portal in seconds.

The Download Wizard imports financial and transactional data from carrier statements — premiums, commissions, endorsements, cancellations, and reinstatements — and matches every line against your agency’s records. What it does not import are policy documents, rate tables, or forms. Those items are available directly from your carrier portal and are not required for financial reconciliation. The result is a system focused on financial accuracy: your receivables and payables are correct, your commissions are verified, and only true discrepancies are flagged for your attention.

When the Download Wizard processes a carrier statement, it evaluates every transaction and assigns a confidence level that tells your staff exactly what the system found and what action to take:

• Level 1 — Exact Match: Perfect link. The system can release automatically.
• Level -1 — Soft Mismatch: Money gap between the statement and your record.
• Level -2 — Soft Mismatch: Transaction type mismatch.
• Level -3 — Soft Mismatch: Date gap between statement and record.
• Level -4 — Ambiguous: Multiple policies found — user selects the correct one.
• Level -5 / -6 — Conflict: Wrong carrier or company detected — requires a Policy Change.
• Level -7 — No Link: No match found — requires manual review.

Each level surfaces specific action buttons (Match/Comm, Add, Policy Change, Release) so your staff always knows exactly what to do and why. This is what eliminates the guesswork from your reconciliation process.

Yes. The Marathon System handles agency bill, direct bill, and direct bill commission statement reconciliation as separate, purpose-built workflows. Payment sweeps are supported, as are fees for renewals and direct bill statement payments tied to customer payments received from the carrier. The Download Wizard manages both company download reconciliation and direct bill commission statement reconciliation as distinct processes — each with its own matching logic and workflow.

Yes, with one condition: Acord forms are available when the carrier is an Acord member and provides the forms. Acord is a membership organization — carriers who participate provide their standard forms through the Acord framework. If your carrier is an Acord member, those forms are accessible through the system. If you have a question about a specific carrier’s Acord membership status, contact us and we can confirm availability for your agency.

Yes. The Marathon System includes the Download Wizard — a feature that automatically imports carrier statements in PDF, XLSX, or CSV format and reconciles them against your agency’s records using exception reporting. Only discrepancies are flagged, so your team reviews exceptions instead of every line item. Agencies in our Alpha and Beta program reported 95% faster reconciliation. It is included with your subscription at no extra cost. Learn more about the Download Wizard →

The Download Wizard supports 13 carriers: American Access, American Alliance, American Freedom, American Heartland, Direct Auto, First Chicago, Founders, Kemper, Progressive, Safeway, Unique, United Equitable, and United Security. New carriers are added on an ongoing basis. If your carrier is not on the list, contact us — we can prioritize adding it.

Yes. Your data is automatically backed up on a daily basis. Backups are encrypted and stored securely. In the event of any issue, our team can restore your data quickly with minimal disruption to your agency's operations.

We use enterprise-grade encryption for all data both in transit (SSL/TLS) and at rest. Our infrastructure is hosted in secure, redundant data centers. Access to your agency's data is controlled through user authentication and role-based permissions, so only authorized team members can access sensitive information.

Because The Marathon System is fully cloud-hosted, an internet outage at your office would temporarily limit access from that location. However, your team can continue working from any other internet-connected device — such as a mobile phone, tablet, or home computer — without any data loss or interruption.

The platform works on any modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari) on any device — desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. No software installation is required. As long as you have an internet connection and a supported browser, you have full access to your agency's data.

Most agencies are fully onboarded within one business day. Our team handles the technical setup and configuration, assists with data migration from your existing system, and personally walks you and your staff through the platform. We stay available throughout the onboarding process to answer questions and ensure a smooth transition.