Branch Homeowners Insurance Review

Branch issues its own policies, which are underwritten by General Security National Insurance Company or Branch Insurance Exchange, depending on the state where the policy is effective. General National Insurance Company receives a superior A+ rating by AM Best, and Branch Insurance Exchange receives an exceptional A rating by Demotech.

Branch Insurance stands out for its reputation among consumers. The company earns an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Only three Branch reviews have been filed with the BBB—all 5-star— but the company is distinguished by what it doesn't have: hundreds of complaints. Insurance companies often frustrate or downright anger policyholders and most insurance companies get skewered on consumer review sites. Not Branch. The company also earns 4.8 stars (out of 5) on Trustpilot and 4.9 stars on Google Verified Reviews.

According to the Branch website, all Branch Insurance homeowners policies include coverage for your dwelling, other structures on your property, and personal property; personal liability coverage; guest medical protection; and coverage for living expenses you may incur if you're forced to leave your home for an extended period (such as in the case of fire or another disaster.) Many insurance companies don't standardize their policies this way and allow you to add guest medical and additional living expenses as an option. You may not learn as much until you have to file a claim, but these additional coverages are pretty nice to have. So we don't think that including them as a standard policy feature is a bad idea on Branch's part. But we allow that some customers might prefer more flexibility.

When you request a homeowners insurance quote from Branch, the company makes a minimum recommendation on the dwelling protection policy limits you should select. That amount is equal to the replacement cost of your home plus 10%. Branch then figures its recommended personal property coverage limit by taking 60% of your home's value.

In addition to selecting your policy limits, you can customize your policy and control your premium costs by the deductible you elect. The minimum deductible you can choose is $1000 but Branch offers some of the highest deductible options we've seen. You can choose a deductible equal to 5% of your dwelling policy limit. In our test case, that equaled about $26,000. But when we tested what raising our deductible that high would do to our policy costs, it only saved us a few hundred dollars a year.

If you own a car, the initial quote you're given will bundle home and auto coverage into one price. You can remove the auto policy (though it's a little tricky to figure out) if you prefer to purchase standalone homeowners insurance. But we did see significant savings with a bundled plan versus purchasing policies from two different companies.

You can file a claim online, over the phone or by using the Branch mobile app. One unique feature the company offers is a calculator you can use to figure the impact of filing a claim on your insurance premiums.