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About Oregon Mutual
Oregon Mutual was founded in 1894; like most mutual companies it was born out of a gathering of locals looking to provide an affordable insurance option. From its roots in its namesake state, Oregon Mutual expanded to provide coverage in Washington, California, and Idaho as well.
The company’s headquarters is located in McMinnville, Oregon, and they continue to operate as a policyholder-owned mutual company. Western Protectors Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Oregon Mutual.
Basic personal auto, home, and business insurance are sold through independent agents across their service area.
Oregon Mutual Products
Oregon Mutual’s product lineup is basic; they write auto insurance as well as several types of home insurance and business policies. The company website does not offer much in the way of information on these policies, instead directing visitors to contact an agent.
Auto Insurance
Oregon Mutual has a very comprehensive auto insurance program called Custom Shield, offering a lot of options on top of the basics. This includes some of the trendier add-ons in the auto insurance industry like diminishing deductible and accident forgiveness, as well as less common endorsements like pet injury and lock replacement. Coverage varies from state to state.
They also have a good list of discounts, including a military discount and loyalty discount. Overall their auto program appears to be on par with those offered by much larger insurance companies.
Home Insurance
The Oregon Mutual home insurance program is available for single family homes, condos, and rental homes as well.
The website does not provide any information regarding standard or optional coverage for these policies.
Business Insurance
Oregon Mutual offers commercial package policies to a variety of businesses, including the state’s thriving winery industry. They specialize in small to medium-sized businesses and also cover hospitality, restaurants, farms, and other types of agribusiness.
Business policies can be customized to provide the coverage needed by each individual company.
Rates
Oregon Mutual does not offer an online quoting option, and the “Get a Quote” button really just directs the visitor to enter contact information. An agent will then respond and assist with creating a quote.
This is not uncommon for a company of this size, but the way it is set up on the website is a bit misleading, and it will likely result in solicitation.
As a general rule, we do not expect smaller companies like this one to compete regarding rates with the big direct companies. They usually rely instead on good service to provide extra value.
Claims
Oregon Mutual has 24/7 claims service, with a toll-free number that can be contacted at any time to report a claim.
There are different phone numbers to call for glass only claims and for roadside assistance claims.
Oregon Mutual operates a preferred repair network, called Customer Automobile Appraisal and Repair Service (CAARS) in all states except California. Work through this network comes with a guarantee, but customers are also free to use any shop of their choosing.
The website provides basic instructions for customers as to what they should do following a loss but does not really provide any detail on the claims process itself.
Ratings and Consumer Reviews
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives Oregon Mutual an A+ rating, with only two customer complaints on file in the past three years. There has not been a complaint closed in the past 12 months.
There are six reviews of Oregon Mutual on Yelp, a few highly positive and a few negative. One of the reviewers came back to offer an updated, positive review after having left a negative review.
Overall there is nothing of major concern either in the content or in the volume of the complaints.
The Bottom Line
The information on Oregon Mutual is limited, which makes it hard to come to any real conclusion about their products or service. They seem to have a good reputation, and they might appeal to insurance shoppers who like to work with an agent and prefer a smaller, regional insurance company to a larger corporation.
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