North Star Mutual auto insurance

Overview

North Star Mutual Insurance Company is a farm-country mutual insurer headquartered in Cottonwood, a small town in southwest Minnesota. It sells farm, home, auto, commercial and umbrella coverage only through independent agents, and the company says more than 2,000 agencies represent it. Its territory covers Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa and Wisconsin, with auto business in Kansas as well.

The North Star group ranked #71 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written according to NAIC market share data, with $265.9 million in personal auto premium, about 0.07% of the national market. Auto is one line in a broader book: the company reports $962 million in total written premium, total assets of $1.49 billion and roughly 400,000 home, farm, auto and small business policies issued and renewed each year. It describes itself as the largest farm insurance writer in Minnesota.

Because North Star is a mutual, it has no outside shareholders; policyholders are its owners. President and CEO Pete Hellie leads the company.

History

North Star Farmer's Mutual was incorporated on February 15, 1920, to sell crop hail insurance in Minnesota. It was first based in Redwood Falls and managed by A.D. Stewart. After Stewart's death in 1925, A.E. Anderson took over, moved the company to Cottonwood and shifted it from crop hail to coverage for farm buildings and personal property.

When A.E. Anderson died in 1950, his son W.E. "Bror" Anderson expanded the company into homes and businesses and broadened coverage from wind and hail to full property insurance. The name changed to North Star Mutual Insurance Company in 1954, and annual premium passed $1 million in 1959. Cliff Hanson became president after Bror Anderson's death in 1973 and led expansion into South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.

North Star entered the automobile insurance market in 1991, a move the company credits with strengthening its agency relationships. Jeff Mauland succeeded Hanson in 2001, took the company into Iowa and Wisconsin, passed $100 million in premium in 2002 and grew it to $475 million by his retirement in 2021. Premium has roughly doubled again since then. The home office has never left Cottonwood.

North Star works with partner organizations rather than owning a family of brands. In Minnesota, its farm policies are packaged with local township mutuals; in Oklahoma, it works with One General Agency (OGA); and it lists SFM (workers' compensation) and Marysville Mutual among its mutual partners.

Auto insurance coverage

North Star's personal auto policy covers more than family cars. It can insure cars, vans, pickups and trucks, antique and classic autos, motor homes, travel trailers, motorcycles, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles on one policy.

Standard coverages are bodily injury and property damage liability, plus medical payments (Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota) or personal injury protection (Minnesota and North Dakota, both no-fault states). Optional coverages include collision, comprehensive, uninsured and underinsured motorist, rental reimbursement, towing and labor, custom equipment and safety glass. Roadside assistance, provided through Nation Safe Drivers, is available to policyholders who buy that coverage.

North Star also writes commercial auto for farms, contractors and fleets, with options such as stated amount valuation, hired and non-owned auto and drive-other-car coverage, and an umbrella policy for extra liability limits.

Discounts and programs

North Star's published list of personal auto discounts is short:

• Anti-theft equipment
• Passive restraint systems (air bags and similar)
• Defensive driver / accident prevention course
• Companion policy discount when auto is bundled with North Star home, farm or business coverage

Customers who have both home and auto with North Star also get a common loss deductible: if one event (a hailstorm, for example) damages both the house and the car, only one deductible applies. North Star does not advertise a telematics or usage-based program, and its auto page does not list a good student discount. An agent can confirm which discounts apply in your state.

Claims

North Star asks customers to report claims through their local independent agent during business hours. For emergencies after hours, call 800-622-5230 and select option 1. Have your policy number, contact details, the date, time and cause of the loss and a description of the damage ready.

The company describes its auto repair process as simple: only one estimate is required and you can choose the body shop you prefer. Auto glass claims go to Glass Express at 888-266-7847 (888-2NORTHSTAR). Towing and labor reimbursement and roadside assistance are handled under the instructions in your policy documents. North Star's claims FAQ notes that it cannot authorize a repair person on your behalf; you hire and pay the shop or contractor, and North Star pays covered amounts above your deductible.

Ratings and reputation

North Star announced in August 2025 that AM Best had reaffirmed its A+ (Superior) financial strength rating, AM Best's second-highest grade. An A+ is uncommon for a regional mutual of this size and reflects a strong balance sheet relative to the risks it writes; see how AM Best ratings work.

North Star was not among the regional leaders named in J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study (June 2026). Complaint records for North Star Mutual and its affiliates can be looked up by company name on the NAIC's Consumer Information Source; see how to read the NAIC complaint index.

Who it suits

North Star fits rural and small-town households in its eight states that already rely on a local independent agent, especially farm families who want auto, farm buildings, homeowners and vehicles such as snowmobiles or motor homes with one company. The common loss deductible and the ability to put many vehicle types on one policy are practical advantages in hail country. It is a poorer fit for drivers who want to buy online, want telematics savings or live outside the Upper Midwest and Plains.

• Strengths: A+ (Superior) AM Best rating reaffirmed in 2025; one policy can cover cars, classic autos, motorcycles, RVs and snowmobiles; common loss deductible for home and auto; one-estimate repairs at the shop you choose.
• Weaknesses: Sold in only eight states and only through agents; no telematics program; a short published discount list with no good student discount mentioned; claims start with your agent during business hours rather than a central 24/7 claims center.

How to contact North Star Mutual