Nationwide homeowners insurance

Overview

Nationwide is a policyholder-owned mutual insurance and financial services group based in Columbus, Ohio, best known for its "On Your Side" slogan. Its NAIC group, Nationwide Corporation Group, ranked #11 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $3.49 billion (1.85% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data. Homeowners is one line among many: the same company sells auto, farm, pet, commercial, life and retirement products.

Nationwide's home business is concentrated in the Mid-Atlantic, the Carolinas, Ohio and the Plains. In 2025 it was the 5th-largest homeowners group in Delaware (7.07% of the market) and Iowa (7.17%), 6th in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Rhode Island, 7th in North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, and in the top 10 in Maryland, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Mississippi, Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

The company sells almost entirely through independent agents, having converted its former exclusive agency force in 2018-2020. You can still start a quote online or by phone, but changes to a homeowners policy go through the agent named on your declarations page.

History

The company began in 1926 as Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, organized by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation; Murray D. Lincoln led it for its first decades. It added a fire company in 1933 and wrote its first property policy in 1934 after buying a fire insurer. In 1948 the insurance companies separated from the Farm Bureau at the request of insurance regulators, and in 1955 the group took the Nationwide name. Eight Farm Bureaus still promote it.

Acquisitions shaped today's footprint. Nationwide bought Farmland Insurance and Scottsdale Insurance between 1982 and 1985, ALLIED Group of Des Moines in 1998 (which brought an established independent-agent channel in the Midwest and West) and Harleysville Mutual in 2012. In 2008 it bought back the public shares of Nationwide Financial, returning the whole enterprise to mutual ownership.

The biggest change for homeowners came in distribution. In April 2018 Nationwide said it would end its exclusive agent model, and on July 1, 2020 it completed the move, with about 99% of its roughly 2,000 former captive agents continuing as independent agencies. In October 2023 it announced it would narrow its high-net-worth unit, Nationwide Private Client (underwritten by Crestbrook Insurance Company), to "mass affluent" clients and retire the brand at the end of 2024, moving remaining mass-affluent products into Nationwide Personal Lines.

Homeowners coverage

Nationwide sells homeowners, condo and renters policies and covers second and vacation homes. Base homeowners coverage includes dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability and medical payments to others, plus ordinance or law coverage and credit card and forgery coverage. Policy wording and limits vary by state and by underwriting company.

The optional coverages are where Nationwide differs from a bare-bones policy:

• Brand New Belongings pays to replace damaged or stolen belongings at today's price rather than depreciated value; you get the depreciated amount first and the rest after you buy the replacement and send the receipt.
• Better Roof Replacement pays to rebuild a damaged roof with stronger, safer materials after a covered loss.
• Dwelling Replacement Cost can pay up to twice the dwelling limit if the home must be rebuilt, a strong form of extended replacement cost.
• Water backup, service line, equipment breakdown, identity theft, earthquake (with its own deductible) and Valuables Plus for jewelry, watches and art.

Flood is sold as a separate policy, and umbrella liability is available on top. Ask the agent which roof settlement terms apply in your state; carriers increasingly use roof payment schedules on older roofs, and a quote that looks cheap may be paying the roof at actual cash value.

Discounts and savings

Nationwide lists a multi-policy discount for bundling home with auto, plus discounts for protective devices (smoke and burglar alarms), staying claims-free, renovating plumbing, heating, cooling or electrical systems, roof age and surface type, buying a home within the last 12 months, prior continuous insurance, and living in a gated community.

Its smart home program sends homeowners a free Ting electrical-fire sensor and a free LeakBot water-leak detector, and an activated device can earn a policy discount. The program is not offered in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma or Washington, and devices must be activated within 55 days or the discount is removed.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Nationwide's homeowners site has state pages for 43 states and the District of Columbia. There are none for Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey or New Mexico. Florida reflects a long-ago retreat: in October 2009 Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida filed to nonrenew about 60,000 homeowners policies beginning in July 2010.

More recent moves:

• North Carolina, 2023. Nationwide reported 10,525 personal lines nonrenewals to state regulators in February 2023, 4.4% of its North Carolina policies; 5,781 were picked by a hurricane hazard model and 4,744 were referred to the Beach Plan for wind coverage.
• High-net-worth exit, 2023-2025. Crestbrook nonrenewed its U.S. private client homeowners, auto, collections and excess liability book. In California it stopped new business in December 2023 and set June 15, 2025 as the end of renewals for about 20,275 homes. Nationwide said standard policies were not affected.

If you received a Private Client nonrenewal, the high-value home market includes carriers such as Chubb, PURE and Cincinnati.

Claims

Report a home claim by logging in to your account at nationwide.com, by calling 800-421-3535 or through your agent. The claims FAQ asks for your address, a description of the loss, any witnesses or injured people and your policy number. Once a claim is open, the adjuster's name and phone number appear under "Claims" in your online account. Make reasonable temporary repairs to prevent further damage and keep the receipts.

Ratings and reputation

AM Best affirmed the Nationwide Property and Casualty Group's financial strength rating of A (Excellent), stable outlook, on November 7, 2025. AM Best had cut the group from A+ (Superior) on December 7, 2023, when it lowered its view of the group's business profile to neutral; its 2025 release still called the balance sheet "very strong" but operating performance "marginal." Nationwide's ratings page shows S&P at A+ (affirmed April 27, 2026) and Moody's at A2 (affirmed October 5, 2026) for Nationwide Mutual and its property-casualty affiliates.

In the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Home Insurance Study, Nationwide scored 641 and ranked 8th among homeowners insurers, a point below the segment average of 642; its renters score (687) ranked 4th. J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study listed Nationwide among insurers scoring above the study average. See What J.D. Power's home insurance studies measure for what those studies measure.

Who it suits

Nationwide fits a homeowner who wants an independent agent, a large mutual with strong capital and an option-rich policy: replacement cost on belongings, a roof upgrade benefit and dwelling coverage up to double the limit. It is a weaker fit in Florida and Louisiana, where it has no homeowners quote pages, and for owners of expensive homes, which it no longer targets.

• Strengths: S&P A+ and AM Best A ratings; endorsements such as Brand New Belongings and Dwelling Replacement Cost; free Ting and LeakBot devices with a possible discount; above average in J.D. Power's 2026 claims study.
• Weaknesses: No homeowners quote pages for Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and three other states; exited the high-net-worth market in 2024-2025; AM Best cut its property-casualty rating in 2023; policy service runs through the agent rather than directly.

How to contact Nationwide