Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance homeowners insurance

Overview

Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance is the insurance arm of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, written through Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Louisville. It sells homeowners, mobile home, renters, farm, auto, business and umbrella coverage, and only in Kentucky. The company says more than 474,000 Kentucky families and businesses insure with it, through agents in all 120 counties and 15 regional claims offices, and it calls itself the largest property and casualty insurer domiciled in the state.

Kentucky Farm Bureau Group ranked #48 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $500.8 million (0.27% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data. Virtually all of that is written in Kentucky, where it was the second-largest homeowners insurer in 2025 with $499.1 million and 22.75% of the market, just behind State Farm (24.26%) and far ahead of the next group, Liberty Mutual (7.90%).

It sells through exclusive agents who write only for Kentucky Farm Bureau. Policies are tied to Farm Bureau membership: the member portal asks for your KFB membership or policy number, and annual dues are set by each county Farm Bureau. Like other state Farm Bureau insurers, it is a mutual insurance company owned by its policyholders, not by shareholders.

History

The Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation was organized at a meeting in Louisville in November 1919 as an advocacy group for farmers and rural communities. The federation formed Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company in 1943 to give rural Kentucky families access to insurance, and the federation now describes the insurer as the leading property and casualty insurance company in the state. Today the federation's programs and the insurance company share a headquarters at 9201 Bunsen Parkway in Louisville, and the federation's officers include president Eddie Melton and executive vice president Drew Graham.

The past few years have been difficult financially. AM Best downgraded the group's long-term issuer credit rating to "a" from "a+" in April 2023 and moved its outlook to negative, citing significantly elevated losses over the prior two years from severe tornado activity, catastrophic floods and inflation; it noted the company was already raising rates, changing products and reunderwriting. In June 2025 it cut the financial strength rating itself, from A (Excellent) to A- (Excellent), saying weather losses had kept rising for a single-state writer with correlated lines of business.

Homeowners coverage

The KFB homeowners policy carries the standard property coverages (dwelling, other structures, personal property and loss of use) and liability coverages (bodily injury, property damage and medical payments). Optional coverages listed on the company's site are personal property replacement cost, earthquake, water back-up and sump overflow, home day care, additional limits of liability and identity fraud expense.

Read that list closely. Because personal property replacement cost is an add-on, a policy without it may settle belongings at actual cash value, which deducts depreciation; ask the agent which basis your quote uses. Water damage from a backed-up drain or a failed sump pump is also excluded unless you buy the water back-up endorsement, a common gap in Kentucky basements. Valuables such as jewelry, computers, fine art, firearms, cameras, golf equipment, musical instruments, furs, coins and stamps can be scheduled separately.

Earthquake coverage is written through Lloyd's, with KFB acting as a registered coverholder and handling service locally. It matters more than many Kentuckians think: the company's site lists Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman and McCracken counties at critical risk because of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Flood is excluded; many KFB agents sell National Flood Insurance Program policies, which the federal program administers. Mobile home policies are also available, with replacement cost on the home itself as an option for the first five years after manufacture.

Wind and hail are the perils that drive most Kentucky home claims. The Kentucky Department of Insurance has warned homeowners that many insurers now use separate percentage wind and hail deductibles and actual cash value settlement on roofs; check your declarations page for both before a storm, and ask your agent whether your policy has either.

Discounts and savings

KFB lists these homeowners discounts: an active automobile policy discount for bundling (the company says up to 20% on auto and home together), a dwelling age discount for newly built homes, a protective devices discount (deadbolts, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, security alarms and sprinklers), a dwelling roof discount for a newer roof, and a Property Plus discount for claim-free policyholders or those with a qualifying insurance score.

Kentucky law adds another lever. Under the Strengthen Kentucky Homes Act (2024 HB 256), insurers writing wind and hail coverage must give a premium discount for homes certified to the FORTIFIED Home standard, where actuarially justified, and must offer an endorsement that pays to upgrade to a FORTIFIED roof after a covered roof loss, for policies issued or renewed on or after March 1, 2026. Ask your KFB agent how either applies to your home.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance writes only in Kentucky, statewide. The most important recent development for policyholders is financial. AM Best's June 2025 release said the company's operating performance had become marginal after consistent, significantly elevated loss activity that continued into 2025, and that the stable outlook depends on management's corrective actions, "including rate increases and reunderwriting initiatives." In practice, that points to higher renewal premiums, tighter underwriting and more attention to roofs and claim history; the company's claims FAQ says it may cancel or surcharge policies after multiple claims in a short period.

Claims

During business hours, report a claim to your local KFB agent. After hours, call the claims hotline at 866-532-2524 (866-KFB-CLAIM), answered Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. Eastern and around the clock on weekends and holidays. Claims can also be filed anytime online through the my.kyfb.com member portal. The claim goes to the nearest of 15 regional claims offices, and a claims representative typically contacts you within 24 to 48 hours.

KFB asks homeowners to protect the property from further damage, keep receipts for emergency repairs, wait for the first on-site inspection before permanent repairs, and send the contractor's estimate to the adjuster, who will compare it with typical local labor and material prices. You choose your own contractor. Kentucky's claims regulation (806 KAR 12:095) generally requires an insurer to offer payment of amounts due within 30 calendar days after receiving proof of loss.

Ratings and reputation

AM Best downgraded Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual's financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and its long-term issuer credit rating to "a-" from "a" on June 12, 2025, and revised the outlook to stable from negative. AM Best still assesses its balance sheet as strongest, with the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, a conservative investment portfolio and a comprehensive reinsurance program; the downgrade reflected marginal operating performance and a business profile lowered to limited. KFB's own ratings page shows the A- (Excellent) rating.

Who it suits

Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance suits Kentucky homeowners who want a neighborhood agent, a regional claims office nearby and one company for home, auto, farm and life, and it is a natural fit for rural and farm property. It suits less well homeowners who want to buy online without an agent, those looking for the strongest possible financial strength rating, or anyone who may move out of state.

• Strengths: second-largest home insurer in Kentucky in 2025, with agents in every county and 15 regional claims offices; strongest balance sheet assessment from AM Best; earthquake coverage for New Madrid risk; bundling discount of up to 20%.
• Weaknesses: AM Best rating cut to A- (Excellent) in June 2025 after years of weather losses; single-state concentration; personal property replacement cost and water back-up cost extra; Farm Bureau membership dues on top of the premium.

How to contact Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance