Liberty Mutual homeowners insurance

Overview

Liberty Mutual is the fourth-largest home insurer in the United States. Its NAIC group ranked #4 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $10.40 billion, or 5.50% of the national market, according to NAIC market share data. Its weight sits in New England and the Northwest. In 2025 it was the largest homeowners writer in Idaho (19.52% of the market) and New Hampshire (12.35%), and it ranked second in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Its biggest books by premium were Texas ($1.20 billion, 5th) and California ($902.3 million, 8th).

The group is owned by Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc., a mutual holding company whose members are its policyholders. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in Boston is the lead insurer. Your declarations page may name a different affiliate, such as Liberty Insurance Corporation, LM Insurance Corporation or Safeco Insurance Company of America. Tim Sweeney has been chief executive since January 1, 2023 and chairman of the holding company since April 2025.

Liberty Mutual sells homeowners insurance in three ways:

• direct, online and by phone
• through independent agents, the channel its Safeco brand served until April 2026
• through Comparion Insurance Agency, a Liberty Mutual-owned agency that also quotes other carriers

History

Liberty Mutual opened in Boston on July 1, 1912, as the Massachusetts Employees Insurance Association. It was formed to write workers compensation after a 1911 Massachusetts law required employers to carry that coverage. It wrote its first auto policy in 1918. Its personal lines business grew mostly by buying companies that sell through agents:

• Ohio Casualty in August 2007, a deal announced at about $2.7 billion.
• Safeco Corporation of Seattle, bought for about $6.2 billion. Washington's insurance commissioner approved the sale in September 2008, and Safeco kept its name and Seattle base.
• State Auto Group of Columbus, Ohio, in March 2022, for about $1 billion. It added $2.3 billion of premium and about 3,400 independent agencies in 33 states.

In November 2021 Liberty Mutual said it would move its more than 2,200 exclusive agents into Comparion. That agency sells policies from Liberty Mutual and more than 50 other carriers, and its agents are employees, not independent contractors.

In March 2025 the company announced it would retire the Safeco brand. On April 25, 2026, all its personal lines began to be sold only under the Liberty Mutual name. By then Safeco wrote nearly $14 billion a year in premium in 48 states through more than 22,000 independent agencies. Safeco customers keep their agents, and Liberty Mutual says their policies are not affected by the change. The Safeco Insurance profile explains what that means for an existing Safeco policy.

Homeowners coverage

Liberty Mutual uses its own homeowners forms, and it says its direct and independent-agent products stay different, so two Liberty Mutual policies can carry different options. A standard policy includes:

• dwelling and other structures
• personal property
• additional living expenses
• personal liability and medical payments to others

Its homeowners page lists wind and hail and hurricane damage as standard coverage. In coastal states, check the declarations page for a separate wind or hurricane deductible.

How belongings are paid matters at claim time. Liberty Mutual's coverage page says basic personal property coverage pays actual cash value, and replacement cost for belongings is an add-on. Its claims page says the first check pays actual cash value less the deductible. If the policy has replacement cost, you get the withheld depreciation after you upload receipts or invoices for finished repairs.

Optional coverages on its site include:

• personal property replacement cost
• water backup for sewer and drain backups and sump pump overflow
• service line coverage
• home systems and appliance breakdown
• blanket jewelry, which replaces lost or stolen jewelry with no deductible or up-front appraisal
• cyber protection
• inflation protection, which raises limits at each renewal and comes with a premium discount

Liberty Mutual also sells condo, renters and landlord policies. Mobile and manufactured homes are referred to its partner Assurant. Flood insurance is sold through the National Flood Insurance Program, where Liberty Mutual is a Write Your Own carrier. Its homeowners page says earthquake and flood need separate coverage.

Discounts and savings

Liberty Mutual's homeowners discount page lists:

• multi-policy discounts for bundling home with auto or other policies
• an early shopper discount for quoting before your current policy expires
• discounts for new or renovated homes and for a new roof
• a preferred payment discount for automatic bank payments or for paying in one or two installments
• paperless and online purchase discounts

Discounts vary by state and by how you buy. The national page does not list protective-device, claims-free or wind mitigation credits, so ask which credits apply where you live.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Liberty Mutual writes homeowners insurance in most states. In 2025 it was among the 10 largest homeowners groups in 46 states and the District of Columbia; Florida, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota were the exceptions. Its share of the national market fell from 6.1% in 2024 to 5.5% in 2025, according to the Insurance Information Institute's tally of NAIC data. Liberty Mutual reported that top-line volume in its U.S. Retail Markets unit, which holds its personal lines and small business insurance, fell 6.4% in 2025, which it put down to underwriting actions, the move of its exclusive agents into Comparion and lower average premiums. The unit's combined ratio improved by about 10 points, to 82.2. The company said personal lines policies in force were growing again by the end of 2025.

California has the restrictions. Reporting in December 2024 said the Liberty Mutual direct brand had stopped adding new California homeowners policies in 2023 and had no plans to resume. Safeco kept writing homeowners, auto, landlord and umbrella there through agents. Safeco stopped new condo, renters and watercraft business on January 1, 2025. Nonrenewals of those policies, and of Liberty Mutual condo and renters policies, were set to begin January 1, 2026. In July 2026 the California Department of Insurance said Liberty Mutual had asked to expand coverage in wildfire-distressed areas, with no additional rate increase, under the state's Sustainable Insurance Strategy. The request was still pending. The department noted that Liberty Mutual "never stopped writing in California."

Claims

You can report a home claim online 24/7, in the Liberty Mutual app, or by phone at 800-225-2467 (800-2CLAIMS). Liberty Mutual says online filing takes about 10 minutes. A claims representative follows up within one to two business days. Some damage is reviewed from photos, and larger losses get an in-person inspection. For water losses, it offers preferred water mitigation vendors you can search by ZIP code. If you have a mortgage, expect the lender's name on the check.

Ratings and reputation

AM Best affirmed the A (Excellent) financial strength rating of Liberty Mutual's insurance companies on September 10, 2025, with a stable outlook. Liberty Mutual's ratings table, dated April 14, 2026, shows Liberty Mutual Insurance Company rated:

• A2 by Moody's (last updated January 2026)
• A by S&P (last updated December 2025)

Its homeowners subsidiaries, including the Safeco companies, carry the same AM Best rating.

J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Home Insurance Study (September 2025) was weak for the agent-sold brand. Safeco scored 571 among homeowners insurers, against a segment average of 642, and its 23-point drop was the largest among insurers ranked in both 2024 and 2025. Liberty Mutual tied Lemonade for 8th among renters insurers, at 661. In the 2026 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study (March 2026), Liberty Mutual ranked above the study average of 702.

A proposed class action filed in December 2024 accuses Liberty Mutual of misrepresenting why it nonrenewed California homeowners policies. The plaintiff says her nonrenewal relied on an aerial inspection of the property. In April 2025 a federal judge in the Southern District of California kept the case in federal court. The claims have not been proven.

Who it suits

Liberty Mutual suits homeowners who want a large A-rated carrier and the choice of buying online or through an independent agent who can also quote its competitors. It is a major insurer in New England, Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. It is a weaker fit for California condo owners and renters, who are losing coverage, and for buyers who want a single exclusive agent.

• Strengths: 4th-largest U.S. home insurer and #1 in Idaho and New Hampshire; A (Excellent) from AM Best, A from S&P and A2 from Moody's; policyholder-owned; optional coverages including blanket jewelry, service line and appliance breakdown; above average in J.D. Power's 2026 claims study.
• Weaknesses: personal property is paid at actual cash value unless you add replacement cost; Safeco scored far below average in J.D. Power's 2025 homeowners study; condo and renters withdrawals and a closed direct homeowners channel in California; national market share shrank in 2025.

How to contact Liberty Mutual