Chapter 7: General Reference
Top 10 P/C Companies By 1998 Premium Volume For Selected Lines
 

The Top 10 P/C insurance companies for selected personal and commercial lines are provided for both Ohio and the US, based on their 1998 direct premiums written. The information also provides insurer market share based on 1998 premium volume. Added this year is the total premium volume for each product line. Direct premiums written and market shares have been rounded.

Direct premiums written are the aggregate amount of recorded originated premiums, other than reinsurance, written during 1998, whether collected or not, at the close of the year (plus retrospective premium collections), after deducting all return premiums.

Top 10 information was provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) data bank and A.M. Best.

Note: In some cases, premium volume of Farmers Insurance Group may be combined with its parent company, Zurich US Group, and vice-versa. Noted in the various top 10 listings is the specific company (either Farmers or Zurich) as provided by its source, either the NAIC or A.M. Best.

Only three states have more insurance companies providing auto insurance than Ohio. Those are Illinois, Texas and Florida.
(A.M. Best)
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- All Lines
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Anthem Group $1,751,332,000 14.6
2. State Farm Group 1,196,665,000 10.0
3. Medical Mutual of Ohio Group 1,018,639,000 8.5
4. Nationwide Group 713,345,000 5.9
5. Allstate Insurance Group 483,543,000 4.0
6. Progressive Group 449,531,000 3.7
7. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 443,630,000 3.7
8. Westfield Companies 419,371,000 3.5
9. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 360,736,000 3.0
10. CNA Insurance Group 299,759,000 2.5
Total Ohio Companies $12,009,740,000
All property/casualty insurance lines include fire, allied, crop, federal flood, homeowners, all commercial lines, inland marine, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, other liability, product liability, all auto lines, farmowners, earthquake, burglary/theft, ocean marine, financial and mortgage guaranty, aircraft, fidelity, surety, boiler and machinery, credit, group accident and health and miscellaneous lines.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- All Lines
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $35,107,001,000 11.7
2. Allstate Insurance Group 19,456,546,000 6.5
3. Zurich US Group 15,901,179,000 5.3
4. American International Group 11,962,342,000 4.0
5. CNA Insurance Group 10,072,140,000 3.4
6. Travelers P/C Group 9,432,148,000 3.2
7. Nationwide Group 8,239,465,000 2.8
8. Liberty Mutual Group 8,128,914,000 2.7
9. Hartford Fire & Casualty Group 5,737,554,000 1.9
10. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 5,489,740,000 1.8
Total US Companies $299,721,338,000
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Fire
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Arkwright Insurance Group $8,752,000 5.8
2. Allianz of America 8,145,000 5.4
3. American International Group 7,463,000 4.9
4. State Auto Mutual Group 7,069,000 4.7
5. Protection Mutual Insurance Co. 6,421,000 4.2
6. Hartford Steam Boiler Group 6,211,000 4.1
7. Zurich US Group 6,030,000 4.0
8. Ohio Mutual Group 5,765,000 3.8
9. Cincinnati Financial Group 5,731,000 3.8
10. Auto-Owners Group 5,288,000 3.5
Total Ohio Companies $152,077,000
Fire coverage protects insureds against losses to real or personal property, including business interruption and loss of rents, from damage caused by the perils of fire or lightning.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Fire
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Allianz of America $283,659,000 6.2
2. American International Group 275,442,000 6.0
3. Travelers P/C Group 192,917,000 4.2
4. Zurich US Group 185,519,000 4.0
5. Arkwright Insurance Group 171,731,000 3.7
6. St. Paul Companies 161,915,000 3.5
7. Protection Mutual Insurance Co. 123,596,000 2.7
8. Nationwide Group 106,290,000 2.3
9. American Security Group 97,047,000 2.1
10. Farmers Insurance Group 92,626,000 2.0
Total US Companies $4,584,815,000
According to a study released by Marshall & Swift (Princeton, NJ), close to 70% of all home owners have insufficient insurance coverage to rebuild homes destroyed by disaster.
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Homeowners Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $228,751,000 22.5
2. Nationwide Group 114,402,000 11.3
3. Allstate Insurance Group 80,842,000 8.0
4. Westfield Companies 62,597,000 6.2
5. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 58,647,000 5.8
6. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 51,864,000 5.1
7. Zurich US Group 28,645,000 2.8
8. Ohio Casualty Group 28,598,000 2.8
9. State Auto Mutual Group 27,201,000 2.7
10. Erie Insurance Group 27,998,000 2.7
Total Ohio Companies $1,015,180,000
Homeowners coverage protects both property owners and renters. It typically combines property coverage for the structure (except for those renting), personal property coverage for contents, and personal liability coverage. The term multi-peril (multiple peril) means that more than one instance is covered for the duration of the insurance policy.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers-Homeowners Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $6,989,715,000 22.7
2. Allstate Insurance Group 3,553,920,000 11.5
3. Zurich US Group 2,159,371,000 7.0
4. Nationwide Group 1,299,272,000 4.2
5. Travelers P/C Group 1,117,658,000 3.6
6. USAA Group 1,041,472,000 3.4
7. Safeco Insurance Cos. 717,880,000 2.3
8. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 673,029,000 2.2
9. American Family Insurance Group 579,965,000 1.9
10. Liberty Mutual Insurance Group 505,655,000 1.6
Total US Companies $30,841,064,000
According to a March, 1999 Conning and Company study, the traditional agents' share of life insurance sales is expected to drop 68% in the next five years. Other channels of distribution expected to come to the forefront include: financial planners/stock brokers, banks, workplace marketing, direct marketing, quote lines and the internet.
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Commercial Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Cincinnati Financial Corp. $89,551,000 12.3
2. CNA Insurance Group 58,476,000 8.0
3. Westfield Companies 56,576,000 7.8
4. GRE Insurance Group 46,637,000 6.4
5. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 34,528,000 4.8
6. Travelers P/C Group 32,927,000 4.5
7. Nationwide Group 32,065,000 4.4
8. State Farm Group 27,446,000 3.8
9. Hartford Fire and Casualty Group 17,832,000 2.5
10. Monroe Guaranty Insurance Co. 17,601,000 2.4
Total Ohio Companies $727,307,000
Commercial coverage provides risk coverage for companies and organizations. Multi-peril (multiple peril) means that more than one instance is covered for the duration of the insurance policy.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Commercial Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Travelers P/C Group $1,480,146,000 7.0
2. CNA Insurance Companies 1,419,623,000 6.7
3. Hartford Insurance Group 987,253,000 4.7
4. State Farm Group 929,415,000 4.4
5. Allianz of America 916,786,000 4.3
6. CGU Group 877,247,000 4.2
7. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 873,374,000 4.1
8. St. Paul Companies 786,044,000 3.7
9. Nationwide Group 663,959,000 3.1
10. Zurich US Group 662,103,000 3.1
Total US Companies $25,128,371,000  
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers-Other Liability (Excludes Product Liability)
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. American International Group $97,038,000 12.9
2. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 90,174,000 11.9
3. CNA Insurance Group 56,834,000 7.5
4. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 53,116,000 7.0
5. Zurich US Group 27,222,000 3.6
6. Travelers P/C Group 23,910,000 3.2
7. Liberty Mutual Ins. Group 23,108,000 3.1
8. Reliance Group 21,541,000 2.9
9. Allianz of America 21,049,000 2.8
10. Nationwide Group 19,534,000 2.6
Total Ohio Companies $755,100,000
Other liability refers to items typically not covered by general commercial policies.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Other Liability (Excludes Product Liability)
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. American International Group $5,155,720,000 21.5
2. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 1,844,263,000 7.7
3. CNA Insurance Cos. 1,184,604,000 4.9
4. Zurich US Group 1,172,470,000 4.9
5. Reliance Insurance Group 1,075,792,000 4.5
6. Travelers P/C Group 842,295,000 3.5
7. Alliance Insurance Group 615,723,000 2.6
8. St. Paul Companies 592,545,000 2.5
9. Liberty Mutual Ins. Group 551,802,000 2.3
10. CIGNA Group 451,105,000 1.9
Total US Companies $24,025,715,000  
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Product Liability
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Allianz of America $10,060,000 13.3
2. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 7,472, 000 9.9
3. St. Paul Companies 6,097,000 8.1
4. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 5,300,000 7.0
5. Liberty Mutual Group 5,018,000 6.7
6. CNA Insurance Group 4,166,000 5.5
7. Zurich US Group 3,939,000 5.2
8. American International Group 3,176,000 4.2
9. Nationwide Group 1,961,000 2.6
10. State Auto Mutual Group 1,860,000 2.5
Total Ohio Companies $75,389,000
Product liability coverage provides liability protection to a manufacturer or seller for losses or injuries of a product or service to a buyer, user or other party caused by a defect or malfunction.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Product Liability
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. St. Paul Companies $153,729,000 8.0
2. Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. 143,228,000 7.4
3. Zurich US Group 119,161,000 6.2
4. Allianz of America 106,175,000 5.5
5. Chrysler Group 91,600,000 4.8
6. American International Group 90,449,000 4.7
7. Liberty Mutual Ins. Group 88,561,000 4.6
8. CNA Insurance Group 87,445,000 4.5
9. Lumbermens Mutual Cas. Group 81,705,000 4.2
10. CIGNA Group 67,499,000 3.5
Total US Companies $1,927,545,000
Lobbying is big business, with total spending on lobbying efforts in 1998 estimated at $1.42 billion, a 13% increase over 1997. Insurers' piece of that pie in 1998 was $77.2 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, primarily due to debates over health care, financial services reform and tobacco.
(The Wall Street Journal, 7/29/99)

According to an Ohio poll conducted in early 2000 by Columbus-based Opinion Strategies, 69% of Ohioans polled said they preferred to buy auto insurance through an independent agent. Other responses, in order of preference, were:

  • Calling insurance company directly 23%
  • Internet 2%
  • Via US mail 1%
  • No opinion 5%
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Private Passenger Auto
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $841,815,000 19.9
2. Nationwide Group 491,677,000 11.6
3. Progressive Group 420,362,000 9.9
4. Allstate Insurance Group 380,936,000 9.0
5. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 255,386,000 6.0
6. Westfield Companies 188,731,000 4.5
7. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 149,846,000 3.5
8. Zurich US Group 111,280,000 2.6
9. Motorists-Am. Hardware Group 101,548,000 2.4
10. Erie Insurance Group 96,635,000 2.3
Total Ohio Companies $4,239,692,000
Private passenger auto insurance covers vehicles for personal use. Coverage is for vehicles owned by individuals and are not used for business purposes, including carrying passengers for hire.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Private Passenger Auto
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $23,200,363,000 19.7
2. Allstate Insurance Group 14,564,547,000 12.4
3. Farmers Insurance Group 6,898,532,000 5.9
4. Nationwide Group 5,053,082,000 4.3
5. Progressive Group 4,896,052,000 4.2
6. Berkshire Hathaway 4,061,119,000 3.5
7. USAA Group 3,535,812,000 3.0
8. Travelers P/C Group 2,277,802,000 1.9
9. American Family Ins. Group 2,250,693,000 1.9
10. Liberty Mutual Group 2,154,861,000 1.8
Total US Companies $117,631,541,000  
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Commercial Auto
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Cincinnati Financial Corp. $54,337,000 8.0
2. Westfield Companies 48,078,000 7.1
3. CNA Insurance Companies 44,468,000 6.6
4. Liberty Mutual Group 27,443,000 4.1
5. State Farm Group 21,564,000 3.2
6. Progressive Group 21,160,000 3.1
7. Nationwide Group 20,754,000 3.1
8. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 19,796,000 2.9
9. Old Republic Group 19,641,000 2.9
10. Zurich US Group 19,472,000 2.9
Total Ohio Companies $677,715,000
Commercial auto insurance covers vehicles owned by businesses, government and nonprofit organizations.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Commercial Auto
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. CNA Insurance Companies $998,666,000 5.4
2. Travelers P/C Group 835,090,000 4.6
3. Zurich US Group 798,015,000 4.3
4. Liberty Mutual Ins. Group 753,198,000 4.1
5. St. Paul Companies 708,071,000 3.9
6. State Farm Group 681,977,000 3.7
7. CGU Group 569,542,000 3.1
8. Old Republic General Group 499,326,000 2.7
9. Reliance Insurance Group 481,348,000 2.6
10. American International Group 470,164,000 2.6
Total US Companies $18,352,650,000
According to A.M. Best, Ohio had 595 writers of auto insurance in 1998. There were 389 companies writing private passenger auto and 461 writing commercial auto lines. Ohio's total direct premiums in both total lines of auto insurance and commercial auto ranked 8th in the US. Ohio's private passenger direct premiums ranked 9th.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- All Auto Lines
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $23,882,340,000 17.6
2. Allstate Insurance Group 14,930,286,000 11.0
3. Farmers Insurance Group 7,093,182,000 5.2
4. Nationwide Group 5,446,578,000 4.0
5. Progressive Group 5,316,325,000 3.9
6. Berkshire Hathaway 4,151,345,000 3.1
7. USAA Group 3,535,948,000 2.6
8. Travelers P/C Group 3,112,891,000 2.3
9. Liberty Mutual Group 2,908,060,000 2.1
10. American Family Insurance Group 2,286,874,000 1.7
Total US Companies $135,984,191,000

All auto lines includes commercial and private passenger coverages.

NOTE: Complete Top 10 list for Ohio not available. However State Farm Group is the leading writer with 17.6% of the market share and Nationwide Group is second with 10.5% of the state's market. Total direct premiums written in 1998 in Ohio was $4,891,858,000.

A study released in July, 1999 by the Insurance Research Council found that claimants who hire attorneys to settle auto insurance claims netted fewer dollars, on average, than nonrepresented claimants. The average net settlement of those represented by attorneys was $832 less than their nonrepresented counterparts.
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Private Passenger Auto Liability
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $487,048,000 19.2
2. Nationwide Group 309,039,000 12.2
3. Progressive Group 268,862,000 10.6
4. Allstate Insurance Group 214,082,000 8.4
5. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 155,426,000 6.1
6. Westfield Companies 117,569,000 4.6
7. Cincinnati Financial Corp. 76,736,000 3.0
8. Zurich US Group 65,211,000 2.6
9. Motorists-Am. Hardware Group 61,550,000 2.4
10. Erie Insurance Group 57,675,000 2.3
Total Ohio Companies $2,536,918,000
Private passenger auto liability protects against losses arising out of legal liability when the insured's vehicle injures others or causes damage to their property. This line of coverage pertains only to vehicles driven for personal or non-commercial use.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Private Passenger Auto Liability
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $14,096,384,000 19.7
2. Allstate Insurance Group 8,636,806,000 12.1
3. Zurich US Group 4,298,125,000 6.0
4. Progressive Group 3,106,692,000 4.3
5. Nationwide Group 3,053,095,000 4.3
6. Berkshire Hathaway 2,528,179,000 3.5
7. USAA Group 2,023,567,000 2.8
8. Travelers P/C Group 1,482,198,000 2.1
9. Liberty Mutual Group 1,390,993,000 1.9
10. American Family Insurance Group 1,296,451,000 1.8
Total US Companies $71,603,393,000
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers-Farmowners Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. Nationwide Group $12,572,000 22.2
2. Westfield Companies 6,371,000 11.3
3. Grange Mutual Casualty Group 5,606,000 9.9
4. Ohio Mutual Group 4,913,000 8.7
5. State Farm Group 3,404,000 6.0
6. Western Reserve 3,335,000 5.9
7. Hastings Mutual Ins. Co. 3,213,000 5.6
8. Buckeye Insurance Group 3,113,000 5.5
9. German Mutual Ins. Co. 2,190,000 3.9
10. Mennonite Mutual Ins. Co. 1,934,000 3.4
Total Ohio Companies $56,519,000
Farmowners multi-peril coverage typically combines property coverage for the dwelling structure and farm-related buildings, personal property coverage for contents in all insured structures, and personal/farm-related liability coverage. The term multi-peril (multiple peril) means that more than one instance is covered for the duration of the insurance policy.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers-Farmowners Multi-Peril
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. State Farm Group $111,094,000 7.1
2. Nationwide Group 67,399,000 4.3
3. CGU Insurance Group 63,212,000 4.1
4. Country Companies 61,591,000 4.0
5. American Family Insurance Group 52,261,000 3.4
6. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Ins. 49,033,000 3.2
7. Iowa Farm Bureau 45,569,000 2.9
8. Zenith National Insurance Group 44,075,000 2.8
9. Kentucky Farm Bureau Group 40,914,000 2.6
10. Georgia Farm Bureau Group 31,717,000 2.0
Total US Companies $1,557,359,000
Top 10 Ohio P/C Insurers- Medical Malpractice
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. HUM Group of Companies $45,534,000 17.5
2. GE Global Ins. Group 35,471,000 14.8
3. Mutual Assurance Companies 25,282,000 9.7
4. Doctors' Company Ins. Group 23,105,000 8.9
5. Michigan Physicians Group 17,313,000 6.7
6. CNA Insurance Companies 17,115,000 6.6
7. Medical Inter-Ins. Exchange Group 14,382,000 5.5
8. Professionals Group 10,785,000 4.2
9. Frontier Insurance Group 10,597,000 4.1
10. PHICO Group 10,528,000 4.1
Total Ohio Companies $259,923,000
Medical malpractice coverage protects health care practitioners and institutions in cases of negligence or wrongdoing. Policyholders include doctors, nurses, hospitals, emergency technicians, nursing homes and other health care providers and facilities.
Top 10 US P/C Insurers- Medical Malpractice
Company/Group Direct Premiums Written Market Share in %
1. St. Paul Companies $367,552,000 6.1
2. MLMIC Group 334,655,000 5.5
3. CNA Insurance Companies 311,154,000 5.2
4. Health Care Indemnity 280,213,000 4.6
5. Doctors' Company Ins. Group 277,660,000 4.6
6. GE Global Ins. Group 239,612,000 4.0
7. American International Group 225,318,000 3.7
8. Medical Inter-Ins. Exchange Group 213,771,000 3.5
9. PHICO Group 212,469,000 3.5
10. MMI Companies Group 208,325,000 3.5
Total US Companies $6,037,973,000
The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons report that more than 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs annually, 800,000 of which require medical treatment. Dog bites cost society over $1 billion a year, with insurers paying about one-quarter of that in liability claims.