ASI / Progressive Review: Home Insurance Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

ARX Holding Corp., the parent company of American Strategic Insurance (ASI) and its affiliates, a major insurer of homes in the USA, is being acquired by the well-known auto insurance company, Progressive Insurance. ASI sells its home insurance through local independent insurance agencies and direct from Progressive in 25 U.S. states. Now that Progressive now has controlling interest (67%) in ASI, with plans to purchase all remaining shares in the future, ASI may become the main home insurance company Progressive offers to its auto insurance customers as an auto/home insurance bundling option. How do the ASI Group companies (American Strategic Insurance Corp, Texas Lloyds, ASI Assurance Corp., ASI Preferred Insurance Corp., ASI Select Insurance Corp., ASI (Formerly ACA) Home Insurance Corp and American Capital Assurance Corp.) compare to other major home insurance companies competing in the USA, such as State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide, Travelers, Safeco, Liberty Mutual & others? This review analyzes the JD Power customer satisfaction ratings, AM Best financial strength ratings, BBB ratings, and the most recent three-year homeowners insurance customer complaint records for the ASI Group insurance companies, and compares them with major competitors. There is a lot of useful information in this review, but if you don’t want to read the entire review, you can skip to my review summary in the last section (section #7), to find out if my analysis concludes the home, condo, & renters insurance customer service, claims handling, and rates for the ASI Group companies is below average, average, or above average. Reading this review can help you decide if ASI is a good company to insure your home, condominium, or apartment. Continue reading

NJ Manufacturers Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

This NJ Manufacturers Insurance review will evaluate the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 homeowners & auto insurance complaint records for the subsidiary companies of NJ Manufacturers insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as New Jersey Indemnity Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

In addition to reviewing & rating its most recent six year complaint record, I’ll analyze the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, and change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for NJ Manufacturers from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Travelers, Hartford, 21st Century, Progressive, & GEICO. Continue reading

Mutual of Enumclaw Review: Auto, Home, Mobile home, Landlords, Boat, Condo, Renters Insurance

Mutual of Enumclaw is a regional insurance company headquartered in Enumclaw, WA., selling auto, home, & other types of property & casualty insurance in the states of Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Utah & Washington through independent insurance agencies located in communities throughout these states. Mutual of Enumclaw has been included in the annual JD Power US auto insurance customer satisfaction study for the Northwest region in 2013 & 2014, but many people living in the states where its available — particularly in Utah and Arizona, where it has more recently become available — may be unaware of Mutual of Enumclaw as an option for their car or home insurance.

This review analyzes the JD Power customer satisfaction ratings, AM Best financial strength ratings, and the most recent three-year home & auto insurance customer complaint records for the Mutual of Enumclaw companies, and compares them with major competitors like Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, Nationwide, Safeco, American Family, & Farmers. If you don’t want to read the entire review, you can skip to my review summary at the end (Section #6), to find out if my analysis concludes the auto & home insurance customer service & claims handling by Mutual of Enumclaw is below average, average, or above average. Reading this review will help you decide if Mutual of Enumclaw is a good choice to insure your car, home, or provide for your other insurance needs. Continue reading

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Depopulation: Take Out Companies Review

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt government entity, created by the Florida legislature with the purpose to provide insurance protection to Florida property owners who are entitled to but are unable to find property insurance coverage in the private market. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the largest insurer of residential properties in the Sunshine State, and many home owners are insured with Citizens not because no private insurance company will insure them, but because Citizens was much less expensive than the private insurers willing to cover their property. If your agent insured your home with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, it was either because a private insurance company would not cover your property or coverage was offered but at a premium over 15% higher than Citizens.

If your Florida property is insured with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, you are probably aware of Citizens Depopulation Program, which is designed to transition Citizen’s policyholders to private insurance companies.

In 2015, these companies are assuming Citizens property insurance policies: American Colonial Insurance Company, Anchor Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Cypress Property & Casualty Insurance Company, First Community Insurance Company, Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Mount Beacon Insurance Company, Prepared Insurance Company, Security First Insurance Company, Southern Oak Insurance Company, and United Property & Casualty Insurance Company.

Should you stay with Citizens or allow your homeowners insurance to be transferred to the take-out company willing to assume your coverage? If you are facing this decision, or if you have allowed your Citizens policy to be assumed by a take-out company in the past, this review will help you evaluate the take-out company compared to Citizens, other take-out companies, and the insurance companies in the Florida home insurance market. This review will look at the choices you may have to find the best home insurance company for you at the best price, and avoid the worst insurance companies. This review will consider the options for insurance policyholders of personal lines accounts only, such as personally owned single family houses, condo unit owners, and mobile homes, and not commercial residential or non-residential properties owned by business entities or homeowners associations. Continue reading

Northwestern Mutual Review: JD Power Life Insurance Customer Satisfaction Ratings

This review will analyze the JD Power ratings & numerical scores for Northwestern Mutual in the annual JD Power life insurance customer satisfaction studies for 2014 & 2015, to see if its JD Power ratings truly reflect the quality of the claims & customer service for the company and how Northwestern Mutual compares to major competitors, like State Farm, Prudential, and Metlife.

Choosing an insurance agent: Experience is not expertise

In my last blog post, I wrote how you should choose an agent with enough experience to be competent. More than 2 years is enough, but 5 to 10 years experience is preferable. Anything more than 10 years is not relevant. But experience does not guarantee expertise.

True expertise is hard to find. I have always been surprised how little your average, experienced & successful agent knows about the products they sell, or how much bad information they can provide to their customers & prospective customers. Continue reading

Armed Forces Insurance Exchange Review: Complaint Statistics & Financial Strength Rating

Armed Forces Insurance Exchange (AFIE), founded in 1887, is an insurance company selling auto, home, renters, & condo insurance to active and retired military members, including National Guard & Reserve members, active & retired Department of Defense civilian employees, their spouses and children, and honorably discharged veterans. If you have had an Armed Forces Insurance Exchange insurance policy in the past, you, your spouse or ex-spouse, and your children can always be considered for a new policy.

AFIE also acts as an independent insurance agency, under Armed Forces Insurance Agency, to sell the products of other insurance companies, so if you don’t qualify for AFIE due to your driving record or other reasons, the company may be able to offer you coverage through another insurance company. For auto insurance, Armed Forces Insurance Exchange can quote you multiple companies. If you meet the AFIE eligibility requirements of having a relationship with the US military, you should contact them to see if they have the coverage you need at the best price. You really can save $100s on your insurance, but the only way to find the lower priced companies, is to shop with as many companies as you can. Often, you can find a good deal for insurance offered through special relationships, like an association with the military.

This blog post will tell you how you can get insurance price quotes from Armed Forces Insurance Exchange, the type of insurance it sells, its recent AM Best financial strength ratings, and most importantly, its auto & home insurance complaint statistics & ratings for the last three years, so you have some objective measure of their customer service. I’ll also recommend a few other companies, with special rates for military members & their families, to help you shop for the best price, coverage, and service. Continue reading

Arbella Auto & Home Insurance Review

Arbella Insurance Group is a major insurer of automobiles & homes in the states of Massachusetts & Connecticut. This review will discuss this company and how it sells its insurance, analyze the JD Power & AM Best ratings for the companies comprising Arbella Insurance Group, provide you with the most recent three-year home & auto insurance customer complaint record for the Arbella companies, in comparison with major competitors like Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, & Progressive, to give you the information to help you decide if Arbella Insurance might be a good choice to insure your car or home.

The smart insurance buyer shops for the best combination of coverage, price, and service, so be sure to use the ad below this paragraph (or the ad at the end of this review) to get price quotes from multiple insurance companies and find the best insurance company for you. Continue reading

American Modern Insurance Review: Home Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & Ratings

This American Modern Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent five year period where reliable statistics are available (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the home insurance (mobile home & homeowners) complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of American Modern Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as American Family Home Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. American Modern Insurance Group insures mainly mobile homes, homes in need of repair, trailers, vacant homes, homes with a recent claims history, and other properties many other insurance companies won’t insure. I’ll compare the home insurance complaint records for the American Modern subsidiary companies, with its major competitor offering specialty home insurance, Foremost Insurance. Continue reading

American European Insurance Company Home Insurance Review: Financial Strength Rating & Customer Complaint Statistics

American European Insurance Group, an insurance company selling insurance to small business owners & home insurance in the states of New Jersey, New York, & Pennsylvania, through its two subsidiary companies, Rutgers Casualty Insurance Company & Rutgers Enhanced Insurance Company, has had its AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) downgraded from “B+” (good) to B (fair) as of 6/17/2013, but with a stable outlook, which means there is not likely to be another downgrade in the near future. Its “B” rating & stable outlook was affirmed on 9/16/2015. Most insurance agents will tell you not to insure with any home insurance company, with less than an AM Best grade of “A-,” for the financial strength of the company. The grade of “B” may still be above average when you are in high school, but it’s not a good grade for an insurance company.

This blog post will tell you about American European Insurance Group, and its home insurance customer complaint ratings of its subsidiary companies for the last three years, so you have some objective measure of their customer service. If you’re a customer, this review will help you decide if you should consider other insurance companies. If you are considering American European property insurance, such as homeowners, condo, or tenants insurance, this review can help you decide if it might be a good choice for you. A smart insurance shopper knows there are big differences in price & coverage among home insurance companies, so it’s smart for you to shop with many companies, to find the best price, coverage, and service for you. Continue reading

Alliance United Insurance Company Review: Complaints, AM Best, JD Power, & Better Business Bureau (BBB) Ratings

Alliance United Insurance Company is a rapidly growing auto insurer in the state of California, and is one of the top five providers of nonstandard auto insurance in the Golden State. More Californians are choosing Alliance United Insurance Company to insure their cars, but how good of a car insurance company is Alliance United Insurance Company? Does it have a lot of customer complaints? How does it compare to competing home & auto insurance companies? This blog post will review Alliance United Insurance Company, it’s JD Power, AM Best, Demotech, BBB (Better Business Bureau) ratings, and its auto insurance customer complaint record over the last three years. There can be a big difference in the cost & coverage offered by different insurance companies, and being a well-known company does not mean being the best. The wise insurance buyer shops the market with all the major companies for the right combination of coverage, acceptable claims & customer service, and a good price. This blog post will help you decide if Alliance United Insurance Company might be a good choice for you. I’ll also show you how the complaint record for Alliance United Insurance Company compares with its competitors, like GEICO and Progressive, to help you comparison shop & find the best car insurance company for you. Continue reading

American Access Casualty Company Review: Auto Insurance Complaint Record, JD Power, AM Best & BBB Ratings

American Access Casualty Company is a rapidly growing nonstandard auto insurance company insuring vehicles in the states of Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Texas. Nonstandard auto insurance is designed for inexperienced drivers, drivers without insurance, drivers with tickets or accidents, license suspensions, people recently licensed, foreign licenses, unlicensed car owners and other factors making them ineligible for standard auto insurance with other auto insurance companies.

American Access Casualty Company recently decided to withdraw from the AM Best rating program (AM Best is the leading company rating insurance companies for financial strength and ability to pay claims) after AM Best downgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to “bb” from “bb+” and affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of B (Fair) for American Access Casualty Company.

If you are insured with American Access Casualty Company, it’s likely you pay a lot for your auto insurance coverage and you need to know if American Access Casualty Company can and will pay your claim if you have one. This review will discuss any JD Power ratings, Better Business Bureau ratings, and its most recent AM Best ratings, evaluate how competitive the rates are for American Access Casualty Company auto insurance by looking at recent gains or losses in its market share, and compare the most recent three-year auto insurance customer complaint record for American Access Casualty Company with major competitors like Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive, to help consumers to decide if American Access Casualty Company auto insurance is a good choice for them.

Does American Access Casualty Company have the money to pay your claim? Does American Access Casualty Company have a below average, average, or above average number of customer complaints? My review summary at the end (Section #5), will rate the auto insurance customer service & claims handling by American Access Casualty Company, based on its 2012-2014 complaint record. Continue reading

Allstate Insurance Review: AM Best Financial Strength Ratings & Auto / Homeowners Complaint Records 2009-2014

Allstate is the second largest insurer of autos & homes in the USA, so anyone buying car or homeowners insurance should consider getting a price quote from Allstate, to see if this company best meets their insurance needs at a reasonable price.

A measure of quality for an auto or home insurance company is the number of upheld complaints filed against it with a state’s insurance regulatory authority, adjusted for the company’s market share. This review will show you if Allstate has a better than average, average, or below average complaint record for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Allstate insurance subsidiaries insuring cars & homes, too. Continue reading

American National Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Complaint Record

American National Property & Casualty Insurance Company is a national auto & home insurance company selling coverage through local American National insurance agents, and is available in most states (Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York do not seem to be among them). This American National Insurance review will include the financial strength ratings, customer satisfaction ratings in the JD Power home & auto insurance studies, and the home & auto insurance complaints over the last six years, and lets you know if American National has a better than average, average, or worse than average complaint record. Continue reading

MetLife Term Life Insurance Rates Review

Metlife is one of the largest providers of individual life insurance policies in the USA. But does Metlife have low term life insurance rates compared to competing life insurance companies?

This review will examine the competitiveness of Metlife term life insurance rates against other life insurance companies, so people looking for a good term life insurance policy will know when to consider choosing Metlife. This review will also discuss the best way to buy term life insurance from Metlife, and why some independent life insurance agents may be reluctant to quote Metlife because of lower commissions. Continue reading

Globe Life Insurance Review: JD Power, BBB, AM Best Ratings & Customer Complaints Review

Can $1 really buy you $100,000 of life insurance coverage through Globe Life & Accident Insurance Company? Are the low life insurance rates advertised by Globe Life too good to be true? Is Globe Life a legitimate, financially sound insurance company, or some type of Ponzi ripoff scheme? Is Globe Life a good insurance company compared to other life insurance companies? This review will answer these questions and provide you with important information, so you can decide if Globe Life is a good choice for you. Continue reading

Foremost Insurance Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

This Foremost Insurance review will evaluate the AM Best financial strength ratings, any JD Power claims & customer satisfaction ratings, and the 2009-2014 home & auto insurance complaint record for the subsidiary companies of Foremost Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Foremost Insurance Company of Grand Rapids, MI, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

Foremost insures mainly high risk drivers, mobile homes, trailers, vacant homes, homes with a recent claims history, and other properties many other insurance companies won’t insure. I’ll compare the auto & home insurance complaint records for the Foremost subsidiary companies, with major competitors offering nonstandard auto insurance and specialty home insurance, like Progressive, Homesite, Dairyland, & American Modern. Continue reading

National General Insurance Review (Formerly GMAC): Auto Insurance Customer Complaint Record & JD Power, AM Best Ratings

This review will analyze any recent JD Power and AM Best ratings for National General, and evaluate, for the most recent five year period where reliable statistics are available (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the auto insurance complaint data for the subsidiary companies of National General Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Integon General Insurance Company or National General Insurance Company Online, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

I’ll analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for the National General (formerly GMAC) insurance companies from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, The Hartford, Travelers, Safeco, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the National General insurance subsidiaries, too.

Lastly, I’ll compare the auto insurance complaint records for the National General subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, & Farmers. Continue reading

Imperial Fire & Casualty Insurance Reviews: AM Best Financial Strength Rating & Customer Complaint Record.

Imperial Fire & Casualty Insurance Company, offering auto, home, dwelling, renters, & flood insurance, primarily in the states of Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, had its Financial Strength Rating (FSR) affirmed as “B+” (good) on 6/18/2013 by AM Best, but with a negative outlook, which means there could be a rating downgrade in the future. Most insurance agents recommend not choosing any insurance company with less than an “A-” rating for financial strength by AM Best. A grade of “B+” might be considered above average when you are in school, but it’s not a good grade for an auto or home insurance company. This review will explain the reasons for the negative outlook from AM Best, give you information about the company, including its three year home & auto insurance complaint records, to help you decide if Imperial Fire & Casualty Insurance Company is the right company for you. Continue reading

Grange Insurance Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

This Grange Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the home & auto insurance complaints for the subsidiary companies of the Grange Mutual Casualty Pool, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Trustgard Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

In addition to reviewing & rating its most recent six year complaint record, I’ll analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Grange insurance from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, The Hartford, Travelers, Safeco, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Grange insurance subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

Homeowners of America Insurance Company Review: Home Insurance Price Competitiveness, JD Power, BBB, & AM Best Ratings, and Complaints 2012-2014

This Homeowners of America Insurance Company review will evaluate, for the most recent three year period where reliable statistics are available (2012, 2013, & 2014), the homeowners insurance complaint record for the company, to determine if Homeowners of America Insurance Company has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint history compared to other insurance companies. This review will also look at the AM Best, Better Business Bureau & JD Power ratings for Homeowners of America Insurance Company, as well as the price competitiveness of its homeowners, condo, and renters insurance rates. Continue reading

Homesite Review: Homeowners Insurance Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

Homesite Insurance Group insures only owner-occupied residential property, and partners with major auto insurance companies, like Progressive, National General (formerly GMAC), & GEICO, to offer home insurance coverage to their customers in some states. This blog post will review Homesite Insurance, evaluating its AM Best financial strength ratings, JD Power Claims & Customer Satisfaction ratings, and homeowner insurance customer complaints over the last five years, to let you know if Homesite Insurance performs better than average, average, or worse than average.

The homeowners (including condos, renters & mobile home) insurance complaint statistics will be analyzed for the subsidiary companies of Homesite Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Homesite Insurance Company of the Midwest, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. I’ll also compare the home insurance complaint records for the Homesite subsidiary companies, with its major competitors, such as State Farm, Allstate, and Farmers Insurance. Continue reading

Infinity Insurance Review: Auto Insurance Customer Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

This Infinity Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the auto insurance complaints for the subsidiary companies of Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Infinity Auto Insurance Company or Infinity Indemnity Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

I’ll look at increases & decreases in market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each Infinity subsidiary, as a possible indication of high or low auto insurance rates. I’ll also review Infinity’s JD Power customer satisfaction ratings & AM Best financial strength ratings. Lastly, this review will compare the auto insurance complaint records for the Infinity Group companies, with major competitors, like Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, The General, & Farmers. Continue reading

Main Street America Review: Auto / Homeowners Insurance Price Competitiveness, JD Power, BBB, & AM Best Ratings, and Complaints 2012-2014

This Main Street America review will evaluate, for the most recent three year period where reliable statistics are available (2012, 2013, & 2014), the home & auto insurance complaint record for the subsidiaries of Main Street America Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Main Street America Assurance Company or Austin Mutual Insurance Company or NGM Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. This review will also look at the AM Best, Better Business Bureau & JD Power ratings for Main Street America, as well as the price competitiveness for Main Street America home & car insurance. Continue reading

Shelter Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints, AM Best & JD Power Ratings

This Shelter Insurance review will evaluate the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014 homeowners & auto insurance customers complaints for the subsidiary companies of Shelter Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Shelter Mutual Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. I’ll also look at increases & decreases in auto & home insurance market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each Shelter subsidiary, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates.

In addition to reviewing & rating its most recent six year complaint record, I’ll analyze the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, and change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Shelter Insurance from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Travelers, Hartford, American Family, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. Continue reading