Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance homeowners insurance

Overview

Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company is the insurance company of the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, a membership organization that says it serves more than 250,000 member families. It sells homeowners, auto, farm, renters and mobile home coverage only in Georgia, and only to Farm Bureau members. Georgia Farm Bureau Group, which also includes Georgia Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, ranked #97 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $183.6 million (0.10% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data.

Every dollar of that premium is written in Georgia, where the group was the 9th-largest homeowners insurer in 2025 with 2.88% of the state market. It is the only Georgia-focused company in the state's top 10; the rest are national carriers such as State Farm, Allstate and Auto-Owners Insurance.

The selling point is local presence. The company says it has offices in 158 of Georgia's 159 counties, and both its agents and its claims adjusters live in the communities they serve. It is a mutual insurance company, so there are no outside shareholders, and part of each premium supports the Federation's farm advocacy and county programs.

History

The Georgia Farm Bureau Federation was organized in 1937 to represent the state's farmers. In 1958, according to the company's history page, it established Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company because farmers had few options for insuring farms, equipment and homes (the company's FAQ dates the creation to 1959). The company has since expanded from farm coverage into personal auto, homeowners, commercial and life products, and today most of its customers are not farmers.

Its financial history has been uneven. In May 2009 AM Best cut the group's financial strength rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) after an underwriting loss of about $80 million in 2008 reduced surplus by roughly 19%, noting that its core homeowners and auto lines had underperformed peers and that a single-state property writer is exposed to frequent severe weather. The rating had slipped to B+ (Good) by 2015 and was upgraded back to B++ in August 2021. Hurricanes Idalia (2023) and Helene (2024) have kept underwriting results under pressure since.

Homeowners coverage

Georgia Farm Bureau sells homeowners, mobile and manufactured home, renters and farm package policies through its own agents. Its homeowners page says the majority of the policies its agents write settle dwelling losses at replacement cost, and that a customer can instead choose actual cash value coverage for a lower premium. The company is candid about what that means: on a roof halfway through a 20-year life, an actual cash value policy subtracts 10 years of depreciation as well as the deductible.

Optional coverages listed on its site include mechanical breakdown for appliances and systems, home business coverage, hobby farm coverage, water backup of sewers and drains, personal injury liability, and higher limits for jewelry, firearms, boats, golf carts, ATVs and artwork. Agents also sell personal umbrella, personal inland marine and flood insurance.

Two points to check on your quote:

• Percentage deductibles. The company notes that some policies carry a percentage deductible of 1% or 2% of Coverage A. On a $400,000 dwelling limit, a 1% deductible is $4,000, and it rises as the insured value rises at renewal.
• Storm moratoriums. Georgia Farm Bureau, like many carriers, stops binding new policies and coverage changes when a hurricane, tornado, flood or wildfire threatens (a moratorium). Buy or increase coverage before the forecast turns.

Policy terms vary, and the policy form and Georgia amendatory endorsements control.

Discounts and savings

The company does not publish a list of homeowners discounts online; it says agents review policies on request and look for discounts that apply, including after safety improvements to the home. Auto discounts it names include safe driver and military discounts.

Two costs are easy to miss. Membership in the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, required for every policyholder, costs $35 a year. And since April 1, 2025, a processing fee applies to credit card, debit card and one-time electronic payments; paying by ACH autopay, cash at a county office or check by mail avoids it.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Georgia Farm Bureau writes only in Georgia, through county Farm Bureau offices, and you must be a member. If its own products do not fit, its agents can place coverage with other carriers.

The recent story is storm losses. According to S&P Capital IQ figures cited by Insurance Journal in June 2025, the company's homeowners direct incurred loss ratio was 152.8% in 2024, the year Helene crossed the state from Valdosta to Augusta, and its combined ratio was 108.3% in 2022, 106.5% in 2023 and 107.8% in 2024, meaning losses and expenses exceeded premiums each year. The same analysis reported an $18 million underwriting gain in the first quarter of 2025. AM Best's 2023 release credited rate increases, deductible changes, tighter underwriting guidelines and risk-based scoring models for improved results, so expect higher premiums and deductibles than a few years ago.

Claims

Claims can be reported 24 hours a day at 855-432-2567 (855-GFB-CLMS), online at gfbinsurance.com, through the Georgia Farm Bureau mobile app, or through your agent. The company says a claims representative will contact you within 48 hours of a property loss report. Adjusters are based locally rather than flown in, which the company emphasizes as a strength; after Helene, claims staff worked from county offices on generator power.

Before the adjuster arrives, make temporary repairs such as tarping the roof or boarding windows, keep receipts, and start a personal property list; the company provides an inventory sheet on its property claims page. Ask whether your settlement is replacement cost or actual cash value and whether a percentage deductible applies to the loss.

Ratings and reputation

In its September 15, 2023 rating action, AM Best affirmed the B++ (Good) financial strength rating and "bbb" long-term issuer credit rating of Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual and Georgia Farm Bureau Casualty, and revised the issuer credit rating outlook to stable from positive. AM Best assessed the group's balance sheet as very strong but its operating performance as marginal and its business profile as limited, citing weather losses, higher reinsurance retention and inflation-driven claim severity. B++ is below the A-range ratings carried by most national competitors, which matters to some mortgage lenders (see Financial strength ratings: AM Best, S&P, Moody's and Demotech).

Georgia Farm Bureau is not ranked in J.D. Power's home insurance or property claims studies.

Who it suits

Georgia Farm Bureau suits Georgia homeowners, particularly outside metro Atlanta, who want a local agent and a local adjuster, carry farm or rural property, or want home, auto and farm coverage with one company that reinvests in Georgia agriculture. It suits less well buyers who put financial strength ratings first, who want to compare prices and coverage online, or who object to paying membership dues for a policy.

• Strengths: offices in 158 of 159 Georgia counties with local claims adjusters; 24/7 claims line and app; hobby farm and farm package coverage alongside homeowners; replacement cost on most homeowners policies.
• Weaknesses: Georgia only, and membership ($35 a year) is required; AM Best B++ (Good), affirmed September 2023, rather than an A rating; homeowners losses exceeded premiums in 2024 after Helene; percentage deductibles on some policies and card payment fees since April 2025.

How to contact Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance