Auto-Owners Insurance homeowners insurance

Overview

Auto-Owners Insurance is a Lansing, Michigan, mutual that has built one of the largest property-casualty groups in the country without selling a single policy directly: every policy goes through an independent agent. Its NAIC group ranked #9 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $4.14 billion (2.19% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data.

The company says it writes insurance in 26 states through more than 6,300 agencies, with the heaviest presence in the Midwest and Southeast. In 2025 it was the 2nd-largest home insurer in Michigan ($811.6 million, 17.12% of the market), 3rd in Minnesota and Wisconsin, 4th in Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, 5th in Georgia and 6th in North Carolina and Alabama. Group-wide, Auto-Owners wrote $15.06 billion of net premiums in 2025 across home, auto, business and life insurance, and Jamie P. Whisnant is chairman and CEO.

Auto-Owners Insurance Company itself is a mutual, owned by its policyholders. Its homeowners policies may be issued by stock affiliates in the group, so the declarations page might say Home-Owners Insurance Company, Owners Insurance Company, Property-Owners Insurance Company or Southern-Owners Insurance Company.

History

Vern V. Moulton and four associates organized Auto-Owners Insurance Company in July 1916 in a single room of the Commercial Block Building in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The company moved to Lansing in 1917 with one policyholder record book and $174.25 in assets. Moulton became president in 1929 and held the job until late 1957. Auto-Owners expanded beyond Michigan for the first time in December 1935, into Indiana, established Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company in 1966 and moved into its current Lansing home office on the last day of 1976.

Growth since then has come from steady agency expansion and three affiliations. Auto-Owners acquired Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company, a Goldsboro, North Carolina, writer of non-standard commercial risks, in 2016. In April 2017 it affiliated with the Concord Group of Bedford, New Hampshire, which writes property and casualty insurance in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. In 2019 it acquired Capital Insurance Group of Monterey, California, which began writing business in 1898 and covers Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Those affiliates are why the NAIC's Auto Owners Group also shows up in New England and the West.

Homeowners coverage

Auto-Owners sells homeowners, condo, renters, rental dwelling and mobile home policies, plus coverage designed for high-value homes. A standard homeowners policy covers the dwelling and personal property (including debris removal, fire department charges and food spoiled in a prolonged power outage), personal liability and additional living expenses when the home is unlivable.

The optional coverages are where Auto-Owners policies differ most from one another:

• Homeowners Plus, a package endorsement that adds several coverages at once.
• Guaranteed Home Replacement Cost, which the company says replaces your home if the cost to rebuild exceeds the dwelling limit (see guaranteed replacement cost); read the endorsement for its conditions.
• Increased Cost endorsement, which adds 25% above the dwelling limit, a form of extended replacement cost.
• Special Personal Property coverage, which broadens protection for belongings.
• Water Backup of Sewers or Drains, for damage when a sewer or drain backs up into the house; see water backup and sewer backup coverage.
• Equipment Breakdown and Home Cyber Protection, which covers cyber-attacks, extortion, fraud and data breaches on connected devices.

Auto-Owners also sells umbrella and flood policies through the same agents. Its homeowners page does not describe how roofs are settled, so ask whether your quote pays the roof at replacement cost or actual cash value, especially in hail-prone states such as Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas.

Discounts and savings

Auto-Owners publishes a long list of homeowners discounts: Multi-Policy and Life Multi-Policy; Digital Advantage (online access, e-documents and automatic EFT payments; not in all states); Payment History (on-time payments over 36 months); Paid-in-Full (not for escrow-billed accounts); Green (paperless billing and online payment); Advance Quote (quoting before the policy starts; not in all states); Protective Devices; Water Shut-Off System for an approved whole-home automatic shutoff; Automatic Backup Generator; Mortgage-Free; Favorable Loss History; and Hurricane/Wind Mitigation credits in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, where Florida requires a licensed inspector's wind mitigation inspection form.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Auto-Owners says it writes in 26 states. It appears among the 10 largest home insurers in 23 states in 2025 NAIC data, from Michigan and the Upper Midwest through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee to Utah, Idaho and Arizona. The hurricane mitigation discount shows it also writes homeowners in Florida, though not at a top-10 scale.

The 2025 annual report describes a company that grew premiums while shrinking its book. Total property and casualty premium written rose more than $1.1 billion, or 8%, but policies in force fell 1.7% to about 6.2 million, which the company attributed to "a more competitive environment and a continued focus on maintaining a healthy, profitable book of business." The group reported a 90.06% combined ratio, $1.5 billion of underwriting profit and policyholder surplus above $18.2 billion.

Claims

Auto-Owners asks policyholders to report claims to their independent agent first. If the agent is unavailable or it is after hours, call 888-252-4626; claim service runs 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. Flood claims go to 800-233-1131 or online through the company's flood policy portal. You can track a claim online or in the mobile app and receive payment by direct deposit, Venmo, PayPal or the Auto-Owners Claim Card. The company says it keeps seven catastrophe teams around the country and uses weather mapping to send adjusters toward an area before a storm arrives.

Ratings and reputation

Auto-Owners Insurance Company is rated A+ (Superior) by AM Best, according to the company's 2025 annual report published in March 2026; Concord Group's companies also carry A+ (Superior), and Capital Insurance Group is rated A (Excellent). Auto-Owners is a Fortune 500 company and reported $18.2 billion of policyholder surplus at the end of 2025.

Auto-Owners was not among the top three homeowners insurers named in J.D. Power's 2025 or 2026 U.S. Home Insurance Study press releases or its 2025 and 2026 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study releases.

Who it suits

Auto-Owners suits homeowners in its 26 states who want an independent agent to handle the policy and the claim, and who value options such as guaranteed replacement cost, a water shut-off discount and a mortgage-free discount. Because there is no online quote or direct service, it suits less well if you prefer to manage insurance yourself.

• Strengths: A+ (Superior) AM Best rating and more than $18 billion of policyholder surplus; Guaranteed Home Replacement Cost and a 25% Increased Cost endorsement; a long discount list including water shut-off, backup generator and mortgage-free credits.
• Weaknesses: Sold only through independent agents, with no direct online purchase; homeowners business limited to 26 states (affiliates cover parts of New England and the West); policy count shrinking (down 1.7% in 2025) as it tightens underwriting.

How to contact Auto-Owners Insurance