ARI Global

When the dust of corporate restructuring settled in the mid-90s, one man decided to bet on himself. Fresh from a career with Dun & Bradstreet and its insurance arm, American Credit Indemnity (ACI), Parker Freedman took a bold step by launching ARI Global, backed by deep industry knowledge, grit and a single, pivotal client, a multibillion-dollar company that chose to believe in a new player. “Great companies show a willingness to work with smaller companies,” Freedman recalls—a lesson passed down from his father, a 30-year IBM veteran. That trust is well embedded into ARI Global’s DNA.

Three decades later, ARI now ranks as the largest independently owned and operated credit insurance broker and the ARI Team safeguards the bottom line of over 700 clients, with revenues ranging from five million to tens of billions of dollars.

“At ARI Global, our fiduciary duty is tied to the business owner. We are on the client's side of the table, asking the right questions and magnifying the fine print to ensure that coverage truly fits their unique wants and needs.”

Building Confidence in Receivables Financing

ARI Global's client-first ethos drives everything it does, from policy design to execution. While credit insurance is the offering, the real value lies in the customization of the program.

A subscriber to Edward Deming’s management principles, ARI Global maintains consistency across product, process and delivery. The team takes time upfront to understand each client’s specific credit risks, trade flows, and operational nuances before offering a recommendation. Whether a business is selling domestically or entering international markets, ARI advocates to protect against customer default due to bankruptcy, late payments, or political risks.

ARI helps clients craft custom contract language that strengthens terms and ensures strategic, well-rounded protection. Since premiums can be structured in various ways—sales-based, AR-based, flat-rate, or coverage-driven—the team reviews every quote, highlights key differences, and offers tailored recommendations.

This collaborative, hands-on approach has enabled ARI to place some of the industry’s most complex deals. In a recent $400 million true sale transaction, a major financial institution needed a streamlined, syndicated insurance policy without co-insurance, inflated rates, or complex terms.

ARI successfully delivered a U.S.-based policy stripped of excess reporting, cease shipment clauses, and restrictive language. The result was a lean, eight-page policy with six targeted endorsements engineered for lender and client, enabling a smooth, efficient, and cost-effective program.

In all its efforts, ARI is the bridge between the business, lender and insurer to strengthen lender-client trust.

Since many ARI clients often have active credit facilities requiring the lender to be aligned with the insurance structure, the firm has developed the Lender Renewal Notification Service (LRNS) —a proprietary, automated system keeping bank portfolio managers informed at every stage of the policy renewal process.

From application, to submission, to quote presentation, to final binding, LRNS increases transparency, eliminates surprises and reduces miscommunication. It’s this level of coordination that makes true sale transactions possible and reinforces high lender trust in the underlying receivables.

Guidance through Every Stage of the Claim Cycle

Equally impactful is ARI’s commitment to customer service and continuity during the policy's life. A single point of contact is retained from quote to claim, no handoffs, no confusion; one ARI team member who is a dedicated expert, who knows the client’s credit landscape inside and out. This level of continuity ensures personalized service and enables ARI to proactively identify potential claim issues or necessary adjustments long before they escalate.

While more than a dozen credit insurers operate in the U.S., most offer coverage for the same core risks. What varies is their underwriting philosophy. Some carriers will only consider the largest exposures, leaving smaller decisions to policyholders via discretionary credit limits. This allows clients to approve buyers independently as long as they stick to certain rules.

In this scenario, ARI adds strategic value by crafting bespoke policy language that makes compliance significantly easier and more transparent. It collaborates with underwriters and legal teams to ensure policies are fine-tuned to meet the specific needs of lenders.

Rather than burdening clients with continuous risk monitoring and daily administrative tasks, ARI does the heavy lifting by reducing compliance requirements to just 12 events a year. Additionally, those compliance days coincide with reports the client already produces and the lender already reviews. For high-functioning credit departments, that's a huge lift, offering more clarity, less busywork and better alignment across the board.

Understanding that policies can be complex and that timing is critical in claim recoveries, ARI provides claim support and early intervention by encouraging clients to reach out as soon as receivables are 60 days past due. Even though ARI simplifies compliance requirements through custom contract language negotiated with insurers, it promotes vigilance by offering support and guidance throughout the claim cycle.

Top-of-the-line technology serves as the foundation for ARI’s service excellence. Internal systems track quoting, policy renewal and compliance timelines to keep clients and lenders informed and aligned. Policy delivery and claims settlement are more than a digital transaction and missing key contractual provisions can be detrimental.

“Our delivery process is formal for a reason: to ensure clients stay informed and compliant. Working with an ARI specialist costs nothing extra, but it does provide you with smarter coverage and needed support throughout the policy lifecycle,” says Freedman. “In a space known for rigidity, we bring agility.”

Protecting Clients from Fragmented Insurance Solutions

Sometimes, your needs may exceed what the primary insurer is able or willing to offer, i.e., an insurance carrier approves only $1 million, when $2 million is required. In such cases, ARI taps into the excess insurance market to secure supplementary coverage and facilitates claims cooperation agreements between the primary and excess carriers to ensure a seamless claims process. This prevents fragmented protection or added administrative burdens.

This level of strategic problem-solving and industry coordination has earned the ARI Team recognition at the highest levels. The company holds Platinum Broker status with the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and Tier-One status in the private insurance sector recognizing its credibility and track record in managing high-volume, complex credit insurance programs.

ARI’s team of 18 associates, licensed in every U.S. state, and all finance experts and/or industry veterans, as well as its back-office team of seven, continues to fuel the ARI Global trade credit engine.

Building on this foundation, ARI also has a global presence through the Credea network, a coalition of trade credit insurance specialists operating in 45 countries, offering multinational access to coordinated global solutions while benefiting from local market expertise.

The combination of global expertise and strong industry ties has made ARI a trusted partner for many clients across manufacturing, distribution and export-focused industries. For businesses looking to streamline insurance, enhance lender confidence, and safeguard against non-payment, ARI Global delivers the expertise and strategic support needed to navigate trade credit risk with clarity and confidence.