Insurance Guide

Nationwide Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 03:57:00 +0000

With excellent coverage options, exceptional policy management tools, and great claims support, it's easy to see why Nationwide auto insurance ranks among the best auto insurance companies in the market. Though its mobile app is a bit behind the curve and it misses on several common discounts, there's a whole lot to like about what Nationwide offers.

THE GOOD

GREAT COVERAGE FOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS:

Nationwide car insurance really excels when it comes to coverage for breakdowns and other mechanical problems, offering a range of optional benefits that combine to make sure you're never left out in the cold. With mechanical breakdown insurance, you'll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing sudden engine repairs and parts replacements will be covered under your policy, without any repair facility restrictions. Add roadside assistance and towing coverage to make sure that you're taken care of in the event of a breakdown or lockout, no matter where it happens. Finally, Nationwide auto insurance has rental car reimbursement coverage, which keeps you on the road while your car is being repaired. This coverage even reimburses you if you choose to take a taxi or public transportation to work instead of a rental car.

EASY TO FILE A CLAIM:

It's also nice to know that Nationwide offers convenient claims filing options that help you report accidents and other covered damage fast so you can get back to life as usual. You can initiate a claim by calling your Nationwide agent, calling the national claims center, or accessing the claims center online. You can even start a claim with your smartphone using the Nationwide Mobile app. Whichever method you use, you'll have help every step of the way. Most simple claims can be completed entirely online, though you may have to work with your agent or a claims center representative to work through complex claims.

ACCESS TO GAP INSURANCE:

If you have a large car loan, GAP insurance is an important coverage option to have access to. Though not all major auto insurers provide GAP policies, Nationwide auto insurance does. With Nationwide GAP insurance, you can trust that your loan will be paid in full in the event that your car is damaged beyond repair or if it's stolen and unrecovered, even if your loan balance exceeds the car's fair market value. This option offers great peace of mind, especially in the early years of car ownership when the market value of your car falls far faster than your loan balance.

EASY-TO-NAVIGATE WEBSITE:

Finding the right insurance provider and building a policy suited to your needs can be a grueling process. Nationwide car insurance helps ease the pain by providing well-organized information and intuitive tools to help you make an informed decision. The Nationwide auto insurance website is organized into three main information sections that do a great job explaining the details of Nationwide's coverage options, driver and vehicle discounts, and claims handling procedures. You can also learn about the On Your Side Review, a consultation service that provides free personalized advice from a Nationwide agent. Finally, you can also access Nationwide's quotation tool, which helps you build a policy that meets your coverage needs and fits your budget.

VANISHING DEDUCTIBLE:

Nationwide's Vanishing Deductible program is a pretty cool option to take advantage of. Essentially, the program credits you $100 per year just for driving safely. These credits will accumulate in your account to a maximum balance of $500. If you do get into an accident, your credit balance is automatically applied toward your policy deductible. So, for example, if you have a $500 deductible and your Vanishing Deductible program credit stands at $400, you will only have to pay $100 out of pocket for your accident repairs. It's pretty tough to complain about that kind of deal. If you do need to use your credit, your Vanishing Deductible will start back at $100 rather than zero.

THE BAD

MISSING SOME COMMON DISCOUNTS:

On balance, Nationwide offers a pretty good selection of driver discounts. However, they miss on several popular discounts offered by many of the top insurers in the market, including those for members of the military and low-mileage drivers. You won't get a discount for paying your full policy premium in advance either, which is pretty unfortunate if you regularly stay ahead on your bills. Nationwide auto insurance also fails to provide a loyalty discount to long-term customers. Though it's not really that common in the marketplace, the lack of a loyalty discount helps to rank Nationwide auto insurance below the best insurers in the discount category.

AVERAGE MOBILE APP:

Another relatively minor knock on Nationwide has to do with its decidedly average mobile app, which gets mixed reviews from both iPhone and Android users. The Nationwide Mobile app allows you to pay your bill and access your insurance cards, and you can even start an accident claim. However, if modifying your policy on the go is important to you, you're going to be disappointed. The app doesn't offer you the ability to add or remove drivers or cars, change your coverage options, or adjust your deductibles, features that can be found in some of the industry's best auto insurance apps. You also won't find a comprehensive accident guide to help you if you get in a wreck, which is a really valuable resource to have on hand in such a moment. Though for many people the quality of a mobile app is not a deal breaker, it would be nice if Nationwide could offer an app that meets the same high usability standards as its website.

USAA Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 03:49:00 +0000

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is a Texas-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies including a Texas Department of Insurance regulated reciprocal inter-insurance exchange and subsidiaries offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families that serve, or served, in the United States military. At the end of 2014, there were 10.7 million members.

USAA was founded in 1922 by a group of U.S. Army officers to self-insure one another when they were unable to secure auto insurance because of the perception that they, as military officers, were a high-risk group. USAA has since expanded to offer banking and insurance services to past and present members of the Armed Forces, officers and enlisted, and their immediate families.

The company was one of the pioneers of direct marketing and most of its business is conducted over the Internet or telephone using employees instead of agents.

History
The organization was originally called the United States Army Automobile Association. In 1924, the name was changed to United Services Automobile Association, when commissioned officers of other U.S. military services became eligible for membership. The company opened offices in Frankfurt, Germany, and London, England early in its history.

USAA is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, occupying 286 acres (116 ha) (a former horse farm) in a large single-occupancy office building on the city's northwest side.

USAA is a pioneer of the concept of direct marketing; most of its business is conducted over the Internet or telephone using employees instead of agents. Until the 1960s the bulk of its business was conducted via mail. In the late 1960s, USAA began a transition from mail to phone-based sales and service. A toll-free number was launched in 1978, and Internet sales and service were launched in 1999 via its website.

The organization started offering homeowner's and life insurance in the 1960s, and brokerage and investment management services in the 1970s, and banking services in the 1980s.

Prior to 1996, eligibility for USAA membership was limited to commissioned officers in the U.S. armed forces, cadets and midshipmen at the U.S. service academies eligible to have a personal car, cadets and midshipmen in college and university ROTC programs, college and university students in the Marine Corps PLC or Navy AVROC programs, or college graduate officer candidates/officer trainees in the OCS programs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, or the Air Force OTS program. In 1996, eligibility was extended to enlisted personnel in the U.S. armed forces.

USAA offered restricted membership to civilians between September 2009 and August 2013. This membership provided access to USAA’s investment products, most bank deposit products, and life insurance. Auto and property insurance policies were not included for non-military members due to eligibility restrictions.

Lines of business
Property, casualty, and life insurance
USAA offers a range of personal property and casualty (P&C) insurance, including automobile insurance, homeowner insurance, renters insurance, as well as umbrella and personal property insurance. In addition to P&C insurance, USAA provides whole life insurance, term life insurance, and annuities. USAA's life insurance policies, while not completely unique in the industry, are different from most offerings since they do not include a war-exclusion clause

Banking
Banking services are provided by USAA Federal Savings Bank. The bank was established on December 30, 1983. According to the FDIC, as of June 2011, USAA held over $43.8 billion in deposits with more than 6.3 million accounts.

USAA Federal Savings Bank's bank lobby located in San Antonio is its only full-service banking location. Other cities, however, hold financial centers, often near military bases, which provide advice and assistance in obtaining services of any kind offered by USAA, in addition to opening those accounts online. Limited service locations (or 'financial centers') cannot process deposits or withdrawals, other than those conducted at USAA ATMs located at the financial centers; ATM, in addition to teller withdrawals and deposits may also be made at the bank lobby in San Antonio, Texas.

Banking services can be accessed in person, by mail, by phone, or through the internet. USAA Federal Savings Bank provides members with the ability to deposit checks to their accounts using mobile applications on the iPhone, mobile devices with Google's Android operating system, and Microsoft's Windows Phone. Members are also able to take advantage of USAA's UPS deposit option, called Easy Deposits, where members are able to deposit personal as well as business checks via UPS directly to their accounts.

USAA also offers ATM fee rebates (up to $15/month), free standard checks for the life of the account, free online bill pay, and bank-by-mail services. USAA was one of the few major banks to begin offering American Express cards in 2006 in addition to their traditional offering of Mastercard.

Major banking competitors include Bank of America-Military Bank, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, and the Navy Federal Credit Union.

Investing and financial planning[edit]
USAA provides a limited discount brokerage service and a family of no-load mutual funds. Mutual funds established by other companies and can be purchased as well as held by USAA investment accounts (or IMCO). USAA also offers somewhat limited free financial advice to members, as well as services which require agreement to pay a given fixed rate for such services financial planning service.

Other business[edit]
Through its Alliance Services Company (ASC), USAA runs a mail-order catalog service specializing in the sale of diamonds and jewelry. In addition to the above, ASC has secured a variety of discounted services for its members. These include travel-related services obtained through rental car alliances with Avis Budget Group and Hertz Corporation, for example, as well as discounts on cruise travel. Their retail alliances incorporate others such as FTD, FedEx, and ADT Security Services.

For its own investment purposes, USAA operates a real estate company which has holdings including major office buildings, industrial buildings, hotels, and other properties throughout the country.

Target market[edit]
USAA's mission statement indicates its focus to serve its niche market, which consists of members of the U.S. military and their immediate families. To that end, the Association has always marketed directly to members of the U.S. military. USAA membership is offered to officers and enlisted personnel, including those on active duty, those in the National Guard and Reserve, Officer candidates in commissioning programs (Academy, ROTC, OCS/OTS) and all those who have served in the aforementioned categories and who have retired or have been discharged honorably. Children of USAA members are also eligible to purchase USAA's P&C insurance products, and former members of USAA are allowed to resume membership at any time (without an age limit).

Eligibility can be determined using its website; however, the site does not contain a comprehensive statement of eligibility. USAA has, in the past, published a list of other eligible persons including special agents of the FBI and Secret Service, agents of the various military investigative services (NCIS, OSI, CI and CID), U.S. Foreign Service Officers, and officers from a variety of other smaller agencies. Recently, USAA has been sharpening its focus on members of the military. So, people working for certain non-military agencies that were accommodated in the past may find that they are no longer eligible.

Historically, only U.S. military officers (among certain other federally sworn officers) were eligible to join USAA, with descendants of USAA members able to purchase insurance from USAA-CIC. It did not matter if one was an active duty or retired officer; one could join at any time. In 1973, membership was opened to members of the National Guard and Reserves, and in 1996, eligibility was expanded to enlisted members of the armed services. As the number of persons who have served on active duty in an enlisted status in the U.S. Armed Forces is quite large, USAA chose to limit the establishment of eligibility to those who were currently on active duty or who had recently separated. The same time limit on establishment of eligibility was then applied to military officers. As USAA's capacity for taking on new members expanded, eligibility criteria relaxed. In 2008, USAA expanded membership eligibility to all military personnel and retirees, and all veterans who separated after 1996.In November 2009, USAA expanded eligibility requirements to offer coverage to anyone who has ever served honorably in the US Military.

Auto and property insurance and some banking services require that the customer meet membership eligibility criteria. USAA investment products as well as deposit-only banking services are available to non-members.

Of the top ten automobile insurance competitors, USAA is the only provider that restricts service to members of the United States military and their immediate families.

Legal structure
One of the characteristics that allows USAA to operate differently than most other Fortune 500 companies is that it is not a corporation. The United Services Automobile Association is an inter-insurance exchange, the establishment of which is provided for under the Texas Insurance Code. This insurance exchange is made up of current and former military officers and NCOs who have taken out P&C policies with USAA; thus they simultaneously are insured by each other and, as a group, own USAA's assets. Theoretically, this implies that each member could be held completely responsible for all the losses of all the other members. However, the insurance code (Sec 942.142) stipulates that should an entity such as USAA accrue a substantial amount of assets, member liability is limited only to the premiums they have paid to USAA. In other words, if an enormous disaster were to result in claims that would wipe out all the assets of USAA, individual members could not legally be called upon to pay for any amount USAA is unable to pay out in claims.

Other insurance services are provided by a variety of wholly owned subsidiaries. Adult children of USAA members and U.S. military junior enlisted personnel make up a group known at USAA as "associate members" insured through a subsidiary called USAA-Casualty Insurance Company (USAA-CIC). USAA-CIC is not an insurance exchange but rather a Delaware Insurance Corporation. This is a subtle nuance but is important concerning the return of profits – described below. Non-standard-risk drivers are insured by subsidiaries like USAA's County Mutual Insurance Company or USAA-General Indemnity Company. USAA also insures members in Europe through its subsidiary, USAA Limited. It is uncommon for a U.S. based insurance company to provide international P&C coverage, but USAA does so because so many military families are stationed out-of-country.

Returning profits to the insured
Since there are no shareholders, profits are retained for financial strength or returned to the members. Returns are accomplished through a Subscriber's Account, commonly known as a distribution. Each year a portion of USAA's profit is retained as "unassigned," the rest is allocated to each member's Subscriber's Account using a formula based on the amount of premium the member paid that year as well as the member's Subscriber's Account balance. The allocation of capital to a member's Subscriber's Account occurs early in the calendar year. Late in the calendar year a portion of the member's Subscriber's Account is distributed to the member via checks or electronic funds transfer. Members with more than 40 years of membership also receive a special yearly "senior bonus" distribution which amounts to 10% of the member's Subscriber's Account balance. The entirety of the Subscriber's Account belongs to the member, but is not completely distributed until approximately 6 months after the member no longer has a USAA P&C policy.

Those not eligible to join USAA but who are eligible to purchase insurance from USAA's subsidiaries, such as USAA-CIC, may receive dividends as declared by USAA.

Farmers Insurance Group

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 03:42:00 +0000

Farmers Insurance Group (informally Farmers) is a U.S. insurer group of automobiles, homes and small businesses and also provides other insurance and financial services products. Farmers Insurance has more than 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and approximately 22,000 employees.

Operations

The Farmers Exchanges, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, are three reciprocal insurers or inter-insurance exchanges (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange) owned by their policyholders. The Farmers Exchanges, directly or through their subsidiaries and affiliates, offer homeowners insurance, auto insurance, commercial insurance, and financial services throughout the United States. Farmers Group, Inc. (dba Farmers Underwriters Association) and its subsidiaries, Truck Underwriters Association and Fire Underwriters Association, provide certain non-claims administrative services for the Farmers Exchanges as their attorneys-in-fact. The Farmers Exchanges do not hold an ownership interest in Farmers Group, Inc., and neither Farmers Group, Inc. nor its ultimate parent, Zurich Financial Services Ltd., a Swiss company, holds an ownership interest in any of the Farmers Exchanges.

The Foremost Insurance Group, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a group of companies that primarily insure specialty products such as mobile homes, motor homes, travel trailers and specialty dwellings, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, boats and personal watercraft. It was founded in 1952 and was acquired by the Farmers Exchanges in March 2000. The Foremost companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.

The Bristol West Insurance Group became a part of Farmers in July 2007. In 1973, it began providing private passenger auto insurance to residents in Florida and now provides liability and physical damage insurance – focusing exclusively on private passenger vehicles – across the United States.

The Bristol West companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.

21st Century Insurance, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, became a part of Farmers in July 2009. Using the internet and direct response marketing channels, 21st Century markets personal auto insurance to consumers throughout the United States. The 21st Century Insurance companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.

Farmers New World Life Insurance Company started as Catholic Life Insurance Company in Spokane, Washington in 1910. Later that year it was renamed New World Life Insurance Company. In 1953, it was acquired by Farmers Group, Inc. In 1954, its name was changed to the current

Farmers New World Life Insurance Company. Farmers New World Life Insurance Company is now based in the Seattle suburb of Mercer Island, Washington. It offers flexible universal life insurance, traditional term life insurance, whole life insurance and annuities. Farmers New World Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Farmers Group, Inc.

Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC. was created by the Farmers Exchanges in 2000 to provide financial products to customers.

Products and services

Farmers' products and services include:

- auto insurance

- home insurance, including homeowners, condominium and renters insurance, mobile and manufactured home insurance, specialty home insurance, including landlord and rental properties, seasonal homes, and vacation homes, and flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program

- motorcycle insurance

- life insurance, including term, whole and universal life insurance

- recreational insurance, such as insurance for boats, ATVs, RVs, and travel trailers

- business insurance for small and medium-sized businesses, such as liability and property insurance, commercial auto and workers compensation insurance for apartment and commercial property owners, artisan contractors, condominium homeowner associations, retail stores, service providers, offices, religious organizations, educational and non-profit organizations, hotels, motels, bed & breakfasts, and other businesses in the light manufacturing, restaurant, wholesale, and auto service & repair industries

- financial services and products, such as mutual funds and variable annuities.

Sponsorships

Farmers Field

On February 2011, Farmers announced that it had agreed to sponsor a football stadium in the city of Los Angeles. This stadium would have been located downtown, close to the Staples Center. The contract was signed for 30 years, and its estimated cost is $700 million. This deal starts with $20 million for the first year, and then eventually increases. This stadium was planned to be named as “Farmers Field”. Even though Los Angeles does not officially own a football team yet, the NFL has given their approval to build the stadium.

The Farmers Insurance Open

Farmers became the title sponsor of the Farmers Insurance Open PGA tournament in Torrey Pines, CA in 2010. The event raises millions for local San Diego charities each year.

NASCAR

Farmers is the sponsor of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS driven by Kasey Kahne for Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series since the 2012 season. Farmers was the first to introduce a #hashtag on a racecar. Kahne's first victory in the No. 5 was at the 2012 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Farmers promotes its motor-sport relationship through the Farmers Racing website.

Truckers Insurance HQ

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 03:41:00 +0000

Truckers Insurance HQ, is one of Australia’s premiere truck, transport and earthmoving insurance brokerages, assisting businesses of all types and sizes ranging from owner operators, to national corporate fleets.

As a specialist division of Your Risk Adviser, Truck Insurance | Truckers Insurance HQ has access to over 150 of Australia’s leading insurers and underwriting agencies, as well as the buying power of being a TOP 20 Broker as recognized by National Adviser Services 2014.

The experienced staff at Your Risk Adviser will work with you to understand your business, identify your insurance needs and tailor an insurance package that is not only comprehensive but also competitive.

As part of our service to clients, we will:

– Review your existing insurance portfolio.

– Review your insurance needs as required (Annually minimum).

– Advise on risk minimization strategies.

– Provide FREE consignment note & contract comment by transport specialist solicitors.

– Research the various insurers and products available including negotiation of customised coverage with insurers where required.

– Develop an insurance portfolio implementation strategy.

– Provide ongoing portfolio management, including remarketing to insurers.

– Provide claims management and loss minimisation services.

Our Transport Specialist can assist you with advice and coverage for:

– Vehicles, Machinery, Fleets.

– Load Insurance.

– Public & Products Liability.

– Carriers Liability.

– Trailers In Control / Non Owned / Hired Out.

– Workers Compensation / Income Protection

– Chain of Responsibility / Management Liability

Be covered on the road

Truck Insurance Specialist

Trucking is a major industry in Australia. It keeps the Australian economy moving by ensuring that industrial products are delivered to their destinations on time. As a truck owner, you need to be assured that your trucks and goods in transit will get to their destinations safely.

Unfortunately for truck owners, the road can be full of mishaps. Goods in transit can get stolen or damaged and trucks can get into vehicular accidents. Expenses related to such incidents can be so astronomical they could shut down a business.

Many truck owners understand the risks and take a no nonsense approach to managing these risks. Commercial motor insurance is an essential aspect of the Australian transport industry and should cover all possible legal liabilities that a trucking company could face.

Truck insurance should not seem like a foreign language. Let us help you understand the varying degrees of coverage and what they mean to a truck owner.

You can expect to get commercial vehicle insurance for broader protection. We can provide you with every type of coverage from cargo insurance, fleet insurance and liability insurance to make sure you are legally and adequately covered.

You can find cheaper truck insurance without putting your business at risk. Compare commercial vehicle insurance rates today for your trucking insurance needs.

Aflac Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 03:37:00 +0000

Aflac is a Fortune 500 company, providing financial protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. When a policyholder or insured gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fairly, promptly and directly to the insured. For nearly six decades, Aflac voluntary insurance policies have given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress.

Our company

Since the founding of our company in 1955, we've put the customer first by reminding ourselves daily of the promises we've made to those we insure. By doing so, we've gained the trust of more than 50 million people who count on us to pay claims fairly and promptly when they need us most. Our customers choose Aflac because of our commitment to providing them with the confidence that comes from knowing they have assistance in being prepared for whatever life may bring.

Our Business Operations & Strategy

Our strategy for growth in the United States and Japan has remained straightforward and consistent for many years: Aflac develops relevant voluntary insurance products and sells them through expanded distribution channels.

Aflac is made up of thousands of people whose actions are dedicated to providing exemplary service and solutions for businesses and individuals. It’s important that we accomplish this by staying true to our values and our culture, which embody something we call “The Aflac Way.” Each day, we work to advance our straightforward, time-tested strategy to ensure we protect our customers.

Aflac does business in the two largest insurance markets in the world, the United States and Japan, and our policies cover more than 50 million people worldwide. For nearly six decades, our strategy for growth in these segments has remained straightforward and consistent – develop relevant voluntary insurance products and sell them through expanded distribution channels.

Aflac Japan

Aflac is the No. 1 life insurance company in terms of the number of individual insurance policies in force in Japan.

Sponsorships:

Whether it's at the Heisman Trophy ceremony, on the greens of the PGA TOUR or on the red carpet at the GRAMMYs, Aflac's national sponsorships bring the Duck to some of the nation's biggest events. No matter the venue, the beloved advertising icon inspires fans around the country to quack, "Aflaaaaac!"

GRAMMYs

Known as "Music's Biggest Night," the GRAMMY Awards celebrate the music industry's pinnacle of achievements. Aflac's partnership with The Recording Academy allows the company to connect with a young and diverse audience, while also creating unique, music-centric experiences to help artists and fans alike understand that Aflac promises to be there for its policyholders when the need help most.

Heisman Trophy

Few awards garner the prestige of the Heisman Trophy. Every year since 1935, the Heisman Trophy Trust has awarded the famous bronze statue to the college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity both on the field and off. Aflac's partnership with the Heisman Trophy embodies the same spirit of excellence,

performance, perseverance, and respect that we strive

to offer to our customers.

PGA TOUR

Aflac is a leader in supplemental insurance and has been recognized for sharing qualities that have long been associated with the PGA TOUR, among them integrity and philanthropy. Both organizations have earned universal recognition and garnered mass appeal. Aflac policyholders have a deep passion for the game of golf, and Aflac associates share that same passion for helping people get back in the game

of life by delivering on a promise to help policyholders

focus on recovery, not financial stress.

American Automobile Association

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:39:00 +0000

The American Automobile Association is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a non-profit member service organization; with 54 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA provides services to its members, including roadside assistance and others. Its national headquarters are in Heathrow, Florida.

Current operations

Members belong to one of 69 individual clubs (see List of AAA regional clubs), and the clubs in turn own AAA. The number of local clubs has decreased over time through consolidation; as late as the 1970s the membership roster included dozens of clubs that each served a single county, particularly in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The member clubs have arranged a reciprocal service system so that members of any participating club are able to receive member services from any other affiliate club. Member dues finance all club services as well as the operations of the national organization.

The vast majority of AAA clubs have "AAA" as part of their name, although the two largest AAA clubs by membership do not: the Automobile Club of Southern California and Auto Club South.

From the standpoint of the consumer, AAA clubs primarily provide emergency road services to members. These services, which include towing, lockouts, winching, tire changes, automotive first aid, battery replacement, and others, are handled by private local towing companies contracted by a state AAA club. AAA sells roadside assistance for a variety of motor vehicles, including motorcycles. In some areas, AAA also offers bicycle roadside assistance. Many AAA clubs have an automotive fleet division serving large metro areas, while private towing companies cover the surplus call volume by area. Recently, certain clubs have implemented an "on the go" diagnostic/installation automotive battery program.

Clubs also distribute road maps (including customized map guides for specific journeys, branded as "TripTik") and travel publications (TourBooks), and rate restaurants and hotels according to a "diamond" scale (one to five). The best hotels and restaurants according to AAA's criteria receive the Five Diamond Award. Many offices sell automobile liability insurance, provide travel agency, auto-registration and notary services. Maps, TourBooks, and travel agent services are generally free to members. AAA also offers member discounts through its "Show Your Card & Save" program.

AAA is authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue International Driving Permits in the United States, along with the National Automobile Club.

International affiliates

The AAA has reciprocal arrangements with a range of international affiliates. In general, members of affiliates are offered the same benefits as members of the AAA while traveling in the United States, while AAA members are offered equivalent benefits while traveling in the territory of the affiliate.

International affiliates include:

- ARC Europe, encompassing the leading European clubs, including the Automobile Association (United Kingdom), ANWB (Netherlands), ADAC (Germany), ACI (Italy), TCS (Switzerland), TCB (Belgium), ÖAMTC (Austria) and RACE (Spain) below.

- The Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) in the Netherlands

- The Canadian Automobile Association in Canada (TourBooks and maps of Canadian places are published by AAA, and are distributed by AAA and CAA clubs using both AAA and CAA logos).

State Farm Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 03:33:00 +0000

State Farm is a group of insurance and financial services companies in the United States. In 2014, the company sold its operations in Canada to Desjardins Group, which is continuing to use the State Farm name.

The group's main business is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, a mutual insurance firm that also owns the other State Farm companies. The corporate headquarters are in Bloomington, Illinois.

State Farm is ranked 44th in the 2013 Fortune 500, which lists American companies by revenue.

History

State Farm was founded in 1922 by retired farmer George J. Mecherle as a mutual automobile insurance company owned by its policyholders. The firm specialized in auto insurance for farmers, and later expanded its services into other types of insurance, such as homeowners and life insurance, and to banking and financial services.

The State Farm jingle ("Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there") was written by American songwriter Barry Manilow in 1971. A cover was released by Weezer in 2011.

As of December 2013 State Farm had 65,000 employees and 18,000 agents. February 2014 figures show the group servicing 80 million policies in the United States and Canada, of which over 44,000,000 are for automobiles, 27,000,000 are for fire, 7,000,000 for life, and more than 2 million bank accounts.

Edward B. Rust, Jr. is the chairman and CEO of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and president and chief executive officer of State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm Life Insurance Company, and other principal State Farm affiliates.

In 2014, the company sold its operations in Canada to Desjardins Group. Canadian policies were transferred to be underwritten by Desjardins Group on January 1, 2015. The State Farm brand continues to be use for agents and marketing.

Logo

The State Farm interlocked tri-oval logo was created in the mid-to-late 1940s and was updated in 1953. For nearly 60 years, this design was critical to its brand image.

On December 15, 2011, State Farm decided to transform its interlocked tri-oval logo to a contemporary logo to showcase the company’s core service offerings of auto, fire, and life. The new logo was introduced January 1, 2012, marking the company’s 90th anniversary. It consists of a simple three-oval design adjacent to the State Farm wordmark. According to Pam El, Marketing Vice President at State Farm, a change in image was needed to employ a bolder presence that could compete in today’s digital world.

This commercial structure is from State Farm's "Get to a Better State" campaign that premiered in June 2011, with an increased spending budget. As a result, State Farm’s brand awareness and favorability has gone up considerably. This campaign focuses on making humor out of unfortunate problems that are commonly faced. These commercials then make light of the situation by demonstrating how easy it is to contact an agent and correct the problem that has occurred. Each of these commercials follows a similar structure. A group of one to three people find themselves in an unfortunate situation. Someone in the group will then call on their State Farm agent by singing the jingle “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”. A State Farm agent will then appear and help the group out with their problem. There are a few commercials that deviate from this structure, but still follow the same ultimate pattern.

State Farm also has commercials beginning with the words "State of..." and another word describing the certain commercial. One notable commercial shows a man awake at 3:00 in the morning on the phone with his State Farm agent. This certain commercial begins with State of Unrest. The man's wife sees him talking on the phone in a secretive way. She is suspicious and asks who is on the phone, to which her husband says: "It's Jake from State Farm". The man's wife then takes the phone and asks, "What are you wearing, 'Jake from State Farm?'", to which the agent responds in a timid way, "Uh, khakis". Still believing he's a female, the wife says, "She sounds hideous", where the husband replies, "Well she's a guy, so…"

AIA Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 03:31:00 +0000

AIA Group Limited known as AIA is the largest independent public listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific, wholly owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, a 97% subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 26% joint venture in India, and representative offices in Myanmar and Cambodia.

AIA traces its roots back to 1919 when an enterprising young man named Cornelius Vander Starr opened an insurance agency in Shanghai, China. Vander Starr eventually expanded his business throughout Asia, the US, and worldwide. In 1945, he relocated his head office from Shanghai to New York after a forced exit from mainland China. Thus the Asian AIA became a subsidiary of New York-based American International Group (AIG).

In 2009 AIA split from AIG after it was finalized that AIA, as well as ALICO (another AIG subsidiary), were placed under the administration of a special purpose vehicle in exchange for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

AIA was planned to be listed in Hong Kong Stock Exchange in April 2010. However, in March 2010, Prudential PLC, a UK-based financial services and securities company, announced that it would buy AIA for US$35.5 billion. The purchase later fell through, and AIA held an IPO in October 2010, raising approximately HK$159.08 billion (US$20.51 billion), the world's third largest IPO ever.

In September 2012, AIA agreed to acquire a 92.3% stake in Sri Lankan insurer Aviva NDB Insurance from British insurer Aviva and Sri Lanka's National Development Bank (NDB). In addition, AIA entered into an exclusive 20-year bancassurance agreement with NDB, one of Sri Lanka's largest financial conglomerates with a nationwide bank branch network.

In October 2012, AIA announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire ING Group's Malaysian insurance subsidiaries for a cash consideration of €1.336 billion (US$1.73 billion).

In December 2012, AIA was informed by AIG that AIG had entered into a placing agreement to sell all of its ordinary shares of AIA at a price of HK$30.30 per share. Upon completion of the placing, AIG fully divested its previous 13.69% AIA share holdings.

On 15 August 2013, AIA had become English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur's Cup Shirt sponsor for the 2013-2014 season.

In December 2013, AIA and Citibank reached an agreement on a landmark exclusive bancassurance partnership that encompasses 11 markets in the Asia-Pacific region. The markets included in the agreement are: Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, India, and Korea.

In February 2014, the insurer announced that it entered into a five-year major partnership with Tottenham Hotspur. Under the agreement, the AIA brand will feature on the shirts of Spur players in all competitions until the end of the 2018-2019 season.

In June 2014, AIA Singapore was named "Best Employer to Work For in Asia" and received the award from HR Asia.

Allstate Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 03:29:00 +0000

The Allstate Corporation is the second largest personal lines insurer in the United States (behind State Farm and GEICO in auto) and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993. The company has its headquarters in Northfield Township, Illinois, near Northbrook. Its current advertising campaign, in use since 2004, asks, "Are you in good hands?" The corporate spokesperson is Dennis Haysbert.

Allstate sponsors many sporting events, including the Allstate Sugar Bowl. In 2014, Allstate's total revenue was $35.2 billion, of which $28.9 billion came from Property Liability.

History

In 1925, Sears, Roebuck & Co. held a national contest to decide the name of a new brand of car tires. After over two million name submissions, "Allstate" was chosen as the winner; the trademark was adopted the very next year. The tires' success in both the catalog and retail stores prompted Sears Chairman General Robert E. Wood to praise the Allstate tire's contribution to Sears' retail store success.

The idea for Allstate Insurance Company came during a bridge game on a commuter train in 1930, when insurance broker Carl L. Odell proposed to Wood, his neighbor, the idea of selling auto insurance by direct mail. The idea appealed to Wood, and he passed the proposal to the Sears board of directors, which approved it. Allstate Insurance Company, named after Sears’ tire brand, went into business on April 17, 1931, offering auto insurance by direct mail and through the Sears catalog. This was in line with one of the objectives of a company to sell automobile insurance in the same manner as Sears sold its merchandise.

Lessing J. Rosenwald was Allstate's first board chairman, and Odell was named vice president and secretary.

In 1933, at the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago, Allstate’s Richard E. Roskam sold insurance at a booth in the Sears pavilion. In 1934, Allstate opened its first permanent sales office in a Chicago Sears store.

In 1941, only about a quarter of U.S. drivers had auto liability insurance. This led to the state of New York passing a law which established the financial responsibility of drivers for damage or injuries resulting from auto mishaps. That law inspired legislation in other states, and by the mid-1950s nearly every state had some sort of financial responsibility law on its books.

In 1949 the Allstate Headquarters Building was completed at 3245 W. Arthington Street in Chicago. The mid-rise building is currently vacant (as of 2013) and in danger of demolition. The building is noted for its early post-war mid-rise construction. This location was vacated at some point when the company relocated in the post-war years.

The company’s "You're in Good Hands with Allstate" slogan was created in 1950 by Allstate’s general sales manager Davis W. Ellis. At the end of the decade, it was used in the company's first network television advertising campaign, which featured actor Ed Reimers.

Allstate added products throughout the 1950s, including fire insurance in 1954 and homeowners and life insurance in 1957. Allstate began selling insurance to Canadians in 1953. Allstate Insurance Company of Canada was incorporated in 1964. (In 1952 and 1953, Sears also sold an automobile called Allstate.)

In 1967, the company's home office was moved from Skokie to Northbrook, Illinois. Allstate continued to sell additional types of insurance to customers throughout the decade, including worker's compensation insurance in 1964, surety bonds in 1966, inland-marine coverage in 1967 and a business package policy in 1969.

The brand itself expanded in the 1950s and 1960s and could be found on a variety of products like fire extinguishers and motor scooters. In 1952, an Allstate car was produced, but it was a flop; it was pulled from stores by 1953. The Allstate brand was eventually limited to insurance, tires, and car batteries by the late 1960s before becoming insurance-only in the mid-1970s. In 1991, the company went public before becoming completely independent in 1995.

In 1985, Allstate began to move agents out of Sears stores and locate agents in neighborhood offices. In June 1993, 19.8 percent of Allstate became public through a stock offering. Allstate became completely independent in June 1995, when Sears spun off the remaining 80 percent stake in the company, distributing 350.5 million shares of Allstate stock to its stockholders.

In 1999, Allstate unveiled a new business model that created a single contract for exclusive, independent agents selling Allstate insurance. It also created a network of call centers.

In 1999, Allstate purchased the personal lines division of CNA Financial and subsequently renamed it to Encompass Insurance Company which is written by independent insurance agents, as opposed to the direct writing that constitutes the core part of its business.

In 2003, actor Dennis Haysbert became Allstate’s spokesman, using the tagline "That’s Allstate’s stand."

In 2010 the actor Dean Winters became a part of Allstate’s campaign "Mayhem" “personifying the pitfalls, like collisions and storm damage, that can befall drivers”.

Liberty Mutual Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 03:26:00 +0000

Liberty Mutual Group, more commonly known by the name of its primary line of business, Liberty Mutual Insurance, is an American diversified global insurer, and the second-largest property and casualty insurer in the United States. It ranks 76th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the United States based on 2013 revenue. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, it employs over 50,000 people in more than 900 locations throughout the world. As of December 31, 2013, Liberty Mutual Insurance had $121.2 billion in consolidated assets, $102.2 billion in consolidated liabilities, and $38.5 billion in annual consolidated revenue. The company, founded in 1912, offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers' compensation, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, fire and surety.

Liberty Mutual Group owns, wholly or in part, local insurance companies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.

In the United States, Liberty Mutual remains a mutual company where policyholders holding contracts for insurance are considered shareholders in the company. However, Liberty Mutual Group's brand usually operates as a separate entity outside the United States. In other countries, subsidiaries are often created in countries where legally recognized mutual company benefits cannot be enjoyed.

The current CEO is David H. Long. He succeeded his predecessor Edmund (Ted) F. Kelly on June 29, 2011. Ted Kelly was appointed CEO in 1998. In April 2013, Ted Kelly stepped down from the Board of Directors, as Chairman.

History

Early history

Liberty Mutual was founded in 1912 as the Massachusetts Employees’ Insurance Association (MEIA), following passage of a Massachusetts state law requiring employers to protect their employees with workers’ compensation insurance in 1911. The first branch office was opened in 1914, and later that year, the company wrote its first automobile insurance policy. The company was founded as a Massachusetts Mutual Company, where its insureds have ownership in the company. The name was changed in 1917 to the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and, through partnerships, the company began offering full-coverage auto policies.

Structural changes

In 1964, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company began offering life insurance through its Liberty Life Assurance Branch. In 2002, the company converted into its current mutual holding company structure. The conversion was controversial, as it proposed to give policyholders an interest in the mutual insurance company, which some policyholders believed would dilute their interest in the overall company and limit their dividends. A lawsuit was filed, alleging that information provided to policyholders was misleading. Liberty Mutual settled the lawsuit in December 2001, which required additional disclosure and limited certain compensation to company officers and directors. Despite these concerns, the plan was approved by voting policyholders around November 2001. Leveraging the greater flexibility of the mutual company structure, Liberty Mutual transformed from a single-line, highly regional insurer to one of the world's leading property and casualty insurance companies.

Growth and acquisitions

Liberty Mutual's growth has been both organic and through acquisition. Early acquisitions were small, but Liberty Mutual has made several large acquisitions over the past decade, including the high-profile acquisition of Safeco Corporation in 2008. Liberty Mutual agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Safeco for $68.25 per share, for a total transaction price of approximately $6.2 billion. The result of this activity was an increase in revenue from $6 billion to over $30 billion in twelve years. In 1999, the company purchased Wausau Insurance Cos.

Liberty Mutual created a television commercial in 2006 about people doing good things for strangers, reporting that the "overwhelming" positive response they received for the ad led to their decision to create the website The Responsibility Project.

Liberty Mutual is also the sole corporate sponsor of the long-running PBS documentary series, American Experience, and has produced special commercial messages for airing during American Experience broadcasts. In 2011, as part of the company's "Real America" campaign, the company introduced two new commercials featuring Sacagawea and Paul Revere.

In 2011, the company began construction of the Liberty Mutual Tower, a 22-story skyscraper as part of its World Headquarters Expansion Project. The building received its certificate of occupancy in June 2013.

Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety

Founded in 1954, the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety has studied the occupational safety and health of workers. Its scientific contributions include machine safeguarding guidelines, the Cornell-Liberty Survival Car, and ergonomic guidelines that have informed the basis for national and international safety standards. More recently, the Institute developed the Workplace Safety Index, which is an annual ranking of the leading causes of the most disabling occupational injuries in the United States.

The Institute's scientists conduct field and laboratory experiments to study the major causes of work-related injury and disability, publishing their results in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Institute findings are the basis for safety programs, recommendations, and software used by Liberty Mutual loss control consultants in order to help policyholders enhance worker safety. The Institute’s work is non-proprietary, and is available to the public.

Progressive Car Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Sat, 15 Aug 2015 03:24:00 +0000

The Progressive Corporation is one of the largest providers of car insurance in the United States. The company also insures motorcycles, boats, RVs and commercial vehicles, and provides home insurance through select companies. Progressive has expanded internationally as well, offering car insurance in Australia. The company was co-founded in 1937 by Jack Green and Joseph M. Lewis, and is headquartered in Mayfield Village, Ohio.

Segments

The company operates in three segments: Personal Lines, Commercial Auto, and Other-indemnity. The Personal Lines segment writes insurance for private passenger automobiles, motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles through both an independent agency channel and a direct channel. The Commercial Auto segment writes primary liability and physical damage insurance for automobiles and trucks owned by businesses primarily through the independent agency channel. The Other-indemnity segment provides professional liability insurance to community banks, principally directors, and officers liability insurance. It also provides insurance-related services, primarily providing policy issuance and claims adjusting services in 25 states for Commercial Auto Insurance Procedures/Plans. In 2011, the company was ranked 164 in the Fortune 500.

Industry information

Progressive is one of the largest auto insurers in the United States, with over 13 million policies in force, along with State Farm, Allstate, GEICO, Nationwide Insurance, Farmers Insurance Group, and USAA. Progressive primarily offers its services through the Internet or by phone and through independent insurance agents. Progressive's Agency business sells insurance through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies and progressiveagent.com where customers can quote their own policies and then contact an agent to complete the sale.

In December 2009, Progressive announced it was selling car insurance in Australia. Initially called Progressive Direct, it rebranded as Progressive in 2011.

Marketing and operations

Progressive's marketing campaign is known for offering quotes of its competitors along with its own quote. It was the first major insurer to offer auto policies through the phone and through its web site. In September 2007 Progressive began to offer Pet Injury coverage, which provides coverage for dogs and cats that are injured in a crash and is included at no additional cost with Collision coverage.

Immediate Response Vehicles (IRVs) used by Progressive are specially modified Ford Explorers and Ford Escapes.

Corporate sponsorship

On December 13, 2006, the company said earnings rose 58 percent in November as the company retained more of the premiums it collected because of comparisons to a month affected by Hurricane Katrina claims.

In January 2008, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the Cleveland Indians, was renamed Progressive Field. Progressive signed a 16-year contract for the naming rights, as well as sponsorship rights to become the Official Auto Insurer of the Cleveland Indians. The agreement costs around $3.6 million per year. (Mayfield Village, Ohio, where the company is based, is a suburb of Cleveland.)

In March 2008, Progressive announced its title sponsorship of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE and their funding of the $10 million prize purse. The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE is an international competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles. The competition is open to teams from around the world that can design, build and bring to market 100 MPGe (miles per gallon energy equivalent) vehicles.

On December 14, 2010, the Gator Bowl Association announced that Progressive Insurance would become the title sponsor for the 2011 Gator Bowl college football bowl game.

Controversies

In 2002, the company settled with the State of Georgia in a class action lawsuit over diminished value claims brought by policyholders.

In 2007, the company apologized after it was revealed they hired private investigators to infiltrate a church group and pose as congregation members to collect information on litigants seeking redress from the company. Another lawsuit was filed by the litigants over the affair against the company for invasion of privacy and fraud.

In 2009, the company was sued for allegedly deceiving policyholders by employing illegally operated, unlicensed body shops to make repairs on vehicles for their clients in order to save money. The court ruled in Progressive's favor on two of the counts and the other four were dropped, pending appeal.

Also in 2009, the company was accused of ordering their advertisements off the air during the show broadcast of Glenn Beck on the Fox News Channel over comments made about U.S. President Barack Obama. Progressive responded that they never authorized their ads to be aired during Beck's program, and they aired in that timeslot due to Fox's error.

In 2012, the company was widely criticized online for how it handled the claims filed by the family of Kaitlynn Fisher. When Kaitlynn Fisher, 24, was hit and killed by a driver who ran a red light in Baltimore, Progressive fought to avoid payment due, with a policy that covered against the possibility of an accident with an underinsured driver. The driver was found to be negligent at trial with the Fisher family contending that Progressive provided legal assistance to the defense.

GEICO Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (Bagoes Gunawan) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 03:23:00 +0000

The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) is an auto insurance company. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2014 provided coverage for more than 22 million motor vehicles owned by more than 13 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. GEICO uses a direct-to-consumer sales model. Its mascot is a Gold dust day gecko with a Cockney accent, voiced by English comedian and actor Jake Wood. GEICO is well known in popular culture for its advertising, having made a large number of commercials intended to amuse viewers.

History

GEICO was founded in 1936 by Leo Goodwin, Sr. and his wife Lillian to provide auto insurance directly to federal government employees and their families. Since 1925, Goodwin had worked for USAA, an insurer which specialized in insuring only military personnel; he decided to start his own company after rising as far as a civilian could go in USAA's military-dominated hierarchy. Based on Goodwin's experience at USAA, GEICO's original business model was predicated on the assumption that federal employees as a group would constitute a less risky and more financially stable pool of insureds, as opposed to the general public. Despite the presence of the word "government" in its name, GEICO has always been a private corporation not affiliated with any government organization.

In 1937, the Goodwins relocated GEICO from San Antonio, Texas to Washington, D.C. and reincorporated the company as a D.C. corporation after realizing that their business model would work best in the place with the highest concentration of federal employees.

An important figure in GEICO's history is David Lloyd Kreeger, who became president of the company in 1964 and helped steer it into a major insurance enterprise. In 1948, he formed a group of investors who bought into GEICO right before it went public that year. He became senior vice president and general counsel of the company. Six years after becoming president of GEICO in 1964, he was named chairman and chief executive officer. He retained those titles until he retired in 1975. He continued as chairman of the executive committee until 1979, when he was named honorary chairman.

In 1974, under Kreeger's leadership, GEICO began to insure the general public, after real-time access to computerized driving records became available throughout the United States, and it was briefly the fifth-largest U.S. auto insurer. By 1975, it was clear that GEICO had expanded far too rapidly (during the 1973–75 recession) when it reported a $126.5 million loss. To prevent GEICO from collapsing, a consortium of 45 insurance companies agreed to take over a quarter of its policies, and it was forced to issue a stock offering (thus diluting existing stockholders) to raise money to pay claims. It took five years (during which the company shrank significantly) and a massive reorganization to set GEICO on the path to recovery.

GEICO has also offered other types of insurance besides auto, including homeowner's insurance from 1962 to 1996. A sister company, the Government Employees Life Insurance Company (GELICO), offered life insurance from 1975 to 1985. Although GEICO has since focused on its core auto insurance competency (selling GELICO to Legal & General), it uses its established direct sales infrastructure to market homeowner's and other types of insurance underwritten by other companies.

In 1996, after many years as a publicly traded firm, GEICO became a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

GEICO generally deals directly with consumers via telephone and internet; however, the local agent program has more than 150 offices countrywide. GEICO is now the second largest writer of private auto insurance in the United States.

Advertising campaigns

GEICO has many well-known ad campaigns. In 2012 GEICO spent over $1.1 billion in advertising, or 6.8% of its revenue. All are made and produced by The Martin Agency, which is based in Richmond, Virginia. GEICO ads have featured several well-known mascots, including:

- Martin, The GEICO Gecko is the most prevalent spokesperson mascot and speaks with a Cockney accent.

- The GEICO Cavemen (from ads claiming using their website is "so easy, a caveman could do it").

- Maxwell, the GEICO "Piggy" who shouts a long "Whee" and appears in more radio and TV commercials.

- Actor Mike McGlone, who uses film noir-style narration to compare the ease of GEICO to things, famous people, or idioms. ("Could switching to GEICO really save you 15% or more on car insurance?...Is having a snowball fight with pitching great Randy Johnson a bad idea?") The scene is then acted out, with typically humorous results. In addition to Johnson, other ads have included Charlie Daniels, Andres Cantor, Foghorn Leghorn, Elmer Fudd, R. Lee Ermey, and Ed "Too Tall" Jones among others, including Maxwell the Piggy.

- The "money savers" campaign enlisted actors to portray average consumers who have resorted to various humorous extremes in order to save money, such as teaching a dog to sing or teaching a group of Guinea pigs to row a boat and perform some mundane task for the consumer, and then presented switching to GEICO as an easy alternative to such endeavors with the common line ".... there's an easier way to save money."

- The "Happier Than...." duo features Jimmy and Ronnie playing a guitar and a mandolin, respectively, on a small portable stage. They comment on a fictitious preceding event, such as a man dressed in 15th century attire laughing as he leads a trio of speed boats with the painted names Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. After cutting to the duo, one says to the other "You know, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to GEICO sure are happy." The other then replied, "How happy are they, (Jimmy/Ronnie)?" and in the case above, the response is "Happier than Christopher Columbus with speedboats!"

There are also GEICO ads that feature stories from GEICO customers about situations in which the company assisted them, but are translated by celebrities like Little Richard and Joan Rivers. Film trailer announcer Don LaFontaine appeared in one such ad, shortly before his death. The tag announcer for these spots was D.C. Douglas. GEICO is also an official sponsor of the National Hockey League and themed commercials for that always feature members of the hometown Washington Capitals.