Independent Insurance Agents Seek Stronger Partnerships with Carriers
- Overall satisfaction with personal lines insurers rises while commercial lines satisfaction declines
- Agents who view carriers as trusted partners are more likely to recommend that carrier and more likely to write policies with that carrier
- Agent-carrier relationships are built on trust and innovation, not price or longevity
Despite increased use of AI in the insurance shopping process1 and direct-to-consumer marketing efforts by carriers, independent insurance agents still write 62% of all property and casualty (P&C) polices in
The study, now in its ninth year, was developed in conjunction with the
“Insurance has always been a relationship-driven business, and that convention still holds today in the age of digital engagement and AI-powered analytics, but the value equation for those relationships is now based on a sense of collaboration and innovation, more than competitive pricing or longevity,” said Craig Martin, executive director, global insurance intelligence at
Following are some key findings of the 2026 study:
- Agents want carriers to be partners, but fewer than half deliver: When independent agents view carriers as trusted partners, they are more likely to recommend that carrier within the next six months (+43 percentage points) and more likely to write more policies with that carrier (+37 percentage points). Still, just 48% of agents view their carriers as partners. The remaining 29% are viewed as providers and 18% are viewed as vendors.
- Trust and innovation are the currency of strong agent relationships: The two relationship attributes most commonly associated with carriers that agents view as partners are trustworthiness (76%) and innovation (50%). Carriers who can be trusted to deliver on their promises and continue to offer innovative, creative solutions are those who independent agents are most likely to give more business. By contrast, being the lowest cost carrier (17%) and being seen as established (37%) are less commonly associated with true partner status.
- Majority of agents now using AI to help with their work: More than two-thirds (67%) of independent insurance agents are now using AI to help them with their work. AI usage is highest among members of Gen Y and Gen Z3 (73%) and lowest among Boomers (34%). Most commonly used AI tools are ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot.
- Personal lines carriers improve, while commercial lines satisfaction declines: Overall independent agent satisfaction with personal lines carriers improves three points to 667 in the 2026 study, while overall satisfaction with commercial lines carriers falls 16 points year over year to 669. Improvements in personal lines satisfaction are driven primarily by product competitiveness and business support, while declines in the commercial segment are observed across all dimensions in the study.
Study Ranking
The Hartford ranks highest among insurers of commercial lines with a score of 706. Travelers (704) ranks second and Chubb (694) ranks third.
To view the complete visual rankings, visit: http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2026098.
The
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1 JD Power U.S. AI Insurance Experience Study, https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/u-s-ai-insurance-experience-study/
2 Big I 2026 Market Share Report, https://www.independentagent.com/market-share-report/
3 JD Power defines generational groups as Pre-Boomers (born before 1946); Boomers (1946-1964); Gen X (1965-1976); Gen Y (1977-1994); and Gen Z (1995-2008). Millennials (1982-1994) are a subset of Gen Y.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261001020538/en/
Media Relations Contacts
Joe LaMuraglia, JD Power; East Coast; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; john@jroderick.com
Source: JD Power
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