As readers of my blog know, I really like the annual JD Power insurance studies, and I think people should use the studies as a measure of customer service, instead of online customer reviews. Of the annual JD Power insurance studies, none are more important than their annual claims satisfaction studies. Today’s blog post reviews the raw scores and ratings for the 19 major home insurance companies included in the JD Power 2012 Property Claims Satisfaction Study.

People may be familiar with the JD Power rating system: 5 Power Circles (among the best), 4 Power Circles (better than most), 3 Power circles (about average), and 2 Power Circles (the rest). However, each company has a numerical score upon which its power circle rating is based. The numerical score is calculated on a scale of 1 to 1,000 points, determined from the customer survey results.

Although an insurance company may have a high power circle rating, you have to also consider its numerical score, to decide if the company actually provides better than average or superior customer satisfaction.

For example, in this study, 9 of the 19 companies received a 4 power circle rating (better than most) for overall property claims satisfaction. Can 9 out of 19 companies really be better than most?

The highest scoring 4 power circle rated company scored 873 points out of 1,000, and the lowest scoring 4 power circle rated company scored 842 points out of 1,000. 842 points is only 9 points above the study average, and only 1 point (on a 1,000 point scale!) above a company rated 3 power circles (about average) scoring 841. Does this company scoring 842 deserve to be considered better than most? I don’t think so.

However, I think the two 4 power circle rated companies with the highest numerical scores (873 and 872) did score high enough to be considered better than most. Not all companies with the same power circle rating are equal.

I’ll show you the numerical scores for each insurance company in the study, from the highest score to the lowest score, so you can see which companies really are providing superior claims satisfaction. It will also help you avoid paying more for a company with a high power circle rating, but with a numerical score not much better than average.

JD Power 2012 US Property Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study: 19 Major Home Insurance Companies ranked from Best to Worst for Overall Claims Satisfaction

1,000 points is a perfect score.

This first group of six companies scored the highest in the study, and you should consider insuring with them, if superior property claims satisfaction is important to you. The first two companies are rated 5 power circles in this study, and I think their scores are high enough to consider them among the best.

1. USAA insurance — 895 out of 1,000 points.

USAA is not available to everyone. You must be in the military, an immediate family member of someone in the military, or an honorably discharged veteran, to be eligible for USAA.

2. Amica insurance — 894 out of 1,000 points.

3. Auto-Owners insurance — 873 out of 1,000 points.

4. Nationwide insurance — 872 out of 1,000 points.

5. Erie insurance — 864 out of 1,000 points.

6. Chubb insurance — 859 out of 1,000 points.

The next two companies did not score as high, but did rate 4 power circles (better than most) not only for overall property claims satisfaction, but in the important sub-category of claims settlement. They did not score much above the average score, but they may be a good choice for you if they offer the coverage options you need at a competitive price:

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8. Country insurance — 847 out of 1,000 points.

The next six companies scored close to average, with the highest scoring company scoring only 13 points on the 1,000 point scale higher than the study average. Although the first three companies rated 4 power circles (better than most) in the study, I don’t think their scores are high enough to distinguish them as being much above average:

9. State Farm insurance — 846 out of 1,000 points.

10. American Family insurance — 842 out of 1,000 points.

11. Northern California, Nevada, & Utah Auto Club (NCNU AAA) — 842 out of 1,000 points.

12. Hartford insurance — 841 out of 1,000 points.

13. Safeco insurance — 835 out of 1,000 points.

14. Travelers insurance — 835 out of 1,000 points.

The 2012 US Property Claims Satisfaction Study average score for all home insurance customers responding to the survey: 833 out of 1,000 points.

The next three companies scored slightly below average. The lowest scoring company of these three companies is only 10 points on the 1,000 point scale below the study average. If you are insured with these companies, these lower scores are no reason to panic, but you may be able to save money, improve your coverage, and expect higher claims satisfaction, by getting home insurance quotes from the top 8 companies on this list.

15. Allstate insurance — 829 out of 1,000 points.

16. Liberty Mutual insurance — 824 out of 1,000 points.

17. Metlife insurance — 823 out of 1,000 points.

These last two companies scored the lowest in the study. Although Farmers is rated at 3 power circles (about average) for overall property claims satisfaction, its score is low enough to consider it somewhat below average, scoring 15 points on the 1,000 point scale below the study average. Neither of these two companies scored so low you should expect awful claims service, but in an industry where many people are unhappy with the average service, you should definitely see if companies scoring higher on this list have a better deal for you.

18. Farmers insurance — 818 out of 1,000 points.

19. Hanover insurance — 812 out of 1,000 points.

You can click here to see the JD Power 2012 US Property Insurance Claim Study. Do you have any questions about these claims satisfaction ratings? Comment on my facebook page. Follow me on Twitter for important insurance consumer news and new blog entries at CarInsWatch.