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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State Farm Review: Auto & Homeowners Insurance Complaints 2009-2014

This State Farm 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 complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of State Farm insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as State Farm Fire & Casualty Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. Continue reading

Kemper Preferred Insurance Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & JD Power, AM Best Ratings

This Kemper Preferred Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the auto & home insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of the Kemper Preferred insurance companies, to determine whether each of their subsidiaries, such as Kemper Independence Insurance Company or Unitrin Auto and Home 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 of these Kemper Preferred subsidiaries, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates. Lastly, this review will compare the auto & home insurance complaint records for these Kemper Preferred subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, & Farmers. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) and JD Power ratings for the Kemper Preferred insurance subsidiaries insuring cars & homes, too. Continue reading

Kemper Specialty Insurance Review: Auto Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & AM Best Ratings

This Kemper Specialty 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 complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Kemper Specialty, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Alpha Property & Casualty Insurance Company or Financial Indemnity 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 Kemper Specialty operating company, as a possible indication of competitive pricing. The Kemper Specialty companies sell nonstandard auto insurance for drivers considered higher risk. This review will compare the auto insurance complaint records for the Kemper Specialty subsidiary companies, with the companies or subsidiaries of major competitors selling nonstandard auto insurance, like Allstate Indemnity, Progressive, GEICO Casualty, The General, Infinity, National General (Formerly GMAC) & Mid-Century Insurance Company (Farmers). Continue reading

Kemper Direct & Kemper Select (formerly Unitrin & Merastar) Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & AM Best Ratings

This review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014), the auto & home insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of the Kemper Direct (formerly Unitrin Direct) & Kemper Select (Merastar) insurance companies, to determine whether each of their subsidiaries, such as Unitrin Direct Property & Casualty Company or Merastar 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 of these Kemper Direct / Select subsidiaries, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates. Lastly, this review will compare the auto & home insurance complaint records for these Kemper subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, & Farmers. Continue reading

USAA Insurance Review: Auto / Homeowners Insurance Price Competitiveness, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings & Complaints 2009-2014

This USAA 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 complaint record for the subsidiary companies of USAA insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as USAA Casualty Insurance Company or Garrison Property & Casualty Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

I’ll also look at the JD Power ratings for USAA auto & homeowner insurance pricing, and increases & decreases in market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each USAA subsidiary, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates. In addition, I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings for the USAA insurance companies, too. Continue reading

Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company Reviews: AM Best Financial Strength Rating & Customer Complaint Record.

Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company, an insurance company insuring houses, farms, mobile homes & cars in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, & South Dakota, had its Financial Strength Rating (FSR) affirmed as “B+” (good) on 5/30/2014 by AM Best, with a negative outlook, meaning there could be a rating downgrade in the future. As of 6/2/2015, AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating for Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company to “B (Fair)” with a stable outlook, meaning no ratings downgrade or upgrade is expected in the near future. The Financial Strength Rating of “B” is a rating in AM Best’s “vulnerable” category.

Most insurance agents will tell you not to insure with any insurance company, with less than an AM Best grade of “A-,” for the financial strength of the company. A grade of “B” may still be above average when you are a student in school, but it’s not a good grade for an insurance company. This blog post will explain the reasons for the poor rating from AM Best, give you information about the company, including its four year home & auto insurance complaint records, to help you decide if Buckeye State Mutual Insurance Company is right for you. Continue reading

TheGeneral.com Review: Auto Insurance Complaint Record, JD Power & AM Best Ratings

Are you curious about The General auto insurance? Have you seen The General TV commercials, read consumer reviews, and wondered if they might be a good choice to insure your cars? If you have a hard time qualifying for auto insurance, The General might be a good choice for you, because they promise low down payments, which can be hard to find if you have issues qualifying for standard auto insurance.

However, if you don’t have a hard time qualifying for auto insurance with most companies, you may find The General is too expensive. If you are considering buying The General, this General auto insurance review will give you information, like their three year complaint record, to help you decide if you get what you pay for with The General. Included in The General Insurance review is information on competing nonstandard auto insurance companies, so you can shop your auto insurance for the best price, coverage, and service.
Continue reading

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & Ratings

This Fireman’s Fund Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where complaint statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014), the home & auto insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Fireman’s Fund insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as American Automobile Insurance Company or American Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. I’ll also compare the auto & home insurance complaint records for the Fireman’s Fund subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, & Farmers. Fireman’s Fund is a major insurer of high value & luxury homes. Continue reading

Cincinnati Insurance Review: AM Best, JD Power Ratings & Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Record

This Cincinnati 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 complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Cincinnati insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Cincinnati Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. I’ll also compare the auto & home insurance complaint records for the Cincinnati subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, & Farmers. Continue reading

Alfa Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Customer Complaints

This review will analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Alfa Insurance over the last few years. The annual JD Power insurance company studies are, in my opinion, the most objective & relevant indicators of customer & claims satisfaction, by surveying the opinions of thousands of consumers about their auto & home insurance. However, the power circle ratings used by JD Power can be deceptive, with some companies receiving the top rated four and five power circle ratings, not scoring much above the score of the average company. This review will look at the JD Power ratings & numerical scores for Alfa, in all the JD Power insurance studies where it was included in the last three years, to see if its JD Power ratings truly reflect the quality of the claims & customer service for the company.

This review will also show you if Alfa has a better than average, average, or below average complaint record for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014. Additionally, I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Alfa insurance companies. Continue reading

Wawanesa Auto & Home Insurance Review

Wawanesa Insurance was the award recipient, for scoring the highest for auto insurance customer satisfaction in the state of California, for the 2012, 2013, & 2014 JD Power auto insurance studies, measuring customer satisfaction among the leading auto insurance companies in the state. Wawanesa sells insurance in the states of California & Oregon only, but many auto insurance customers in these two states may be unfamiliar with Wawanesa. This review will analyze the JD Power & AM Best ratings for Wawanesa Insurance, look at its three-year home & auto insurance customer complaint record in comparison with major competitors like Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, & Progressive, show you the best way to get a price quote for the coverage you need, and help you decide if Wawanesa Insurance might be a good choice for you. Continue reading

Titan / Victoria Insurance Review: Auto Insurance Customer Complaint Record & AM Best Ratings

This Titan / Victoria Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent three year period where reliable statistics are available (2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013), the auto insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Titan Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Titan Indemnity Company or Victoria Fire & Casualty 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 Titan subsidiary, as a possible indication of the competitiveness of their auto insurance rates. Lastly, this review will compare the auto insurance complaint records for the Titan / Victoria companies, with major competitors, like Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, The General, Infinity, National General (Formerly GMAC) & Farmers. Continue reading

Response Insurance Review: Auto Insurance Customer Complaint Statistics & AM Best Ratings

This Response Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent five year period where reliable statistics are available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013), the auto insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Response Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Response Worldwide Insurance Company or Warner 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 Response operating company, as a possible indication of the competitiveness of their insurance rates. Lastly, this review will compare the auto insurance complaint records for the Response subsidiary companies, with major competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, & Farmers. You may really like your auto insurance company, or you may have heard from relatives or friends about the insurance companies they think are best, but you never really know how good your insurance company will be, until you have a serious claim. The good news is many insurance companies settle a good portion of their claims in a manner acceptable to the majority of their customers. However, the wise consumer should avoid insurance companies with a worse than average history of auto insurance complaints. This review provides valuable information to help you decide if Response Insurance is best for you. By choosing a company with a better-than-average complaint history, or at least avoiding companies with consistent, worse-than-average complaint records, you reduce the likelihood you will have a negative experience, when you need your auto insurance company. Continue reading

New York Central Mutual Review: Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaints, JD Power Customer Satisfaction & AM Best Financial Strength Ratings

New York Central Mutual Insurance Company, a property & casualty insurance company established in 1899 and still owned by the same family of the company founder, sells auto, home, mobile home, condo, rental property, umbrella liability, & tenants insurance only available in New York. The company is a major insurer of autos & homes in the Empire state. NY Central Mutual is one of the insurance companies recently included in the annual JD Power US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study, and it has been rated for the last three years. The JD Power study now consists of 11 separate regional studies, and includes more regional auto insurance companies, like New York Central Mutual.

When trying to evaluate an insurance company, you can find customer experiences regarding insurance companies on review & complaint Websites. But as many as 200 positive or negative reviews are not likely to be truly representative of a company with tens of thousands of customers (NY Central Mutual reports 476,000 policies in force on its Website). All insurance companies have unhappy customers writing complaints about them. In my experience, most customers satisfied with their home or auto insurance company are silent about it. Although no positive review can guarantee you will not have a negative experience, trusting negative reviews based on personal experiences will have you thinking all insurance companies are terrible. The truth is, when you look at complaint statistics & customer satisfaction surveys including the opinions of thousands of customers, some companies are definitely better or much worse than others.

I think my review of NY Central Mutual Insurance Company’s JD Power ratings & complaint statistics is more objective than your typical reviews, and more likely to reflect the actual experience of the majority of customers. As regular readers of my insurance company review blog should know, I’m a big fan of using the company scores from the JD Power insurance studies to measure customer satisfaction, but I think the power circle ratings (2-5 power circles) assigned to each company are often misleading, with both highly rated and lowest rated companies sometimes scoring very close to average. This review will analyze the scores behind the JD Power ratings for NY Central Mutual, look at the company’s complaint statistics for the past three years, to let you know if NY Central Mutual has a worse than average, average, or better than average complaint record, and give you other information, to help you decide if New York Central Mutual Insurance Company is a good or bad company to insure you. Continue reading