The People Behind the Policies
Rafail Insurance Agency was founded in 2009 by Mark and Sylvia Rafail, longtime Heights residents who built the agency one honest conversation at a time. Mark’s path through hospitality and business-to-business sales taught him that relationships, not transactions, are the real asset — and that’s still how the whole team works today.
Today the agency services thousands of policies with a team of roughly ten that carries more than 150 years of combined experience, from claims handling to policy writing. That depth means when you call with a question — or a claim — you’re talking to someone who has seen it before and will walk you through it in plain language. Mark also serves as an insurance expert witness for attorneys and law firms, bringing that same candor to coverage disputes and claims-handling cases.
Background: BA Degree in History; Texas A&M University – College Station, TX
Licenses: Property and Casualty License, Life and Health Insurance License
Securities Licensed: Financially Registered Representative; Series 6 & Series 63
“I truly love and enjoy what I do. Our staff is phenomenal and the main reason for our agency’s success year after year. Our goal is to protect your assets & keep you out of the courtroom in the case you are sued or actually have to use your insurance in a large claim. Whether you are a young professional or an established business owner, we make sure that you are educated and insured properly.”
– Mark Rafail
Background: BS in Business and Health; University of Texas – Austin, TX
Licenses: Property and Casualty License, Life and Health Insurance License
“The way we communicate with our clients is what separates us. Our response time is efficient and meant to always keep our clients ‘in the loop’. Our staff allows us to assist you on the spot in many instances. My position is simple: to make sure that our clients are walked through every coverage and explain just how easy it is to join our agency. I am here to answer questions and assure you that your personal or business insurance is maintained properly. We appreciate the opportunity to be of service to you.”
– Sylvia Rafail
Why We Do It This Way
Our mission is to help clients protect and preserve everything they’ve worked hard to build, and to guide them toward the right coverage through honest, personal conversations. Every business is a livelihood with families attached — the owner’s and every family on payroll — so we take it personally. We’d rather tell you to keep what you have than sell you something you don’t need.
Brokers Who Own a Business Too
We run payroll, sign leases, and carry risk ourselves, so we make recommendations as if your business and property were our own. As independent brokers, we’re not captive to a single carrier — we shop a range of respected A-rated markets and bring you the option that actually fits. How often does your broker really relate to a business owner? Ours do, every day.
Educators, Not Order-Takers
We can take an order — but we’d rather teach. We read the fine print, compare and contrast your options, and walk the worst case in plain language so you can decide with confidence. Most people are never given the education behind their own coverage. Our clients are, every time we review a policy.
The Same Team, From Quote to Claim
The person who reviews your policy is the person who picks up when something goes wrong. There’s no phone tree and no handoff to a stranger — just a team that remembers your name, your business, and your last conversation. That continuity is why a single relationship often spans many years and many policies.
Our Core Values
The same four values that built the agency guide every person on the team. We write them as behaviors, because a value you can’t observe is a poster, not a principle.
We tell the whole truth about your coverage, worst case included, then let you decide — no manufactured urgency, no pressure to switch.
Generosity is structural, not seasonal. We show up for Houston through board service, sponsorships, and community partnerships.
We read the hundred pages so you don’t have to, then explain your options in plain language before anything is decided.
Every client gets the same standard — the smallest shop and the largest operation — and the little things get noticed.
Across business, commercial, personal, and life insurance, our clients keep coming back for the same reason: a real team that knows their coverage and treats them like family. Here’s what a few of them say.
