14 top home insurance companies' smart-tech initiatives

April 24, 2018 5:14 AM

Major multiline P&C carriers are adding enhanced digital experiences in auto insurance, but tend to lag behind in doing the same for homeowners insurance. But the opportunity to drive increased value for customers is there: three in five home and renters’ insurance customers are interested in purchasing a device to install in their home that can detect, prevent or notify homeowners or their insurance company in the event of a loss, according to a report from market research firm Parks Associates. Some insurers have taken the plunge already: In this analysis of NAIC market share data, Digital Insurance has codified some of the early efforts insurers have made in the smart-home arena.

State Farm corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois

State Farm

Market share: 18.7%
Direct premium written: $17.5 billion
Smart home initiatives: State Farm offers discounts for Canary connected devices and ADT home security systems, which it outlines on a landing page titled "Connected Care" on its website.

Allstate signage stands outside its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. Allstate Corp. sued Bank of America Corp. and its Countrywide mortgage unit over $700 million in residential mortgage-backed securities the insurer purchased, claiming Countrywide misrepresented the investments. Photographer: Tim Boyle/Bloomberg *** Local Caption ***

Tim Boyle/Bloomberg

Allstate

Market share: 8.5%
Direct premium written: $7.9 billion
Smart home initiatives: Allstate was an early adopted of Amazon's Echo, with a "skill" that helps customers check policy information and find local agents.

Liberty Mutual

Market share: 6.9%
Direct premium written: $6.5 billion
Smart home initiatives: Liberty Mutual has been an active investor in smart-home startups, including the August smart lock and Canary suite of products.

Santana, Danni

USAA

Market share: 6.1%
Direct premium written: $5.7 billion
Smart home initiatives: USAA was an early investor in Roost, a maker of smart batteries that alert their users when they are running low. The biggest use case? Smoke detectors.

Farmers Insurance headquarters in Los Angeles. In November, the carrier announced the acquisition of three companies: Kraft Lake Insurance Agency, Western Star Insurance Services and Farmers General Insurance Agency.

Farmers

Market share: 6.0%
Direct premium written: $5.6 billion
Smart home initiatives: Farmers is among the many carriers on Amazon Echo. It also deployed virtual-reality claims training that simulates damaged homes to help its adjusters.

Travelers headquarters in Hartford, Conn.

Travelers

Market share: 3.8%
Direct premium written: $3.5 billion
Smart home initiatives: Travelers studies use cases for devices at its Claims University facility near its Connecticut headquarters. It also worked with CNET to present a model smart home in Louisville, Ky.

Nationwide

Market share: 3.5%
Direct premium written: $3.3 billion
Smart home initiatives: While not having any specific partnerships, Nationwide encourages customers to adopt the technology in order to keep their risk down. It also plans to explore smart home potential as part of a $100 million insurtech investment it launched last year.

American Family

Market share: 3.2%
Direct premium written: $2.8 billion
Smart home initiatives: AmFam partnered with Nest to provide the company's connected smoke and CO detectors at no cost to Minnesota homeowners.

A logo sign outside of the headquarters of the Chubb Corporation in Warren, New Jersey on November 22, 2015.

Alamy Stock Photo

Chubb

Market share: 3.0%
Direct premium written: $2.7 billion
Smart home initiatives: Chubb is partnered with ADT on the latter's Custom Home Services offering, which detects break-ins, fire, smoke, flood and carbon monoxide leaks.

Erie

Market share: 1.7%
Direct premium written: $1.6 billion
Smart home initiatives: Erie partnered with Roost on a pilot of the company's water-leak and freeze detectors this year.

A security guard stands inside the American International Group Inc. (AIG) headquarters office in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2016. American International Group Inc., the insurer being pressured by activist investor Carl Icahn to divest assets, had the outlook on its credit rating changed to negative from stable by Standard & Poor's after announcing plans to sell a stake in mortgage insurer United Guaranty Corp. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

AIG

Market share: 1.2%
Direct premium written: $1.1 billion
Smart home initiatives: AIG's Private Client Group offers custom installations of smart-home technology to prevent flood and other peril.

The MetLife Inc. headquarters building stands in New York, U.S., on Monday, May 2, 2016. MetLife, the largest U.S. life insurer, is expected to release earnings figures on May 4. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

MetLife Auto & Home

Market share: 1.2%
Direct premium written: $1.1 billion
Smart home initiatives: MetLife A&H is partnered with ADT to help small businesses and homeowners get access to home-detection technologies.

The Progressive Corp. headquarters is seen in Mayfield Village, Ohio on Wednesday, January 18, 2006.

John Quinn/Bloomberg News

Progressive

Market share: 1.2%
Direct premium written: $1.1 billion
Smart home initiatives: Progressive is the first insurance carrier to leverage the Google Home smart hub in addition to Amazon's Echo.

The headquarters of The Hartford insurance in Hartford, Connecticut.

The Hartford

Market share: 1.1%
Direct premium written: $1.0 billion
Smart home initiatives: The Hartford's unique relationship with older customers through a long-standing AARP partnership led it to study, along with MIT, the best smart devices for older homeowners. They determined that the most useful items to this customer group were:

Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Wireless doorbell cameras
Keyless entry
Automatic lighting

Nathan Golia

Editor-in-Chief, Digital Insurance