Before buying a policy, most people compare price and coverage. There is a third category of information available free, and almost nobody uses it: the public record of how the insurer has actually behaved.
It sits in four different places.
1. Complaint data
The NAIC operates a consumer information source that publishes complaint information, including reports on the most common reasons for closed confirmed complaints by type of insurance and how those complaints were resolved.
Many state departments publish their own complaint studies as well. California, for example, publishes a study that groups complaints by disposition and calculates an index comparing an insurer's share of complaints to its share of business written in the state.
Where both exist, look at both. The national picture and the picture in your own state can differ, and the state one governs your policy.
2. Market conduct examination reports
Many states publish examination reports. New York's Department of Financial Services, for instance, publishes examination reports and distinguishes financial examinations from market conduct examinations, the latter focusing on the fair treatment of policyholders across areas including complaint handling, claims, and policyholder service.
These are the most detailed public documents about an insurer's conduct, because they are based on examiners reading actual files.
Examination reports are historical. They describe a defined period, and corrective action may have followed. An old report describing problems does not tell you about the company today — but it does tell you what was found, and whether the company was required to change anything.
3. Enforcement actions
Where an examination or investigation produces a fine, a consent order, or other administrative action, departments generally publish it.
Louisiana's department, for example, published its market conduct examination fine of an auto insurer in 2022 along with a notice describing the violations found. California published its enforcement filing against a homeowners insurer in 2026 following an examination of wildfire claims handling.
These are usually issued as press releases and held in a news or enforcement section of the department's site.
4. Licence status
Every state maintains a database confirming whether an insurer — and an agent, or a public adjuster — is licensed and in good standing. This is a two-minute check and it is the one worth doing before handing money or documents to anyone.
How to actually do it
- Get the exact legal name of the insurer from your declarations page or the quote. Large groups operate many licensed entities under similar names, and the records are kept by entity.
- Go to your state department's site directly. Official state sites almost always end in .gov. Searches return look-alike sites, some of which charge for free information.
- Look for the consumer section — complaint studies, company lookup, examination reports.
- Check the NAIC consumer information source for the national picture.
- Search the department's news or enforcement section for the company name.
- Verify the licence.
What financial strength ratings add
Separate from conduct, independent agencies publish financial strength ratings assessing an insurer's ability to meet its obligations. These matter most for coverage that may be claimed far in the future.
A strong financial rating says nothing about claims handling, and a company can be financially robust and still generate high complaint volume. The two are different questions.
What the record cannot tell you
- Complaints only capture people who complained. Complaint rates partly reflect consumer awareness.
- No examination report does not mean no problems. The company may simply not have been examined.
- Regulators resolve many issues informally. Washington's department describes contacting companies to seek resolution before ordering an examination — corrections that never appear in a public record.
- The data lags. Complaint studies and examination reports cover past periods.
What we are not saying
We do not rank insurers, publish company figures, or receive anything from any insurer. Company-by-company numbers change annually and a stale figure here would mislead.
What we are saying is that four separate public records exist, that all of them are free, and that the exact legal entity name is what you need to search them properly.
Sources for this article
- NAIC — consumer information source and complaint reporting.
- California Department of Insurance — Consumer Complaint Study definitions and 2026 enforcement announcement.
- New York Department of Financial Services — examinations and exam reports page.
- Louisiana Department of Insurance — enforcement press release, February 2022.
- Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner — description of its market conduct process.
This is general education, not advice. Insurance law and claim rules vary by state and change over time. Nothing here is legal, financial, or insurance advice for your situation, and reading it does not create any professional relationship. For your specific case, consult a licensed professional in your state or contact your state Department of Insurance.