Independent Insurance Agents Seek Stronger Partnerships with Carriers

Auto-Owners Insurance and The Hartford Rank Highest in Respective Segments in JD Power Independent Agent Satisfaction Study

• 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

TROY, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
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 United States², making them a critical link in the industry ecosystem. According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Independent Agent Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, the key for carriers to winning and keeping business with independent agents is to form partnerships rooted in trust and innovation.

The study, now in its ninth year, was developed in conjunction with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA). It evaluates the evolving role of independent agents in P&C insurance distribution, general business outlook, management strategy and overall satisfaction with personal lines and commercial lines insurers in the United States.

“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 JD Power. “Independent agents want to work with carriers that understand their business, value them as agents and care about their mutual success, and those are the ones they are most likely to recommend and with whom they will write the most policies.”

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

Auto-Owners Insurance ranks highest among insurers for personal lines with a score of 720. Erie Insurance (709) ranks second and Liberty Mutual (683) ranks third.

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 U.S. Independent Agent Satisfaction Study measures P&C insurance independent agent satisfaction with insurers based on six dimensions (in alphabetical order): business support, compensation, ease of doing business, operational support, product competitiveness and servicing of clients. The 2026 study is based on responses of 4,355 evaluations of personal and commercial lines insurers with which agents had placed policies during the prior 12 months. It was fielded from May through July 2026.

For more information about the U.S. Independent Agent Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/u-s-independent-agent-satisfaction-study-ias/.

About JD Power

JD Power delivers mission-critical data, analytics and intelligence that help businesses improve customer experience and operational performance with confidence and clarity. Using proprietary, comprehensive data–including millions of consumer interactions and authoritative automotive datasets–combined with advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and deep industry expertise, JD Power enables leaders to respond to market shifts, make smarter decisions and drive measurable performance improvements.

As an objective source of deep insight into real-world customer interactions with brands and products, JD Power provides the independent intelligence organizations need to anticipate change, strengthen customer engagement and advance growth. Learn more at JDPower.com.

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