Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Review

Christine Lacagnina Written by Christine Lacagnina
Christine Lacagnina
Written by Christine Lacagnina

Christine Lacagnina has written thousands of insurance-based articles for TrustedChoice.com by authoring consumable, understandable content.

Updated

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company at a Glance

  • Founded in 1885
  • Coverage available in 6 states
  • Offers a wide range of coverages
  • Offers coverage for individuals and businesses
  • “A” (excellent) rating by A.M. Best
  • “A+” (excellent) rating by Better Business Bureau
  • Multiple discounts available
  • Coverage enhancements available
  • Online claims reporting
  • Strong financial stability

Hastings Mutual pros: Extremely well-established carrier with more than 130 years’ worth of experience in the insurance industry. Provides coverage for individuals, businesses, and farmers, including home and auto insurance, farm owners insurance, commercial umbrella insurance, and more. Highly rated by A.M. Best and the BBB. Several discounts available. Offers online claims reporting. Strong financial stability.

Hastings Mutual cons: Some mixed customer feedback. Coverage not available nationwide. No 24/7 phone claims reporting. No claims response time frame promise.

What Type of Insurance Does Hastings Mutual Offer?

Hastings Mutual offers a wide range of coverage options for individuals and businesses. Their products include:

  • Business owners policies
  • Greenhouse insurance
  • Preferred worship centers insurance
  • Contractors insurance
  • Commercial umbrella insurance
  • Farm owners insurance
  • Homeowners insurance
  • Personal auto insurance
  • Personal umbrella insurance

This list of insurance products offered by Hastings Mutual is not exhaustive. Your independent insurance agent can help you find out more about these insurance solutions and others offered by Hastings Mutual.

What to Know about Hastings Mutual

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company was founded in 1885, originally under the name “The Windstorm Company.” The carrier has now had well over a century’s worth of experience in the insurance industry. Hastings Mutual was first created in Hastings, Michigan, with a mission to bring windstorm coverage to residents, following a series of catastrophic tornadoes in the area.

Today, Hastings Mutual has expanded to offer coverage in six states. The insurance company has more than 600 agencies across Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The carrier has also expanded its coverage offerings to include protection for individuals, businesses, and farmers. Hastings Mutual has just under 450 employees on their LinkedIn network. In terms of financial size, A.M. Best places them in the $250-500 million category.

Thanks to its long-standing history, insurance products offered, and financial strength, Hastings Mutual has earned a reputation as a stable insurance provider with a positive outlook for the future. A.M. Best, the leading global credit rating agency monitoring the insurance industry, gives Hastings Mutual an “A” rating, indicating the carrier is an excellent choice for insurance customers. A high rating from A.M. Best assures customers that Hastings Mutual is capable of offering guaranteed, secure coverage from a trustworthy and reputable carrier.

Established in 1899, A.M. Best is one of the oldest rating companies in the world. Reviews from A.M. Best indicate an insurance company’s financial strength and creditworthiness, and are based on comprehensive evaluations of the company’s operating performance, business profile, and balance sheet. For customers who aren’t as familiar with insurance companies’ respective reputations, A.M. Best’s ratings system allows them to make an informed decision about who they can trust to meet their needs in the short term and also to remain a strong, financially sound company in the long term.

What Discounts Does Hastings Mutual Offer?

Hastings Mutual offers several competitive discounts for their customers, such as on their home and auto insurance. These discounts include:

  • New home discount: Offered to home insurance customers whose homes were constructed within the past few years.
  • Fire alarm discount: Offered to home insurance customers whose homes are equipped with fire alarms. 
  • Anti-lock brakes (ABS) discount: Offered to auto insurance customers whose vehicles are equipped with ABS.
  • Claims free discount: Offered to auto insurance customers who have not filed any claims over a specified time frame. Discount increases over time.
  • Anti-theft devices discount: Offered to auto insurance customers whose vehicles are equipped with anti-theft devices. 

Your independent insurance agent can help you find further information on discounts offered by Hastings Mutual and other ways to save through the insurance company, helping you to find the coverage you need at the rate you deserve.

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Hastings Mutual Customer Service

Hastings Mutual encourages customers to file claims through their independent insurance agents. The carrier also provides the following customer service options:

  • Online claims reporting
  • Phone claims reporting
  • Email contact option
  • Snail mail contact option
  • Main customer service hotline has the following hours restrictions:


Hours (EST)


Monday-Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

The best way to ensure a smooth customer service experience is to work with an independent insurance agent. Independent insurance agents can help make customer service easier for you by handling claims and other concerns.

CARRIER FAQ

What is Hastings Mutual's average claim response time frame?

Hastings Mutual allows customers to file claims through a couple of mediums. However, they do not have an official claims response time frame promise.

What is Hastings Mutual's customer service availability?

Hastings Mutual’s claims reporting hotline is available at restricted hours during the week, or customers can report a claim online, via email, or regular mail at any time. Their customer service hotline is also available at restricted hours, Monday-Friday. The carrier also has a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, making them more accessible to customers.

What is Hastings Mutual's claims process?

Hastings Mutual provides just a couple of contact options for customers to file claims. The insurance company also does not provide much information about their claims process, beyond how to file. If customers have questions about the claims process, they can call or email the carrier, or get in touch with their independent insurance agent.

Does Hastings Mutual create a user-friendly experience for customers?

Hastings Mutual’s official website is fairly easy to navigate. The insurance company does not provide much information about its claims process, though, and does not provide a claims response time frame promise at all. The carrier does not provide 24/7 claims reporting via phone, but they do offer online claims reporting. Hastings Mutual does have a social media presence on multiple platforms, however. So, while Hastings Mutual isn’t the best carrier around today in terms of user-friendliness, they’re also far from the worst.

Does Hastings Mutual have good farm owners insurance?

Hastings Mutual offers several coverage options for individuals and businesses, and even for farmers. Their farm owners insurance packages include the following coverages:

  • Personal property
  • Glass breakage
  • Equipment breakdown
  • Identity protection

The following add-on coverage options are available for farm owners policies:

  • Additional operating expenses
  • Replacement cost for outbuildings
  • Mobile farm machinery
  • Farm business income
  • Sudden and accidental pollution
  • New, leased, and borrowed farm machinery

Hastings Mutual provides a comprehensive package of coverages for farm owners. Your independent insurance agent can help you find out more about Hastings Mutual’s farm owners insurance and optional enhancements, as well as their other products offered.

Is Hastings Mutual a good insurance carrier?

Hastings Mutual has well over a century’s worth of experience in the insurance industry, and is highly rated by the BBB and A.M. Best. The carrier is BBB accredited and only has a few complaints filed through the organization in recent years, which is well below the average volume for such an established company. Hastings Mutual does offer online claims reporting, but not 24/7 claims reporting. Customer feedback is somewhat mixed, but seems to mainly fall on the positive end. Arguably, Hastings Mutual can be considered a good insurance carrier.

Hastings Mutual Customer Reviews

Clearsurance
5 Stars
“This company is very helpful. I have never had any issues with them and they have helped me with all my insurance needs.”
Clearsurance
5 Stars
“Excellent customer service. Handles all my needs with great timing. Answers all questions to the best of their knowledge.”
Clearsurance
“Hastings has been a very dependable company over the many years I have had my home and auto insurance with them.”
Clearsurance
“Hastings mutual is a good company. We are overall satisfied with our policy and very easy to work with.”
Better Business Bureau
“I cancelled my policy on February 7, 2018 and was told it should take a couple weeks for a refund. After a month, I talked with a Hastings accounting agent who said the check is being processed and would be mailed on March 23rd. I called again the end of March, was put on hold for 39 minutes, and finally spoke to a person that asked for my phone number and would call me back. I never received a return phone call. This is now April 16, 2018 and the representative was rude and condescending and blamed the delinquency on their change in system and again asked for my phone number to call me back by the end of the day. It is nearly 3 pm and still no return call. Disgraceful!”

TrustedChoice.com's Final Review

We award Hastings Mutual a final rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. To begin with, the insurance company has been around for well over a century now, and its high ratings through the BBB and A.M. Best certainly reflect that. Coverage is currently only offered in a few states, but the insurance company provides several products for many different kinds of customers. The carrier offers several discounts on their coverages as well. Hastings Mutual’s official website could use a bit more detail about things like the carrier’s claims process, but it does provide online claims reporting. However, the carrier loses a couple of points for not offering 24/7 claims reporting like many insurance companies today. Customer feedback is somewhat mixed, as can be expected of an insurance company that’s been around for so long, but it seems to largely lean towards positive encounters. Overall, we say that if you’re located in an area where coverage is available, go ahead and check out Hastings Mutual with your independent insurance agent, but make sure to survey your other options for trusted carriers, too.

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