Oregon Mutual Insurance Review & Complaints: Auto, Home & Business Insurance (2023)

Serving the west coast for more than 120 years, the Oregon Mutual insurance company is the oldest independent mutual company west of the Mississippi. They write auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and business insurance policies in four states.

What Is 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.

What products are offered?

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 Coverage

The company 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. Auto insurance policies vary from state to state.

They also have a good list of policy discounts, including a military discount and a 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 renters insurance as well.

The website does not provide any information regarding standard or optional coverage for these policies.

Business Insurance

The company 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 options needed by each individual company.

Are the company’s rates competitive?

Oregon Mutual does not offer an online quoting option for its costs, and the “Get a Quote” button really just directs the visitor to enter contact information, so we don’t have average car insurance rates for the company. 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.

How are claims processed?

The company 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.

Does the company have positive 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 customer reviews of Oregon Mutual car insurance reviews 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.

What’s 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. If you live in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, or California, they’re worth considering.