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

This Metlife 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 records for the subsidiary companies of Metlife Auto & Home Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Metropolitan Direct Property & Casualty Insurance Company or Economy Premier Assurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

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

Nationwide Insurance Review: Auto / Homeowners Insurance Price Competitiveness, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings & Complaint Records 2009-2014

This Nationwide 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 Nationwide insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company or Nationwide 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 Nationwide’s auto & homeowner insurance pricing, and increases & decreases in market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each Nationwide subsidiary, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates. In addition, I’ll analyze the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings for the Nationwide insurance companies, too. Continue reading

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

This Farmers 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 Farmers insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Farmers Insurance Exchange or Mid-Century 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 Farmers auto & homeowner insurance pricing, and increases & decreases in market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each Farmers subsidiary, as a possible indication of high or low insurance rates. In addition, I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings for the Farmers insurance companies, too. Continue reading

Auto Club of Southern California Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Complaint Record

Auto Club of Southern California is one of the group of insurance companies owned by AAA (American Auto Association), and its subsidiary companies sell most of their auto & home insurance in Southern California (no surprise there), but also in the states of Texas and Missouri, through local independent insurance agents and usually AAA offices.

AAA owns other insurance groups, like Commerce & Auto Club Group, sometimes competing in other US regions, such as these two companies insuring in the Northeast (MA, NH) and the Midwest (MI, WI, MN, IL, et al) respectively. If your home or auto is insured through AAA, make sure you know the name of the AAA company insuring you, to check the right review. If you live in Southern CA, Texas, or Missouri, or even Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, there is a good chance you are insured with an Auto Club of Southern California subsidiary company included here.

This Auto Club of Southern California Insurance review, in addition to rating the most recent six year complaint record for Auto Club of Southern California, will analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Auto Club of Southern California over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Auto Club of Southern California insurance subsidiaries insuring cars & homes, too. Continue reading

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

This Safeco 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 Safeco insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Safeco Insurance Company of America, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. Continue reading

Ameriprise / IDS Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Multi-Year Complaint Records

Ameriprise / IDS Insurance (Once known as American Express Insurance) is a major auto & home insurance company selling direct to the consumer in the USA, probably best known for its marketing relationship with Costco. This Ameriprise / IDS Insurance review will analyze, in addition to the company’s home & auto insurance complaint record, the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Ameriprise Insurance over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, Farmers, & GEICO.

In addition, this review will analyze the auto & home insurance customer complaints for Ameriprise / IDS over the last three years, and let you know if Ameriprise has a better than average, average, or worse than average complaint record. 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

CSAA / AAA NCNU Insurance Review: AM Best, JD Power Ratings & Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Record

This review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009-2014), the home & auto insurance complaints against the subsidiary companies of California State Automobile Association (CSAA), also referred to as AAA of Northern California, Nevada, and Utah (NCNU), to determine whether each subsidiary, such as CSAA Insurance Exchange, 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 CSAA / AAA NCNU over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for the CSAA / AAA NCNU subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

Auto Owners Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Multi-Year Complaint Records

Auto-Owners sells auto & home insurance through more than 6,100 independent insurance agencies, located in 26 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

This Auto Owners Insurance review, in addition to rating the most recent six year complaint record for the Auto Owners Insurance companies, will analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for Auto-Owners over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Auto Owners Insurance subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

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

This Mercury 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 Mercury Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Mercury Casualty Company or California Automobile 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 Mercury Insurance subsidiary, as a possible indication of low or high insurance rates & pricing.

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 Mercury insurance from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Travelers, Safeco, Nationwide, Hartford, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. Continue reading

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

This Allied 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 Allied Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as AMCO Insurance Company or Depositors 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 Allied subsidiary, as a possible indication of low or high insurance pricing.

This review will also analyze the JD Power score & ratings for Allied Insurance in the JD Power 2015 Auto Insurance Purchase Experience Study, and comparing Allied auto insurance rates to the rates of leading competitors, like State Farm, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Allied insurance subsidiaries insuring cars & homes, too. Continue reading

American Family Insurance Review: JD Power Ratings, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings, & Multi-Year Complaint Records

American Family is a major US auto & home insurance company, and is available in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and it is the largest insurer of private passenger vehicles in its home state of Wisconsin. This review will analyze the change in the JD Power home & auto insurance scores & ratings for American Family Insurance over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of major competitors, like Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, Farmers, & GEICO.

In addition, this review will analyze the auto & home insurance customer complaints for American Family over the last six years, and let you know if American Family has a better than average, average, or worse than average complaint record. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the American Family insurance subsidiaries insuring cars & homes, too. Continue reading

Liberty Mutual Review: Auto / Homeowners Insurance Price Competitiveness, AM Best Financial Strength Ratings & Complaint Records 2009-2014

This Liberty Mutual 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 complaints for the subsidiary companies of the Liberty Mutual Insurance, to determine whether each of their subsidiaries, such as Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company or First Liberty Insurance Corporation, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record.

This review also looks at the JD Power ratings for Liberty Mutual’s auto & homeowner insurance pricing, and increases & decreases in market share (as measured by annual written premiums) for each Liberty Mutual subsidiary, as a possible indication of competitive pricing. In addition to reviewing & rating its most recent six year complaint record and its auto & homeowners insurance rates, I’ll analyze the AM Best Financial Strength Ratings for the Liberty Mutual insurance companies, too. Continue reading

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

This Hartford 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 Hartford Insurance Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Hartford Insurance Company of the Midwest or Sentinel Insurance Company LTD, 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 Hartford subsidiary, and Hartford’s JD Power ratings for auto & homeowners insurance pricing, as possible indications of competitive insurance rates for you. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) for the Hartford subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

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

This Erie 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 Erie insurance group of companies, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Erie Insurance Exchange or Erie Insurance Property & Casualty 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 Erie insurance from 2012 to 2016, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Travelers, Safeco, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for the Erie insurance companies, too. Continue reading

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

This State Auto 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 subsidiaries of State Auto Insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Meridian Security Insurance Company or Milbank Insurance Company or State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, has a better-than-average, average, or worse-than-average customer complaint record. This review will also look at the AM Best & JD Power ratings for State Auto, as well as the price competitiveness for State Auto home & car insurance. Continue reading

MAPFRE / Commerce Insurance Review: AM Best, JD Power Ratings & Auto & Home Insurance Customer Complaint Record

This MAPFRE / Commerce Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009-2014), the home & auto insurance complaints for the subsidiary companies of MAPFRE / Commerce insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as American Commerce Insurance Company or Commerce 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 the Commerce / MAPFRE insurance companies from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for the Commerce / MAPFRE subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

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

This Chubb Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009-2014), the home & auto insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Chubb insurance, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Federal Insurance Company or Great Northern 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 Chubb insurance over the last few years, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for the Chubb subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

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

This Hanover 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 Hanover insurance group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Citizens Insurance Company of America or Massachusetts Bay 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 Hanover insurance from 2012 to 2016, 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 Hanover insurance subsidiaries, too. Continue reading

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

This Encompass Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009-2014), the home & auto insurance complaint ratings for the subsidiary companies of Encompass insurance group of companies, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Encompass Home & Auto 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 Encompass insurance from 2012 to 2015, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Travelers, Safeco, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for the Encompass insurance companies, too. Continue reading

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

This COUNTRY Insurance review will evaluate, for the most recent six year period where reliable statistics are available (2009 – 2014), the home & auto insurance complaints for the subsidiary companies of Country Financial Group, to determine whether each subsidiary, such as Country Mutual 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 COUNTRY insurance from 2012 to 2016, and compare them to the scores of leading competitors, like State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide, Progressive, & GEICO. I’ll review the AM Best Financial Strength ratings for Country Financial, too. 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

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

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