Hastings Mutual Auto Insurance Review (2024)

For more than thirty years, Hastings Mutual has partnered with Olivet College in Michigan to support the educational goals of students studying insurance. With more than 900 agents and a committed customer service department, Hastings Mutual has earned a stellar reputation within the communities it serves.

The Hastings Mutual website is conveniently designed for its customers.

For more than 125 years, Hastings Mutual has built a strong reputation for both financial stability and loyalty to its customers.

What You Should Know About Hastings Mutual Insurance Company

Insurance providers are ranked based on their customer service, premiums written, and most of all their rating among financial rating and credit rating agencies.

Hastings Mutual may be a smaller company but it has managed to get ratings from some of the most notable agencies in the U.S. Let’s take a look at some Hastings Mutual Insurance ratings.

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Ratings

Normally, our guides will include S&P, Moody’s, and J.D. Power along with the other agencies in the table, but Hastings Mutual only had available ratings from these companies. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates them with an A+, and there are three Hastings Mutual insurance reviews from customers with mixed opinions.

Based on the data in this section, Hastings is performing well and substantially meet the obligations of their policyholders, according to A.M. Best.

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company History

Hastings Mutual Insurance was founded on April 5, 1885, by Daniel Webster (D.W.) Rogers, a farmer whose community of Hastings, Michigan, had recently suffered devastating losses from a series of tornadoes.

Today, Hastings Mutual Insurance Company is an award-winning, quality organization with financial stability equal to many other insurance providers in the industry.

From 1880 to 1882, tornadoes tore through parts of Hastings, Michigan, causing $225,000 worth of property damage. This amount was nearly 500 times the cost of a new home in the early 1880s. D.W. Rogers requested a bill from his brother, a state legislator named Jeremiah Rogers who sponsored a bill legalizing the formation of windstorm insurance companies in Michigan, which became law in February of 1885.

The Hastings-based Michigan Mutual Tornado, Cyclone and Windstorm Insurance Company was incorporated two months later.

“The Windstorm Company” had grown from 160 to 43,000 policyholders by 1908. The company became the second-largest mutual windstorm insurance company in the world, and its prosperity continued through the Great Depression and well into the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s.  On January 15, 1959, “The Windstorm Company” was changed to the Hastings Mutual Insurance Company.

By 1967, Hastings Mutual broadened its coverages to farm owners, inland and ocean marine vehicles, general home liability, burglary and theft, and Workers’ Compensation insurance.  In 1970, auto insurance coverage was added. Hastings Mutual Insurance revenue has kept them growing through the decades.

Here’s a video detailing the timeline of Presidents that Hastings Mutual Insurance has had since it began.

https://youtu.be/CQ8bcBG77eU

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company has built an outstanding reputation for over 130 years. They focus on quality customer service and insurance products.

How is Hastings Mutual’s online presence?

Although they are bigger than most small companies and smaller than most major companies, Hasting Mutual has managed to maintain a strong online presence. Represented by more than 900 independent agents at 725 agencies in six states, Hastings Mutual Insurance is headquartered in Hastings, MI.

The Hastings Mutual website contains a link to a visitors’ guide, which provides a map and directions to the main office, as well as parking information and details about the building itself. Customers of Hastings Mutual Insurance Co. can pay a bill online by logging into the customer account area.

Customers who want to ask a question can do this in several different ways.

• Submit an online form via email
• Call one of the listed phone numbers
• Find a local agent through a ZIP code search
• Leave feedback directly on the website

When a potential customer wants a fast way to save on an auto insurance quote, they must first find an agent. At the top of every page on Hastings Mutual’s website, there is a field where the customer can enter a ZIP code to search for a nearby agent who represents Hastings Mutual. This will help visitors to find hastings mutual agents in Michigan or any other state.

An agent can gather the customer’s information and then determine the best policy based on the customer’s needs.

Hastings Mutual agents use a tool called Policy Express, which allows them to quote and issue policies online. For owners of businesses that repair and service autos, Hastings Mutual provides Choice Auto Repair Service (CARS), which features competitive pricing and also the CARS Plus endorsement.

Does Hastings Mutual have commercials?

Despite the number of years Hastings Mutual has been in business, we could only find one video that advertises their business.

https://youtu.be/RmjjijNyX8c

There may be some local commercials that have yet to reach the internet, but here’s a video that’s close to being a commercial.

Is Hastings Mutual involved in the community?

In 2004, Hastings Mutual started a charity organization. They’ve always focused on giving back to the community, and started the Hastings Mutual Charitable Foundation as a non-profit organization to help financially challenged families in the states where they do business. Hastings Mutual Charitable Foundation has donated over $1.3 million to local communities.

The Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Charitable Foundation works with the United Way, Relay for Life, Adopt a Highway, and other charitable causes to further their involvement in the communities they serve.

What do Hastings Mutual employees have to say?

Glassdoor presents an outlook for visitors who want to know about Hastings Mutual and what it’s like to work there. Here’s a summary table based on Glassdoor’s rating system regarding Hastings Mutual.

Glassdoor Employee-Submitted Reviews of Hastings Mutual

Hastings Mutual employee reviews are moderate and employees, current and former, appear to have mostly positive things to say about the insurance company. Sixty-eight percent of the review from former Hastings Mutual employees recommended the company to friends while 86 percent of the reviewers approved of the CEO. Despite the high percentage of recommendations and CEO approval, Hastings Mutual received a 46 percent score in the positive business outlook.

Check out this short video slideshow of available careers at Hastings Mutual.

https://youtu.be/P5Z8nNhIjuw

This is one of many videos available on the Hastings Mutual employee training channel. For more information about a career with Hastings Mutual, visit their career page.

Design of Hastings Mutual Auto Insurance Website/App

Hastings Mutual does not have a mobile app yet. They may produce one in the future, but they’re only connection through cyberspace is through a web browser. Here’s a sample of their webpage.

The website is responsive, so the dimensions of the website automatically adjust to any display of a particular device including smartphones, tablets, and computer screens.

Canceling Your Hastings Mutual Auto Insurance Policy

It’s totally up to the policyholder when they want to cancel their policy. However, a policyholder who doesn’t make timely payments is in danger of having their policies canceled. An insurance company that cancels a policy due to nonpayment can affect the ability of a customer of getting another policy with that company or any other company in the future.

If you’re going to cancel, there a few things you should know before you move forward. Hastings Mutual doesn’t any information to visitors on how they can cancel their insurance policy.

The Insurance Information Institute has a guide on how you can cancel auto insurance, which we’ll summarize for you in this section and explain how you can go about canceling an auto insurance policy.

Hastings Mutual insurance cancellation policies are not listed on their website, but general information applies to all insurance companies.

Is there a Cancellation Fee?

The first thing a policyholder should consider is if there’s a fee for canceling their insurance policy. Policyholders may have to pay for insurance that’s already been used or pay for insurance rates they have agreed. This is the norm especially if the policyholder didn’t make a deposit for insurance or hasn’t prepaid the insurance rate in full. This is what the International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (IRMI) defines as a Deposit Premium. So if you cancel your policy be sure to ask about fees.

Is there a refund?

Some policyholders pay a deposit or pay the insurance policy in full. When you cancel in the middle of the policy period, you may be entitled to a refund. Be sure to ask an agent on the rules on how refunds are issued.

How do you cancel?

A Hastings Mutual policyholder may be able to cancel through the website as long as they have their policy number and/or log-in info to enter the more secure areas of the website. If you don’t have access to the internet, call Hastings Mutual phone agents at their toll-free number: 1-800-442-8277.

There is a [contact us] page where policyholders and visitors can input their information and send it as an e-mail. However, Hastings Mutual may contact the policyholder or visitor before proceeding.

When can I cancel?

As a consumer, you can cancel anytime you wish. There may be rules when you can cancel, but normally a policyholder can cancel anytime they wish. There may be fees or penalties to your insurance history. Consult a Hastings Mutual agent on when you cancel your policy.

How to Make a Hastings Insurance Claim

The Hastings Mutual website contains a tab for policyholders. In addition to accessing account information, a customer can click on this tab to file a claim.

On the claims page, the customer can find information for beginning the claims process:

1. The police must be contacted
2. The claimant must contact his or her independent agent
3. Gather necessary information from other involved drivers

In the event the claimant cannot reach his or her agent, Hastings Mutual provides a 24-hour Emergency Claim phone number.

How to Get a Hastings Mutual Auto Insurance Quote Online

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way a potential customer can receive a quote online. The only way to receive a quote is through the toll-free number or in-person with a Hastings Mutual agent.

But what about the insurance rates mentioned before? Those rates are general rates based on the data collected from the NAIC and our own researched data on auto insurance in the U.S.

You can start comparing Hastings Mutual auto insurance rates with different companies with our free comparison tool. Enter your ZIP code in the free comparison tool below to get started.

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Insurance Coverage Options

All insurance companies are required by law to have liability coverage. Liability coverage insurance is the minimum requirement for auto insurance. Within liability coverage are two elements of auto insurance known as bodily injury liability and property damage liability. So without question, a potential customer will have the opportunity to enroll in liability coverage.

Other basic coverages are collision and comprehensive. Collision coverage is when auto insurance providers compensate a policyholder for property damage regardless of who is at fault in an accident. Comprehensive coverage is compensation for property damage that doesn’t involve a collision.

Comprehensive coverage pays for damage from storms, fires, flooding, vehicle theft, falling objects, and other accidents that don’t involve a collision with a motor vehicle.

Expect additional liabilities such as personal injury protection and medical payments to be available. The auto insurance law varies by state so additional liabilities may be required in some states.

Hastings Mutual offers its customers extra coverages ensuring they provide extensive services for their policyholders. Here is a list of what they provide:

• Travel Interruption – Losses that happen more than 100 miles away from your home are covered under this coverage.
• Towing Coverage – Policyholders can receive free unlimited towing from a service chosen by Hastings Mutual. Policyholders can choose their towing service up to 10 miles.
• Roadside Assistance – This coverage will help you in case of a flat tire, an emergency fluid delivery, charging a dead battery, opening a car that’s accidentally locked, and providing first aid.
• New Vehicle Replacement Cost – A coverage that will help with the total value of a motor vehicle.
• Auto Loan/Lease Coverage – When you experience a total loss of a financed or leased vehicle in an auto accident, this coverage will reduce the financial penalty.
• Pet Injury Coverage – If your pet is injured in an accident, this auto coverage will pay for some of the pet medical bills.
• Pet Accidental Death Benefit – Hastings Mutual will compensate you with $250 to ease the loss of a pet dying in an accident.
• GPS Theft – You’ll receive $250 when a GPS is stolen in a forced entry vehicle theft or vehicle burglary, but you must provide evidence of forced entry.

What are Hastings Mutual’s bundling options?

For those who contact Hastings Mutual for personal insurance, they will have the option of bundling home and auto insurance into one policy. You can also bundle Hastings Mutual renters insurance if you don’t own your home.

Commercial business, on the other hand, will have an opportunity to bundle a collection of vehicles, businesses, and other policies together to protect their assets. If you happen to be a farmer in the Hastings Mutual coverage area, you may be able to bundle your auto insurance into farm insurance, also.

What programs are available from Hastings Mutual?

Hastings Mutual has many programs but one of the most known programs at the insurance company is the farm business program. Rather than write it all in the guide, we can show you a video from Hastings Mutual.

Remember, Hastings Mutual began as a rural company to help people in the upper midwest with covering damages from tornados.

Farms are usually affected by tornados events. But this program is simply for helping farmers boost their business and encourages locals to visit farms in their coverage area. Hastings Mutual has a video department that shoots, edits, and manages video for themselves and possibly other businesses.

We’ve seen how video can help a company exponentially. Hastings Mutual’s investment in the video has the potential to launch the company to new heights in the years to come.

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Insurance Rates Breakdown

Auto insurance rates for smaller companies are harder to find because their market share is much smaller than the top insurance providers in the U.S.

Hastings Mutual has some information about premiums on their website, but it doesn’t provide any information on the average annual rates or monthly rates of their insurance policies.

So for this section, we’ll use the latest data provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) to provide a road map to what you could pay for auto insurance in the areas where Hastings Mutual sells insurance.

What states does Hastings Mutual Insurance Company do business in?

Hastings Mutual offers a wide range of personal, business, and farmers’ insurance products to residents in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The NAIC data, however, can show you the average rates for auto insurance in these states. Let’s start with average liability, collision, and comprehensive rates.

NAIC Average Rates for Auto Insurance in Hastings Mutual Coverage Area

These rates are usually what you’ll see in each respective state. These rates look more like six-month rates for insurance than annual rates. What’s clear is that auto insurance in Michigan has the highest rates among the states in the data. These rates may be close to what you can expect from Hastings Mutual. If you want full coverage, it will be more expensive.

Full coverage is liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage combined.

When we combine the rates of all available coverages, we can see the full coverage averages of each state. Again, these averages are general rates of the states and may be different from Hastings Mutual quotes you would receive.

NAIC Full Coverage Auto Insurance Average Rates in Hastings Mutual Coverage Area

Wisconsin has the cheapest full coverage rate. The Badget State has a few urban areas, but most of the areas around Wisconsin are rural.

Michigan is home to one of the biggest metropolitan areas and home to the most expensive auto insurance in the U.S. Although these are general rates, Michigan is likely to have the most expensive rates by a wide margin.

Annual rates are the total costs of auto insurance within a year. These rates are yet to be influenced by discounts or other factors that determine auto insurance. We’ve researched the costs and found these rates for the six states. These are the same six states where Hastings Mutual does business.

Average Annual Auto Insurance Rates in Hastings Mutual Coverage Area

The average annual rates in this table are based on the rates from companies in each state including Hastings Mutual. For those who live in Ohio, your rates could be much lower than the other states. The general rates are a good road map to what you can expect.

Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Discounts Available

Hastings Mutual lists a few discounts that are available for personal insurance options. You can expect to receive discounts from Hastings Mutual if you have anti-lock brakes, anti-theft systems, and if you have been claim-free in your insurance history.

Discounts will keep a company competitive with other companies in the regions where they do business. Also, you’ll likely receive car insurance discounts when you insure multiple vehicles, bundle auto insurance with other insurance, and receive a discount for a good driving record and good credit.

Find out how your driving record and credit history affects Hastings Mutual auto insurance rates by entering your ZIP code in the free comparison tool below.