Sponsored Links
Page: 5 of 5
In this report

See Also

Homeowners Insurance: Ratings of Sources

Total of 14 Sources

For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.

1. J.D. Power and Associates
Oct. 5, 2010
2010 National Homeowners Insurance Study
by Editors of J.D. Power and Associates
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentJ.D. Power and Associates surveyed more than 12,900 policyholders about their homeowners insurance from April to June 2010. Editors rank 27 insurers in handy charts, each with an overall rating and subratings for pricing, policy offerings and more. Amica Mutual and USAA get perfect scores across the board. This is the most recent, reliable homeowners insurance survey we found.
2. ConsumerReports.org
September 2009
Homeowners Insurance Ratings
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentConsumerReports.org surveys 10,700 homeowners and rates 16 insurers based on their feedback. Each insurer gets scores for claims problems, payment amounts and delayed payments, culminating in an overall score. All 10 of the nation's biggest insurers are graded here, along with some smaller well-known companies.
3. Weiss Ratings
As of Jan. 2011
Property and Casualty Insurers
by Editors of Weiss Ratings
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentAccording to experts, Weiss Ratings is the most stringent of the financial ratings agencies. Weiss posts a weekly updated list of the financially strongest and weakest homeowners insurance companies. You can access it for free if you register. Hastings Mutual Insurance Co., Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club (affiliated with the Southern California AAA chapter) and USAA get the highest rating of A+. State Farm Florida is the only household name on the weak list.
4. National Association of Insurance Commissioners
As of Jan. 2011
Consumer Information Source
by Editors of National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis searchable database shows nationwide complaint data for most insurance companies. It shows how many customer complaints have been upheld against the company by state insurance commissions, and it also translates this into a "complaint index" which adjusts for the company's size (so you can compare companies of all sizes against a national average). The NAIC doesn't pick a list of the best companies, though -- you have to look up each company individually.
5. Better Business Bureau
As of Jan. 2011
Check Out a Business or Charity
by Editors of the Better Business Bureau
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThe Better Business Bureau awards each insurance company a letter grade, based on how well it handles customer complaints. Each local BBB grades insurance offices within its jurisdiction; we checked each company's headquarters location. Amica Mutual and USAA are the top companies in other ratings, and they earn A+ grades from the BBB, too.
6. Best's Review
July 2009
Standing the Test of Time
by Editors of Best's Review magazine
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentA.M. Best lists the insurers that have maintained an A financial rating or higher for 50 or 75 years. Homeowners insurers on the list -- that also currently hold the highest rating of A++ -- include Amica, USAA, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance, Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance and several Chubb subsidiaries.
7. Moody's
As of Jan. 2011
Insurance Financial Strength Ratings
by Editors of Moody's
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentMoody's is another financial ratings agency. This extensive list includes financial strength ratings for hundreds of insurers, but only one U.S. homeowners insurer earns Moody's highest rating of Aaa: USAA.
8. Fitch Ratings
As of Jan. 2011
Insurance
by Editors of Fitch Ratings
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentLike Moody's, Fitch Ratings gives its highest financial stability rating of AAA to only one homeowners insurer: USAA. You can access these ratings by registering for free on the website, and you can sort the list to easily see which companies fare best.
9. Standard & Poor's
As of Jan. 2011
Insurance Rating List: Property/Casualty
by Editors of Standard & Poor's
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentStandard & Poor's doesn't publish a list of highest-rated insurance companies -- you have to look them up individually. We looked up the 10 biggest homeowners insurance companies in the U.S., as well as companies that are top-rated by our other sources, and only one earns S&P's highest financial strength rating of AAA: USAA. Like other financial rating sites, free registration is required.
10. Viewpoints.com
As of Jan. 2011
Home Owner's Insurance Reviews
by Contributors to Viewpoints.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentConsumers rate 80 insurance companies here, with some big companies getting hundreds of ratings. USAA gets the highest composite score -- 4.63 (out of 5) with nearly 500 ratings posted.
11. American Association for Justice
Not Dated
The Ten Worst Insurance Companies in America
by American Association for Justice
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThe American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America) is a trial lawyers' group. In this report, it names the 10 worst insurance companies in America, based on court documents, state insurance department complaints, news reports and other records. The report isn't dated, but it cites sources as recent as June 2008. It provides compelling anecdotes about insurance companies' abuses, but it doesn't name any good companies. Five homeowner insurers make the 10-worst list: Allstate, AIG, State Farm, Farmers and Liberty Mutual.
12. FreeAdvice.com
As of Jan. 2011
Insurance Company Reviews
by Contributors to FreeAdvice.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis consumer complaint website is particularly useful, because it generates charts for each company -- so you can see at a glance whether many people have commented on their homeowners policies, and whether they're satisfied. As with all such sites, complaints tend to outweigh praise, and none of the complaints has been verified.
13. ConsumerAffairs.com
As of Jan. 2011
Homeowners Insurance
by Contributors to ConsumerAffairs.com
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis website neatly sorts consumer complaints by insurance company. Lawyers review the complaints and if they think the case has merit, they may contact the complainant. Twenty-eight homeowners insurance companies have complaints listed here, including household names like Allstate, American Family, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, State Farm, USAA and Zurich.
14. Fight Bad-faith Insurance Companies
Not dated
FBIC Ranking 100
by Editors of Fight Bad-Faith Insurance Companies
Credibility Rating
Our AssessmentThis website doesn't indicate who runs it, and it doesn't give a street address. It says it bases its ranking of 50 Hall of Fame and Hall of Shame insurance companies on state department of insurance complaints, court information, customer surveys and "exclusive and proprietary" information. All three of the site's top-rated companies -- Allianz, Chubb and Amica -- sell homeowners insurance. So do the bottom three: The Hartford, Allstate and State Farm.
     
 

This is our assessment of the review’s relevance, clarity of testing and thoroughness.

Read more about our Ratings Criteria by clicking the link at the top of the page.
 
 
 
  
Specialized Home Insurance Companies
 
Sponsored Links

Back to top