Overview
Agency & Agent Search is where you verify identity and license data for an agency, agent, firm, or individual, either inside your own Turris workspace or directly against the live NIPR Producer Database. Reach for it before requesting an appointment, onboarding a producer, or answering a carrier or regulator query when you need to confirm an entity is real, properly licensed, and active in the right state without leaving the platform.
What is Agency & Agent Search?
Agency & Agent Search is a single lookup tool that combines two data sources (your own Turris data and the NIPR registry) with two entity shapes (an organization or an individual person). You pick the data source, pick the entity shape, then search by either entity attributes (NPN, EIN / FEIN, name) or a specific state license number.
Who uses it. Licensing managers, compliance analysts, and producer-onboarding staff at agencies, MGAs, and BGAs. It is the tool you reach for mid-task on another workflow (filing an appointment, onboarding an agent, replying to a carrier compliance request) when you need to confirm a license or identity in seconds.
Key capabilities:
Look up one of your own agencies (your top company or any of its branches) by NPN, EIN, organization name, or DBA.
Look up an agent associated with your organization by NPN, first name, or last name.
Pull the most recent license data straight from the live NIPR Producer Database for any firm or individual licensed in the United States, even one that has never interacted with your organization.
Resolve a single record from a state-and-license-number combination when that is the only identifier you were handed.
Choose Starts with or Exact match mode per name field on NIPR searches, so you can handle partial spellings without flooding the results.
See every state where an entity holds a license at a glance, color-coded by status (active / expired / inactive).
Expand a result to see the full license detail (state, license number, class, status, residency, renewal date).
Spot NIPR results that already exist in your workspace with an In Turris badge, so you do not create duplicate records.
Accessing Agency & Agent Search
Open Left sidebar → Tools. The Tools landing page shows three tiles: NPN Lookup, Agency & Agent Search, and Reports. Click the Agency & Agent Search tile. The breadcrumb at the top of the page reads Tools / Agency & Agent Search.
The page is built around one top-level toggle plus a search card:
Element | Purpose |
Turris Platform / NIPR Registry toggle | Top of the page. Switches between your own workspace data (Turris Platform) and the live NIPR registry (NIPR Registry, badged |
Entity-type toggle inside the card | Agency / Agent in Turris mode, or Firm / Individual in NIPR mode. Switches the entity shape being searched. Sits in the top-right of the search card header. |
Left search panel | The attribute panel: Entity Info (agency or firm), Agent Info (Turris agent), or Individual Info (NIPR individual). Fill at least one field. |
License Number panel | Right side of the card. Two fields, State and License Number. Both are required together. |
Results area | Renders below the card once a search returns. Turris results stack as full-width cards; NIPR results render as a three-column grid of compact cards. |
The two side-by-side panels are mutually exclusive. Typing into any field of the left attribute panel highlights it and fades the License Number panel (and disables it), and vice versa. This prevents an ambiguous query where a name filter and a license number could disagree.
Running a Turris Search
When you'd do this. You want to confirm one of your own agencies or agents, or pull their current license data, without leaving Turris. The Turris Platform search looks only inside your own organization: your agency (the top company) and all of its branches, plus the agents associated with that family. It does not return agencies or agents that belong to other organizations. For anything outside your organization, switch to NIPR Registry.
Confirm the Turris Platform toggle at the top of the page is selected (it is the default).
In the search card header, choose Agency or Agent.
Fill in either the left attribute panel (Entity Info for an agency, Agent Info for an agent) OR the License Number panel. The other panel fades and disables automatically.
Field | Required | Description |
NPN (Agency or Agent) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | National Producer Number. Example: |
EIN (Agency) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Employer Identification Number. Example: |
Organization Name (Agency) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Legal or DBA name of the agency. Matched case-insensitively against both. Example: |
First Name (Agent) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Agent first name. Example: |
Last Name (Agent) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Agent last name. Example: |
State | Required together with License Number | Two-letter state code, picked from the dropdown. |
License Number | Required together with State | The state-issued license number on file. Example: |
Click Search Agencies (in Agency mode) or Search Agents (in Agent mode). The button sits in the bottom-right of the card and shows a search icon.
Review the result cards that appear below the card. A summary line above them shows the count found (for example, 3 agencies found).
Each Turris agency card shows:
Section | Contents |
Header | Building icon, agency legal name (or |
Identifiers | NPN, EIN, incorporation state code (with a map-pin icon), and phone number (with a phone icon), rendered inline as a single wrap-around row. Only populated identifiers appear. |
State badges | One small color-coded chip per state where the agency holds a license. Color reflects the license status (see §License Status Indicators). |
View all license details (N) | A button that expands a table of every license held: State, License #, Class, Status, Residency, Expiry. The button label switches to Hide license details while open. |
Each Turris agent card shows:
Section | Contents |
Header | Initials avatar, agent full name (first, middle, last), and the associated agency name when present. |
Identifiers | NPN (when present). |
State badges | One chip per state where the agent holds a license. |
View all license details (N) | The same expandable license table as agencies. |
Note: Turris searches return a capped batch of matches. If more than the cap matched, a primary-tinted banner appears above the results reading Showing first N of M results. Refine your search for more specific results. Add another field to your query to narrow it.
Running a NIPR Registry Search
When you'd do this. You need authoritative license data straight from the NIPR Producer Database, including for an entity that is not yet in your workspace. This is the right tool when you are evaluating a new producer, validating an out-of-state license a carrier sent you, or confirming an entity exists before adding it.
At the top of the page, switch the toggle to NIPR Registry. The card heading changes to NIPR Registry Search and the result layout becomes a three-column grid.
In the search card header, choose Firm or Individual.
Fill in either the left attribute panel (Entity Info for a firm, Individual Info for an individual) OR the License Number panel.
Field | Required | Description |
Company Name (Firm) | Optional (at least one attribute field required); min 3 characters when filled | Firm name. Example: |
NPN / Entity ID (Firm) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Producer ID assigned by NIPR. Example: |
FEIN (Firm) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Federal Employer Identification Number. Example: |
First Name (Individual) | Optional (at least one attribute field required); min 3 characters when filled | Producer first name. Example: |
Last Name (Individual) | Optional (at least one attribute field required); min 3 characters when filled | Producer last name. Example: |
Middle Name (Individual) | Optional; min 3 characters when filled | Producer middle name. The field placeholder reads |
NPN / Entity ID (Individual) | Optional (at least one attribute field required) | Producer ID assigned by NIPR. Example: |
State | Required together with License Number | Two-letter state code, picked from the dropdown. |
License Number | Required together with State | The state-issued license number to look up. Example: |
For each name field, use the inline Starts with / Exact toggle next to the field label to control how strictly NIPR matches what you typed. The
?icon next to the toggle reveals the tooltip:Starts with - matches names beginning with your term. Exact - matches only the exact value.Click Search NIPR in the bottom-right of the card.
Review the result cards in the three-column grid below.
Each NIPR firm card shows:
Element | Description |
Name | Firm name as reported by NIPR. |
In Turris badge | Appears when the firm's NPN matches an entity already in your workspace. |
NPN | Producer ID assigned by NIPR. |
FEIN | Federal Employer Identification Number. |
Resident state chips | Small chips showing the states where the firm holds a resident license. |
Each NIPR individual card shows:
Element | Description |
Initials avatar | Two-letter initials derived from the producer's name. |
Name | Individual full name as reported by NIPR. |
In Turris badge | Appears when the individual's NPN matches an agent already in your workspace. |
NPN | Producer ID assigned by NIPR. |
DOB | Date of birth as reported by NIPR. |
Resident state chips | Small chips showing the states where the individual holds a resident license. |
Note: Searching by NPN, FEIN, or a state-and-license-number pair returns at most one exact match. Searching by name can return many candidates, so it is the slowest path and the one most likely to time out. If a search times out, see §Empty States and Errors.
Match Mode (NIPR only)
Every name field on the NIPR search form carries its own match-mode toggle next to the field label:
Starts with (the default) matches any name beginning with the text you typed. Useful when you are unsure of the exact spelling or formatting.
Exact matches only the exact value. Useful when you know the entity precisely and want a narrow result set.
Match mode applies independently to each name field. You can, for example, set Exact on Last Name and Starts with on First Name when you are sure of the surname but not how the first name is registered. Name fields must contain at least 3 characters before the search will run.
License Status Indicators
License chips and license-detail rows are color-coded so you can scan compliance at a glance:
Color | Label | Meaning | What to do about it |
Green |
| The entity holds an active license in this state. | Safe to proceed with appointments, authority assignments, and policy work in this state. |
Red |
| The license expired and was not renewed. | Confirm whether a renewal is in progress, then either escalate the renewal or remove this state from the in-flight workflow. |
Neutral (gray) |
| The license is on file but not currently active (lapsed, surrendered, suspended, pending, or any other non-active status). | Click View all license details to read the exact status and renewal date, then decide whether the entity is usable for the state in question. |
The same colors appear on the compact state chips and inside the expanded license-detail table.
Empty States and Errors
Scenario | What you see | What to do |
Search succeeds but matches nothing | A | Loosen the query (drop a field, widen the match mode, check spelling) or switch the platform / entity-type toggle. |
Turris search returns more rows than the page shows | A primary-tinted banner above the results reading | Add another field to your query to narrow the result set. |
NIPR search fails for any reason | An error panel with the heading | Re-run the search. If it keeps failing, contact support. |
NIPR search times out | An error panel with the heading | Switch a Starts with field to Exact, add more of the name, or pivot to the License Number panel if you have a state and license number. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Turris Platform and NIPR Registry? Turris Platform searches only your own organization: your agency (top company), its branches, and the agents associated with them. NIPR Registry searches the live national Producer Database for any licensed firm or individual, whether or not they are in your workspace. Pick Turris when you want to look up something you already own; pick NIPR when you want authoritative external data.
Why does the Turris search not return an agency I know exists? The Turris Platform search is scoped to your own organization and its branches. An agency that belongs to a different organization will not appear there. Switch the toggle to NIPR Registry and search by name, NPN, or license number to pull its data from the national registry.
Why can't I fill both the attribute panel and the License Number panel at the same time? A state plus a license number already uniquely identifies a license, so combining it with NPN, EIN, or name filters would create an ambiguous query. The form makes one panel the active search and fades the other to keep this obvious.
What does the In Turris badge on a NIPR result mean? The firm or individual returned by NIPR was matched by NPN to an entity that already exists in your workspace. It tells you not to create a duplicate record.
Why did my NIPR search time out? NIPR has execution limits on broad name queries. A common last name with Starts with matching can match thousands of producers and exceed the time budget. Narrow the query: switch to Exact, add more of the name, or search by NPN if you have one.
How is this different from the Agencies and Agents pages in the sidebar? The Agencies and Agents pages list the entities in your workspace with full management capabilities (assign authority, edit records, request appointments, and so on). Agency & Agent Search is a read-only lookup tool. Use it to confirm an entity exists or to inspect license data before acting elsewhere.
Why are name fields rejecting short entries on NIPR? NIPR searches enforce a minimum of 3 characters per name field to keep the result set finite. Either type more of the name or switch to an NPN / Entity ID lookup.
Can I export the results? No, this page is for ad-hoc lookups. For bulk extracts, use the Reports tile on the Tools page or your Agencies and Agents pages.
Best Practices
Lead with NPN whenever you have one. NPN is the most specific identifier and avoids name-matching ambiguity entirely. Both the Turris and NIPR searches accept it and return a single deterministic result.
Use the License Number panel when a state and license number is what you were given. Carrier requests, regulator notices, and appointment forms often quote a license number; running it through the License Number panel is the fastest path to a confirmed record.
Prefer Exact match mode for routine NIPR lookups. Reserve Starts with for cases where you are unsure of spelling or formatting. Common last names with Starts with are the most frequent cause of timeouts.
Always check the In Turris badge before adding a new NIPR result to your workspace. The badge tells you the entity is already represented, so you can avoid a duplicate record.
Expand the license-detail table before you commit to an appointment or onboarding step. Confirming an active license in the target state up front prevents downstream failures and bounced filings.
If a NIPR search times out, do not retry blindly. Narrow the query first by adding more of the name, switching to Exact, or searching by NPN. The same broad query will time out again.
Need Help?
If you have questions about Agency & Agent Search or encounter any issues, contact our support team at support@turris.com.