Branch Insurance auto insurance

Overview

Branch is an insurance technology company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, built around bundling homeowners and auto insurance. Its pitch is speed: you enter a name and address, Branch pulls property, vehicle, driving and prior-insurance data from outside sources, and it returns a bindable price for a home-and-auto bundle in minutes rather than a quote that changes later.

Branch works in two roles. Branch Financial is a licensed insurance agency, and it also manages Branch Insurance Exchange, a reciprocal insurance exchange owned by its policyholders, called members. Most policies are underwritten by the exchange; depending on the state, others are written by General Security National Insurance Company or Everspan Insurance Company. Branch Insurance Exchange reports to the NAIC as an unaffiliated company rather than as part of a group, and it is far too small to appear in the national private passenger auto top 100. In 2025 the exchange wrote $71 million of premium across all lines; about 63% of its 2026 premium is homeowners insurance.

Branch sells online, through independent agents and through embedded partners such as mortgage lenders and home-security companies that offer insurance at the moment a customer needs it (see embedded insurance: buying coverage from automakers and dealers). The exchange does not sell in California. Branch does not publish a current list of states; it reported 36 states and Washington, D.C., in February 2023, and some programs today are limited to a subset of states.

History

Steve Lekas, who spent most of his insurance career at Allstate, and technology entrepreneur Joe Emison founded Branch in 2017, with backing from investors including Greycroft and Rise of the Rest. It began as an agency and then launched Branch Insurance Exchange in Ohio, with Branch earning a fixed management fee and the exchange's members sharing in its results. It expanded quickly, adding 16 states and Washington, D.C., in 2022 and Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi and D.C. in early 2023, with a stated goal of national availability.

Rapid growth brought losses. In June 2023 Branch announced layoffs, with Lekas saying loss costs had been higher than expected amid persistent inflation. Trade press analysis of the exchange's statutory filings shows it burned $56.9 million of operating cash in 2023 and $63.3 million in 2024, supported by $173.5 million of surplus notes issued by Branch Financial between 2020 and 2024. Results have improved since: the exchange's underwriting loss narrowed to $18 million in 2025 from $57 million in 2024, and it reported positive operating cash flow in the fourth quarter of 2025 and first quarter of 2026. Branch is a public benefit corporation and a Certified B Corporation, and it funds SafetyNest, a nonprofit aimed at reducing the number of uninsured drivers.

Auto insurance coverage

Branch's auto policies include the standard coverages: bodily injury and property damage liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, personal injury protection or medical payments where offered, and collision and comprehensive. Branch also sells homeowners, condo, renters and umbrella coverage, and its press materials list motorcycle, boat and ATV coverage. Coverage options vary by state.

Discounts and programs

The core saving is the bundle, which Branch says can be completed in as little as 37 seconds; see bundling home and auto insurance: how the discount really works for when bundling pays. Branch also runs community-based programs. The MyCommunity Discount pays members for referring others and is offered in Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Ohio. The Community Pledge program is available in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin, and there is a referral program. Branch does not advertise a telematics program or a long list of standard discounts on its site.

Claims

Claims are filed in the Branch app or online by uploading photos and invoices and describing what happened; for immediate help, call 855-540-9642. A claims guide reviews the claim, keeps the member updated and pays once it is approved. Claims mail goes to Branch Claims, PO Box 1458, Portsmouth, NH 03802, or [email protected].

Ratings and reputation

Branch says Branch Insurance Exchange holds a Financial Stability Rating of A (Exceptional) from Demotech; it does not cite an AM Best rating. The exchange's history of underwriting losses and its reliance on surplus notes from its manager are worth weighing alongside that rating. Branch was not ranked in the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study or the 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. See digital-first car insurers: how the insurtechs work for context on digital insurers.

Who it suits

Branch suits homeowners who want to bundle home and auto quickly online or through a mortgage or agent partner, and who are comfortable with a young reciprocal insurer. Drivers who want only car insurance with many discounts, a local agent network, a published state list, or a long financial track record may prefer an established carrier. Californians cannot buy it.

• Strengths: Very fast bundled home-and-auto quotes from minimal information; member-owned reciprocal structure; sold direct, through agents and embedded partners; community and referral programs.
• Weaknesses: Heavy losses in 2023 and 2024 and still not profitable; no AM Best rating; no current published list of states; few advertised auto discounts and no telematics; no general customer service phone number listed on its site.

How to contact Branch Insurance