Oregon repairers surveyed by a regional association graded insurers’ practices on how they resulted in quality repairs and customer service for drivers, and the results showed most were viewed as average.

The Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA) sent surveys to approximately 650 repair shops in Oregon, and more than 100 responded. Respondents ranked the top 22 insurers in Oregon based on how their “policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for Oregon motorists.” NATA, which surveyed shops in 2004 and 2006, reported grades from DRP shops and non-DRP shops, as well as overall grades. Insurers typically received higher grades from shops in their DRPs than from non-DRP shops.

Respondents gave number one State Farm a grade of B+, compared with the A- the insurer received in 2004 and 2006. State Farm has recently made changes to its Select Service program: DRP shops must offer State Farm any discounts they offer to other insurers, and State Farm cut its number of DRP shops nationwide (the number of survey respondents in State Farm’s DRP dropped approximately 10 percent in two years).

Regional insurers Oregon Mutual, North Pacific/Liberty Northwest and Mutual of Enumclaw received overall grades of B, B- and B-, respectively. Along with State Farm, they were the only insurers graded with a B- or higher.

Progressive received a D, an improvement over 2006’s D-. Farmers Insurance, Safeco and Allstate rounded out the insurers graded worst, each with a D+. Progressive and Farmers are the only two insurers that have been graded among the bottom four in all three surveys. While Farmers and Safeco saw no change from 2006, Allstate dropped from a C grade over two years, the largest drop of the insurers.

The remaining insurers of the 22 graded received grades ranging from C+ to C-.

To view the full report, visit www.aboutnata.org.