What's America's Favorite Insurance Company?

Insurance providers often interact with consumers while they’re dealing with high-stress situations — recovering from accidents, natural disasters or other significant losses — so making those encounters positive experiences can be a challenge. USAA excels in this area, according to the recently released 2015 Temkin Experience Ratings.

The ratings, from consumer research and experience firm Temkin Group, are in their fifth year and are determined using survey responses from 10,000 U.S. consumers. The survey respondents evaluate a company’s performance in three areas, and those responses are averaged to produce a satisfaction rating between 0% and 100%. Consumers say if their interaction with the company resulted in the desired outcome, if the company was easy to work with and how they felt about working with the company. Temkin Group calls those categories success, effort and emotion.

Insurers averaged a 66% in this most recent edition of the Temkin Experience Ratings — on this scale, anything higher than 70% is considered good, and an 80% or higher is excellent (no company achieved that). Only three insurers received “good” marks.

“We ask ‘Which of the following insurance companies have you have an interaction with during the last 60 days’ and consumers pick from a list of P&C (property and casualty) and life insurance companies on the list. We then get their feedback on those insurers,” Bruce Temkin, managing partner of Temkin Group, explained in an email to Credit.com.

These ratings exclude health insurance, because “health plans” is one of the 20 company divisions for which Temkin Group issues experience ratings. Other industries, besides insurance providers and health plans, include airlines, credit card issuers, and Internet service providers, to name a few. Consumers evaluated 15 insurers through Temkin Group’s survey — here’s how they stack up.

15. 21st Century — 51%
14. Amica — 52%
13. MetLife — 58%
12. Farmers — 59%
11. American Family — 61%
10. Liberty Mutual — 61%
9. Travelers — 62%
8. Nationwide — 62%
7. AAA — 63%
6. Allstate — 66%
5. Progressive — 68%
4. The Hartford — 68%
3. GEICO — 70%
2. State Farm — 71%
1. USAA — 75%

You may purchase several insurance policies in your lifetime, depending on your needs and possessions, and while there are many factors that determine your premiums, your credit score can sometimes impact how much you pay for insurance. You’ll want to do plenty of research when considering an insurance provider, but don’t forget to look at what you bring to the table, too. Regularly review your credit reports and credit scores — you can get two scores for free on Credit.com and you are entitled to free annual credit reports as well — to stay on top of your credit standing and improve your access to affordable consumer products.