House Insurance Recommendations

[RSBob]

Our old insurer was bought by a company with a bad customer service track record.

Am looking for recs of companies you have posted a claim against that have been stellar in paying your claim AND OFFERS EARTHQUAKE insurance. Any company can accept money but how well they pay out with the least hassle is where the rubber meets the road.

[biosurfer1]

I have Travelers and only had one fairly small claim (~$1000) but it was hassle free. Was able to take some pictures of the damage and sent in the quote and got a check. Hard to be simpler than that.

I've been happy so far.

[pwd72s]

State Farm here. Maybe the service depends on the local agent? Some years back when I was in town getting a haircut, we had an oil furnace malfunction...caught on fire, backdraft somehow smoked in the house. Cindy turned off the furnace...the alarm company called the fire dept. Lemme tell ya, it's a bit of a shock to drive home to see fire trucks at your house. Fireman to me, after removing furnace sheet metal to see what happened.."Tell your wife she did the right thing." She sure did...even got the Mustang out of the garage, parking it at the neighbor.

But what impressed me was that our local State Farm agent was there before the firemen left. Results were not a dime out of our pocket, smoke damage repaired, new gas furnace to replace the oil...hell, he even said they'd buy fire wood for my wood stove...I just pointed to my full wood shed and told him not to bother.

Yes, it sure coulda been worse if Cindy hadn't shut off the furnace...

[LWJ]

Ok. I have NOT posted a personal claim but I have some credibility.

I work in the commercial insurance field. Meaning businesses.

I have respect for many carriers and less respect for others. I personally have Cincinnati for my home in the PNW. I have earthquake coverage.

MOST importantly, I had the claims adjuster in my office 2 hours ago. He is the only adjuster that my claims manager compliments. Cincinnati pays claims fairly. They are a good company. They are priced competitively. They use independent agents so that your agent is not beholden to the carrier.

I am not a stock-holder in Cincinnati and I am not exactly sure where you are? Yakima?

There are plenty of good carriers. I hear great things about Mutual of Enumclaw as well as USAA. No personal experience, however.

I very much do advocate for an independent agent. It can make a big difference when you need it.

[osidak]

Well stay the hell away from Liberty Mutual - I have never filed a claim a homeowners claim (been a homeowner since 1997) and they raised the rates by almost 2.5 times and they tried to claim it was for inflation....

dropped them asap

[RWebb]

check the Ins. Comm'n in your state - they often rate companies

In many states you will find State Farm near the bottom, and USAA at the top.

If you don't qualify for USAA, then Amica is often second.

[JavaBrewer]

+2 on State Farm. I have filed multiple claims (auto and home) and they have always been zero hassle, generous with compensation, and very quick response.

[Nordwest]

I use Travelers and have had claims with a car and home. Excellent service.

[MRM]

I have worked with Cincinnati too. I share LWJ's observations. I am not insured with them either, and I don't have any investments with them, but they are on the short list of companies I would recommend.

If you have higher value assets Chubb Insurance could be a good choice. They charge higher premiums but have a very select risk pool and have a reputation for paying claims promptly. I'm pretty sure they have quake coverage but you'll have to check for your state.

The need for earthquake insurance is likely going to be the choke point for you. Why don't you get a list of insurers that provide quake coverage and ask here which ones people recommend. You might want to combine all your insurance with one company. And when you do, please make sure you have a personal liability insurance policy of at least $1 million. If you can, get one that includes UM and UIM auto coverage. It's the best value insurance you can buy.

I have all my personal insurance with State Farm but I am pretty sure they don't offer earthquake coverage.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Cincinnati pays claims fairly. They are a good company. They are priced competitively. They use independent agents so that your agent is not beholden to the carrier.
it.

Another vote for Cincinnati. I’ve had 2 or 3 claims in 30 years. All were settled quickly and fairly.

I had a couple of bad experiences with Travelers many years ago. Had my 56 coupe painted and 6 months latter got caught in a hailstorm. They couldn’t find a dent in one of the rear fenders and didn’t want to pay to repaint it. My agent actually told me he knew I wasn’t going to get the car painted and was just going to pocket the money because it was 25 years old.

[Evans, Marv]

As far as claims are concerned, I had Farmers for construction insurance when I was building my house. I had an episode of theft of copper pipes underneath the house. I had a Sheriff's report and made a claim with a replacement cost from the contractor that did the original placement. They paid the whole claim quickly and without any protest. However I continued with them for homeowner's insurance afterward and ultimately dropped them because of huge premium increases. I investigated Traveler's and Chubb. Neither one of them had very good reviews and Traveler's was really poor. I ended up going with Chubb, and they sent a letter before the last renewal date saying they wouldn't renew the policy because of high fire risk. I've inquired with other carriers, USAA being one of them, and they all declined to write a policy because of fire risk.

[RWebb]

no fire ins. will happen to lots of people in Calif.

[Evans, Marv]

Not "will happen", it "is happening" all over SoCal in rural areas and maybe most rural areas of Cal. A conversation with a local fire marshal some time back informed me on that topic. I'm on the Fair Plan with a supplementary policy now. I have no mortgage, and my place is well set up to mitigate fire danger, but I just didn't want to chance it. I do understand there is a movement on and building trying to get the State government to require companies to cover all homeowners, not just those in really low risk areas.

[RWebb]

it hasn't hit 10 million yet

but wait and it will

[RSBob]

Thanks guys. Contacted an independent broker and am asking specifically about Cincinnati and other A+ rated companies. Unfortunately have had bad experiences with State Farm and Farmers, so they are out. The Liberty Mutual commercials are so incessant I won’t go for them since their a good share of everyone’s premiums go to advertising. Thanks again.

[Evans, Marv]

Consumer Reports just came out with rankings on car insurance, but the companies also sell home & other insurance. I imagine their coverage and service are similar to their auto. The readers' rankings were: USAA 92, NJM 90, Amica 89, & PEMCO 87.

[David]

I've had one home and a few auto claims with Farmers and they've handled them well. I have a coworker who had Farmers when his home was destroyed by a tornado and he was very happy with them.

You pay for it though. In the 20 years I've been in my house, my insurance payments almost total what I paid for the house.

[MBAtarga]

I had lousy experience and outcome trying an independent agent here a few years ago. They couldn't touch my current coverage and rates with Liberty Mutual. I know many on this forum have criticized Liberty Mutual - but they have beaten any other co's rates on my home and autos for the last 12 years or so. No one has come close to touching either premium. I also get a 10% discount being a graduate of GA TECH (a loyalty discount of sorts)

Never had a homeowner claim, but they handled several auto claims (other driver fault) as well as each kid's accident that resulted in a claim.

My advice - do your own homework and don't rely on an independent agent's search to make a decision.

[GH85Carrera]

I have my three cars and the house all covered my ANAPAC. (American National.)

We had a hail storm 8 years ago and they wrote a check for a new roof and damage to the gutters, and stockade fence.

The cool part is they give me a rebate if I go three years with no claims at all. Last year I received check from them for $1,180 because I had another year of no claims. My 911 and my El Camino are under an agreed value policy with them. I know precisely what I will get if either car is stolen or totaled. No surprises.

I was with USAA insurance for many years. They were more expensive. I still have investments with USAA and I am a 42 year member of USAA. They are great and no complaints about them.

[RWebb]

BTW, a post above reminded me that low rates is NOT a good metric to use by itself

what you want is a good record for easy, simple and full claims payout - that is why you are buying insurance, after all


I generally would avoid any ins. co. (or restaurant) that advertises on TV...