Is North Star Mutual Good for Auto Insurance?
Last Updated on July 2, 2021
North Star Mutual is a Midwest property and casualty insurance company founded in the 1920s.
Backed by a century of experience, North Star Mutual continues to sell farm, home, auto, and small business insurance through local, independent insurance agents across the Midwest.
Is North Star Mutual a good insurance company? Should you buy car insurance through North Star Mutual? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about the insurance company.
Table of Contents:
- What Is North Star Mutual?
- North Star Mutual Insurance Products & Services
- How Does North Star Mutual Auto Insurance Work?
- What Makes North Star Mutual Insurance Unique?
- North Star Mutual Auto Insurance Discounts
- North Star Mutual Reviews & Ratings: What Do Customers Have to Say?
What Is North Star Mutual?
North Star Mutual is a property and casualty insurance company based in Cottonwood, Minnesota, 140 miles west of Minneapolis.
Organized and chartered in 1920, North Star Mutual has provided insurance to drivers, farm owners, homeowners, and business owners across the Midwest for over 100 years.
Today, the company’s home office remains in a small, rural community. North Star Mutual also continues to emphasize “our long-standing Midwestern values and focus,” according to the official website at NorthStarMutual.com.
North Star Mutual is a mutual insurance company, which means it’s owned by policyholders – not shareholders. North Star Mutual represents the best interests of its policyholders instead of delivering maximum profits for shareholders.
North Star Mutual provides auto insurance and other insurance products in eight states, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
North Star Mutual has $984 million in assets with $474 million in written premiums, according to the company’s 2020 financial report. The company is also the largest farm insurance writer in Minnesota. Each year, North Star Mutual issues and renews over 340,000 home, farm, auto, and small business policies.
You can buy North Star Mutual insurance policies from over 2,000 independent agencies across the eight covered states.
North Star Mutual Insurance Products & Services
North Star Mutual sells car insurance and other products and services. The company is the largest farm insurance writer in Minnesota, and they offer farm, auto, home, umbrella, and business insurance in eight states.
You can buy all of the following insurance products and services through North Star Mutual:
Farm Insurance: North Star Mutual insures more farms in Minnesota than any other insurance company. The company writes Farm Package policies in Minnesota in affiliation with Township Mutuals of Minnesota. You can buy a comprehensive farm policy to protect your residence, personal property, outbuildings, machinery, and livestock from unexpected losses and damages.
Home Insurance: North Star Mutual’s home insurance includes property and liability coverage for wherever you live. You can buy home insurance, renters insurance, condo insurance, mobile home coverage, rental home coverage, and seasonal home insurance, among other policy options.
Auto Insurance: North Star Mutual insures thousands of drivers across its eight covered states, providing both personal and commercial auto insurance. North Star Mutual’s auto insurance includes minimum liability policies, full coverage policies, and other unique coverage options.
Business Insurance: North Star Mutual sells commercial business insurance for small businesses, contractors, and churches. The company is particularly committed to main street rural communities. You can buy business insurance for commercial buildings, business personal property, commercial liability, umbrella liability, workers compensation, cyber liability, employment practices liability, and more.
Umbrella Insurance: North Star Mutual sells umbrella insurance to fill in the gaps between policies and give you added peace of mind. With North Star Mutual’s umbrella insurance, you can extend your liability protection beyond the limits of your auto or home insurance policy. The company offers umbrella insurance in $1 million increments up to $5 million (or $10 million for farm and commercial coverage). This umbrella insurance covers personal injury liability, legal fees, and more on a worldwide basis.
How Does North Star Mutual Auto Insurance Work?
North Star Mutual offers similar auto insurance policies and products to its competitors. You can buy minimum liability insurance policies, full coverage policies, and more.
Here are some of the auto insurance coverages available through North Star Mutual:
Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: North Star Mutual’s bodily injury liability coverage protects against a claim or lawsuit if others are injured in an auto accident where you or your family are considered legally responsible.
Property Damage Liability Coverage: North Star Mutual’s property damage liability coverage protects against a claim or lawsuit for any damage you or your family may have caused to someone else’s car or property during an auto accident.
Antique & Classic Car Insurance: You can buy antique auto and classic auto insurance through North Star Mutual.
Alternative Vehicle Insurance: North Star Mutual can cover alternative vehicles, including motor homes, travel trailers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and off-road vehicles.
Medical Payments Coverage: North Star Mutual offers medical payments coverage (med pay) in Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Med pay covers reasonable medical expenses or certain other expenses resulting from an auto accident for you, your family, and any passengers.
Personal Injury Protection: Personal injury protection (PIP) is required in some states but not others. North Star Mutual offers personal injury protection in Minnesota and North Dakota. With PIP coverage, North Star Mutual will pay each eligible insured person benefits for bodily injury, loss of income, loss of services, or death after an accident.
Full Coverage: North Star Mutual offers full coverage car insurance in all states, including collision and comprehensive coverage. Optional in all states, collision and comprehensive coverage cover your own vehicle after an accident, fire, theft, vandalism, and other unexpected events.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Millions of Americans have too little insurance – or no insurance at all. North Star Mutual offers uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for added peace of mind.
Rental Reimbursement Coverage: North Star Mutual offers rental reimbursement coverage to cover the cost of renting a car if your ordinary vehicle needs repairs and cannot be driven.
Roadside Assistance: Also known as towing coverage, North Star Mutual’s roadside assistance covers the cost of towing your vehicle, delivering fuel, changing a flat tire, and performing other emergency roadside services.
Customization Coverage: If your vehicle has custom, after-market parts (like disability equipment or speakers), then you could buy customization coverage through North Star Mutual to protect these parts from theft or damages.
Safety Glass Coverage: North Star Mutual’s safety glass coverage covers glass in your vehicle while charging a lower deductible.
Commercial Auto Insurance: North Star Mutual offers competitive rates and quality service while offering commercial auto insurance across covered states. The company’s commercial auto insurance works similar to personal auto insurance, offering similar coverages with expanded limits.
What Makes North Star Mutual Insurance Unique?
North Star Mutual has several features that make it unique, including:
Mutual Insurance Company: North Star Mutual is a mutual insurance company, which means the company is dedicated to serving the needs of policyholders – not shareholders. As a mutual insurance company, North Star Mutual pools the resources of policyholders together and makes decisions that are best for the group – instead of maximizing profits for shareholders.
Based in a Small Town: North Star Mutual is based in Cottonwood, Minnesota, a small town 140 miles west of Minneapolis. The company emphasizes its small-town values to this day.
Backed by a Century of Experience: North Star Mutual was founded in 1920, and the company has a century of experience insuring farms, homes, businesses, and cars across its covered states.
Exclusively Available in Eight States: North Star Mutual only sells insurance in eight states, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Midwestern Values and Focus: According to the North Star Mutual About Us page, the company continues to adhere to its longstanding Midwestern values and focus. The company’s home office remains in a small, rural community for that reason.
Independent Agents: You buy North Star Mutual insurance products through a network of 2,000 agents located across the eight covered states. Independent agents partner with North Star Mutual and other insurance companies. They assess your needs as a policyholder, then recommend North Star Mutual if the company is a good match.
The Largest Farm Insurance Writer in Minnesota: North Star Mutual insures more farms in Minnesota than any other insurance company. The company packages its Minnesota farm policies with Township Mutuals’ policies throughout the state.
Strong Financial Rating: While other regional insurers have average financial strength ratings, North Star Mutual has an A+ (Superior) rating from A.M. Best, making it one of the strongest regional insurers in the country.
North Star Mutual Auto Insurance Discounts
North Star Mutual offers several discounts to lower the cost of car insurance, including:
Anti-Theft Equipment Discounts: If your vehicle has passive or active anti-theft equipment installed, then you could qualify for North Star Mutual’s anti-theft equipment discount.
Passive Restraint Discount: Vehicles with passive restraints, including factory-installed airbags, could qualify for additional discounts with North Star Mutual.
Accident Prevention Discounts: North Star Mutual offers an ‘accident prevention’ discount to drivers who have completed a defensive driving course. If you have completed an approved defensive driving course, then you could save on your car insurance policy.
Companion Policy Discount: If you have a companion policy with North Star Mutual (like a farm, home, or business insurance policy with the company), then you could qualify for a companion policy discount. This discount is identical to the bundling discounts offered by other insurers.
Fleet Discounts: Businesses can qualify for a fleet discount by insuring multiple vehicles with North Star Mutual.
North Star Mutual Reviews & Ratings: What Do Customers Have to Say?
North Star Mutual has strong reviews and ratings from policyholders and industry organizations.
The company has been chosen as a Ward’s Top 50 Property-Casualty Insurance Company for 15 consecutive years.
North Star Mutual also has a surprisingly strong financial strength rating from A.M. Best. The company has a rating of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best, making it one of the best-rated regional insurers in the country. That’s the second-highest possible rating from A.M. Best.
The Better Business Bureau has given North Star Mutual an A+ rating. The company’s BBB page has an average rating of 2 stars out of 5 with 4 customer reviews.
Review aggregator website Clearsurance, meanwhile, has awarded North Star Mutual an average rating of 3.84 stars out of 5 based on 30+ reviews.
North Star Mutual is not large enough to be ranked by J.D. Power, the major ratings organization that assesses the top 20 largest insurers in the United States at a national and subregional level. However, based on NAIC complaint index scores, North Star Mutual has fewer complaints compared to other insurance companies of its size.
Final Word on North Star Mutual
North Star Mutual is a mutual insurance company based in a small town in Minnesota. Backed by a century of experience, the company insures more farms in Minnesota than any other insurer. North Star Mutual also offers a full spectrum of home, auto, farm, and business insurance products.
To learn more about North Star Mutual or to request an auto insurance quote today, visit NorthStarMutual.com.
| North Star Mutual Contact Info | |
|---|---|
| Address | 269 Barstad Road S PO Box 48 Cottonwood, MN 56229 |
| Phone Number | 800-622-5230 |
| Office Hours | 7:30 am – 5:00 pm (CDT) Monday through Friday |
| Email Address | info@northstarmutual.com |
| Website | https://www.northstarmutual.com/ |
