Most Agent-Friendly Insurers Identified

Acton, Mass. — A new survey of 7,400 independent agents and brokers has assessed the performance of property/casualty carriers when interacting with brokers and agents.

The survey, the sixth annual conducted by Acton, Mass.-based Deep Customer Connections Inc. (DCC), found West Bend, Wisc.-based West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. atop the ease of doing business (EDB) index ratings. The EDB index gauges a carrier’s performance against what independent agents rate as most important when choosing a carrier to write business with.

In addition to capturing the overall top spot, West Bend earned a top-10 ranking in each of the 11 EDB factors, with top rankings on two factors—“policy services” and “marketing support.”

“Measuring EDB is important for carriers,” says Nort Salz, president of DCC. “Our research clearly shows that EDB is a primary factor in agents’ buying decisions. EDB metrics enable carriers to know what they need to do to positively influence whether agents will buy from them because of their EDB performance.”

The overall EDB index is:

1.    West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.
2.    Central Mutual Insurance (Van Wert, Ohio)

3.    Safety Insurance Group Inc. (Boston, Mass.)
4.    Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Co. (Frankenmuth, Mich.)
5.    Selective Insurance Group Inc. (Branchville, N.J.)
6.    Acuity Mutual Insurance Co., (Sheboygan, Wisc.)
7.    SECURA Insurance Cos. (Appleton, Wisc.)
8.    State Auto Insurance Cos. (Columbus, Ohio)
9.    Society Insurance (Fond du Lac, Wisc.)
10.     (Tie) Texas Mutual Insurance (Austin, Texas) and United Fire Group  (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Source: Deep Customer Connections Inc.