You 'Auto' Know: New York Ranks Best and Worst Auto Insurers

(MoneyWatch)  If you want to know the best - and worst - auto insurers, read New York State's just released annual report of auto insurance rankings, based on the complaint ratios of all major carriers operating in the Empire State.
The top ranked insurer is Rhode Island-based Amica, a mutual company that generally ranks high on everyone's list, including J.D. Power's. It, and six other companies, had no complaints lodged. At the bottom is number 38, the small Long Island Insurance Co.

What is most interesting, however, is where the major insurers rank. American Express Group's IDS Property Casualty unit placed 4^th, also with no unresolved complaints while Chubb, with a history of no-questions-asked payments, but higher premiums, is number 8. With a good record for resolving customer complaints Progressive comes in at 13, which bests both Berkshire-Hathaway's GEICO in 16^th place and Nationwide at 17.

Hugging the middle is State Farm at number 19, edging out competitors Liberty Mutual at 21 and Travelers at 22.

Not surprisingly, insurers with financial problems tend to cluster at the bottom. Hartford Financial, at number 24, kept pace with last year. It should be noted, however, that based on the number of complaints, it was still above average.

Allstate lands in the bottom ten at number 28. With a troubled history of customer satisfaction, it even has a website, Allstateinsurancesucks.com, where people come to vent against the nation's largest publicly traded insurer.

American International Group, at number 34, is only four places from the bottom. Unfortunately AIG can't blame its ranking completely on its recent bad fortune, as it fared even worse, in 36^th place, last year. It hasn't done well in other surveys, either.

The customer complaint data, which dates from 2007 and 2008, typically involved delay in payments of no-fault claims and non-renewal of policies.