The Best Homeowners Insurance Companies

How We Chose the Best Homeowners Insurance Companies

Nationwide availability

We started with a list of 99 insurers from the Insurance Information Instituteand state insurance department websites. To guarantee that our picks for best insurance company would be applicable to all, we looked for providers with coverage in at least 40 states and no special requirements for membership (with the exception of USAA, which we’ll cover below).

While local or special eligibility insurers can potentially write you a great homeowners policy at a competitive rate, large national carriers tend to have more discounts and bundling opportunities. They’re also better equipped to handle claims in the wake of a disaster. Their rolling claims centers, outfitted with generators, satellite connections, and agent workstations, can make all the difference in areas where power has been knocked out.

Financial strength ratings

The ability to pay claims is the backbone of any insurance, so the best way to compare insurance companies is to look to their financial solvency. To discover the top-rated insurance companies, we gathered financial strength ratings (FSR) from all three major rating agencies, but paid particular attention to ratings from A.M. Best, the only agency that focuses solely on insurance. We required at least an “A” rating from A.M. Best, as well as either a strong (“A”) rating from S&P Global or a high quality (“Aa”) from Moody’s.

Open Peril policies plus endorsements

For freestanding, single-family dwellings, the chief difference in policy types is between named perils, which covers only the specific risks named in the policy, and open perils, which does the opposite. Open peril policies may not be right for everyone, but they are the most popular homeowners policy in the U.S., so we required that providers offer them.

In the same vein of guaranteeing robust policies, we also wanted to see a range of endorsements (optional provisions that extend coverage in various ways). The more endorsements offered, the greater the possibility of filling in any gaps that your home and location demand. Earthquake coverage, for example, is a common endorsement for Los Angeles homes.

Customer service

Good customer service ratings means painless communication between the homeowner and the homeowners insurance provider in every phase. You’re more likely to receive accurate quotes and sufficient coverage and be properly compensated for claims.

We looked to J.D. Power’s annual U.S. Household Insurance Study, which includes scores based on how well “customers rate the claims experience with their current homeowners insurance provider,” and required three or more Power Circles. Consumer Reports also published data from nearly 10,000 survey respondents who filed claims from January 2010 to June of 2016, in which they rated carriers on criteria including agent courtesy and problem-free claims experiences. We looked for a grade of 80 or above.

Discounts

Your best possible price equals a competitive initial quote, plus lots of opportunities to save. The most significant discounts, like those for owning a fire extinguisher or being claim-free, are offered by most providers. However, there are a few exceptional discounts that make certain providers a better fit for certain homeowners. For example: Allstate’s “new purchase” discount gives a small break to owners who are moving into their home for the first time. We tallied and compared the discounts offered by each provider to help us make personalized recommendations for different homeowners.