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Like many other insurance companies, OMI is a mutual firm, meaning policyholders are partial owners of the business, and may receive dividends and/or reduced premiums.
It’s the oldest insurance company headquartered in the west, and it offers products for homes, businesses, farms and private autos. Policies are brokered through independent agencies, so you’ll need to locate an agent in your town to obtain insurance from OMI.
Insurance Products
Auto Insurance
Oregon Mutual Insurance offers standard auto insurance, including coverages for liability, collision and medical payments. You can modify your policy by raising or lowering your deductible, which will affect your premiums, and by choosing to add additional coverage like roadside assistance or lease gap coverage.
There are a few additional policy options for owners of antique or classic cars, which can be very valuable and not always best protected by standard auto insurance. Motor home and RV insurance is also available through OMI.
There are additional discounts available such as:
- Loyalty Discount
- Package Discount
- Low Mileage Discount
- Defensive Driver Discount
- Family Discount
Aside from these, we were unable to find specialized policies or packages advertised by the company. This is not necessarily a drawback as many of the features advertised by major insurers actually offer little value for the added cost. OMI sells straightforward auto insurance, which can be a plus if the price is right.
Home Insurance
OMI offers property insurance for homes and condos, as well as personal property protection for renters. Policies offer standard protection against most common perils. In general, a standard homeowner’s policy will protect:
- The home itself
- Other structures on the property
- An individual’s personal belongings
Most policies will also include personal liability coverage to protect you from lawsuits if someone is injured at your home, as well as alternate living expenses to cover the cost of a hotel if your home becomes unliveable due to a covered loss.
Coverages for condo owners are similar, but they cover only the parts of your condo which you actually own, typically “between the studs.”
If you need additional protection, you can also purchase coverage for personal watercraft, both in storage and in use on the water. People with valuable personal property can also add “scheduled personal property” insurance, or SPP, to provide coverage for jewelry, furs, fine arts etc. at their appraised value.
It’s important to buy an SPP policy if you have expensive belongings as your insurance will almost certainly not value them at their worth otherwise. To add an item to your SPP policy, you’ll need to have it appraised and provide that appraisal information to the insurance company.
Commercial Insurance
Aside from its personal insurance policies, OMI also sells a number of plans for commercial interests, including small businesses and farms. You can buy coverages individually or purchase a bundled policy, called the business owners policy (bop), which will provide a combination of liability and commercial property protection.
Various specialized commercial coverages are available for different industries, including beauticians, restaurants, warehouses and funeral homes. Farm insurance is also available for both large and small agricultural enterprises.
Obtaining a Policy
Since Oregon Mutual sells its policies through independent agencies, you will need to contact an agent in order to obtain a policy. The “Get a Quote” section on the website is clearly labelled. There is also an email address and a 1-800 number provided as a contact method.
From the website, you can find the closest agent by inputting your zip code.
Claims
To report a claim, you can contact the 24-hour claims line at 800-934-3809. Alternatively, you can contact your agent and have them put in the initial claim report.
Once the initial claim has been filed, an adjuster will be assigned and contact you to complete the process. OMI’s website states that the average time for a call-back is 1.5 hours, which is more responsive than many other companies, but of course individual cases can vary.
Consumer Research and Complaints
Oregon Mutual Insurance has a A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. There have been three complaints in the last three years, one of which was closed in the last 12 months.
Yelp shows only 5 reviews for OMI, one of which is positive, and another related to the same complaint on the BBB website. Overall, there is not a lot available when it comes reviews for Oregon Mutual.
| Rating Company | Grade | Financial Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| AM Best | A- | Stable |
| Fitch | N/A | N/A |
| S&P | N/A | N/A |
Bottom Line
For a company as old as OMI, the company has remained pretty obscure. Like most agent-based companies, the quality of Oregon Mutual Insurance for any given customer will likely come down to the relationship you build with your agent. If you find a good, trustworthy agent who recommends OMI, it might be worth looking into.
For a list of companies that we recommend, visit our Best Insurance Companies page.
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Review Information
I am a former insurance agent and banker turned consumer advocate. My priority is to help educate individuals and families about the different types of insurance they need, and assist them in finding the best place to get it.
Unhappy Customer says
I do NOT recommend Oregon Mutual. I had a homeowner’s policy with Oregon Mutual for 9+ years, and never had a claim of any kind. None. After getting a quote from a different company, which would save me $110/year, I decided to change companies. So, I notified Oregon Mutual in writing that I wanted to cancel my policy on the effective date of the new policy. Well, an e-mail from the new company reaffirming my purchase of the new policy went astray – so I asked my agent to arrange for the old policy with Oregon Mutual to be reinstated, to prevent me from possibly having a brief lapse in coverage. My agent and I were both astonished, and a little angry, that the underwriter at Oregon Mutual vindictively refused to reinstate a policy which still had 3 months of coverage remaining, because they knew I was leaving Oregon Mutual.
DO NOT BUY INSURANCE FROM THIS PETTY COMPANY.
dave freeger says
Depending on the specific circumstances of the claims, there are potentially multiple insurance carriers who will write a policy for you. You may not like the cost but they are out there, you just need to be a smart consumer. I would start by asking your current/ previous carrier for 5 year claims history. You should receive that document between 2 and 10 working days! With that info in hand start calling around and see who will offer coverage. Worst case scenario, the Ca. Fair Plan will/should offer coverage but coverage is very limited by definition. Then secure a Difference in Condition policy in conjunction with the Ca, Fair Plan.
Terry Johnson says
I was insured with Progressive (Wall Insurance, Dallas, OR) for 10 years. After 4 years Wall Insurance dropped Progressive and changed me over to Oregon Mutual Ins. I never had a claim, until this year. I turned in a claim for my travel trailer which I’d been paying for since 2009. I had full coverage on the travel trailer. After getting estimates for water damage for the 2016/2017 winter, an adjuster came out that does estimates for a number of companies, he said they were backed up, they had so many claims this winter. He could not determine where the water damage came from. He was sending the information to the claims department, that sits in his office and never sees. I got 2 estimates that I was told to get. Neither could determine where the water damage started without opening it up and give an accurate determination, where the water damage started from. First the adjuster said thought it could be gutters. My agent spoke to them on my behalf after the first estimate and he was told to have the next estimate check the rear seal. Which I did have him look at it. But, he said it looked fine. The only way to determine was to open it up. Plus, the water damage was in the front, not the rear. But, my claim was denied because of WEAR AND TEAR. It was maintained well. So, why was I paying a premium for a 2007, all these years if they would deny on wear and tear with no other explanation. I was being ripped off!!!!!
Becky Borgstrand says
Oregon Mutual failed to advise me my agent had died. So, when I called and left a question on her answering machine, I never heard back, BUT, whomever got the message took it upon themselves to NOT call me back with an answer, but to file the inquiry as a CLAIM!!! The question was, “Am I covered for termite damage?” Following were months of confusion and despair as a DUPLICATE claim was also filed for termite damage. TWO CLAIMS on my record for a simple inquiry. Oregon Mutual removed the duplicate claim but refused to remove them both. Now, because of that one remaining bogus claim on my record from 5/15, I cannot find another insurance company that will sell me a homeowners policy in California. I was with Oregon Mutual for 11 years and even had business insurance with them all that time. I was treated horribly. I was able to easily get business insurance with State Farm but because of that claim, no homeowners. Now I am without homeowners, a situation which I am totally uncomfortable with. Shopping around has met with rejection. Any help?
Eric Stauffer says
Hi Becky,
I would take that up with the Insurance Commissioner’s office of California. Having no homeowners insurance can be a big problem.
Best,
Eric Stauffer