Construction satisfaction sits at just 57%, the weakest of any product line measured
Half of brokers who have an unsatisfactory commercial insurance claims experience are unlikely to place business with the same insurer in the following 12 months, according to the latest research from market intelligence firm Insurance DataLab, conducted in partnership with Research in Finance.
The figure has risen sharply from 39% in the inaugural wave of the Commercial Lines Claims Pulse, carried out in Spring 2026, while 82% of dissatisfied brokers said their trust in the insurer fell as a result, up from 78%.
Overall satisfaction remains high, with 75% of brokers satisfied with their commercial claims experience across almost 1,500 claims experiences, only a slight dip from 77% in the first wave. But the gap in what happens next is stark: 92% of brokers who had a satisfactory experience said they are likely to place business with the same insurer again, against just 12% of those who were dissatisfied.
Taking a look at this wave’s Gold Award list
Travelers topped the latest insurer rankings with overall satisfaction of 89%, followed by Sompo at 86%. Chubb and Markel both recorded 83%, followed by Hiscox at 82%, Zurich at 81% and AXA XL at 80%. All seven receive an Insurance DataLab Commercial Lines Claims Gold Award for strong performance.
The make-up of that leading group has shifted considerably since the first wave. Only Travelers, Markel and Hiscox retained Gold Award status from the inaugural study, which had been topped by Beazley, alongside Allianz and AIG among the original six winners. Sompo, Chubb, Zurich and AXA XL are new entrants to the Gold Award group this time, meaning Beazley, Allianz and AIG have all dropped out of the top tier since the first wave, even as Chubb recorded one of the strongest improvements of any insurer, rising from 78% to 83% overall satisfaction.
Within the Gold Award group, performance varies by stage of the claims journey. Sompo recorded the highest initial response satisfaction at 90% and the highest score for customer outcomes at 88%, while Markel led the group for claims handling specifically, at 86%. Hiscox strengthened across all three stages, initial response, claims handling and customer outcomes, while Chubb’s improvement was driven largely by better customer outcome scores.
Which product lines are pulling satisfaction down
There is significant variation between product lines. Business equipment and office contents continues to perform strongly, with satisfaction rising from 87% to 94%, while directors’ and officers’ insurance increased from 82% to 84%. Employers’ liability and professional indemnity also remained comparatively strong.
Other lines moved sharply in the opposite direction. General liability satisfaction fell 10 percentage points, from 83% to 73%, while commercial combined declined from 84% to 79%. Commercial motor remained one of the more challenging areas at 70%, while construction recorded satisfaction of just 57%, one of the lowest scores of any line in the study.
What DataLab says this means
Matt Scott (pictured), co-founder of Insurance DataLab, said overall satisfaction remains relatively stable, but the bigger change is what happens when insurers get the claims experience wrong.
“Half of dissatisfied brokers now say they are unlikely to place business with that insurer again, while more than four in five say their trust has fallen,” he said. “That shows just how closely claims performance is linked to broker relationships and future placement decisions.”
Scott said the second wave also shows how quickly insurer performance can change, with the strongest performers being those able to deliver consistently throughout the claims journey, from initial response and claims handling through to the ultimate customer outcome.
The Commercial Lines Claims Pulse measures broker satisfaction across the claims journey, including initial response, claims handling and customer outcomes, alongside the impact on broker trust and future placement intentions. The survey runs every six months, with the next wave due in Spring 2027.
The turnover at the top of the Gold Award list, three insurers dropping out entirely within a single six-month cycle, is arguably the more significant finding here than the headline satisfaction figures themselves. It suggests claims performance in commercial lines isn’t a stable, slow-moving reputation that insurers can coast on once earned, but something that shifts meaningfully within a single renewal cycle, and one increasingly tied directly to whether a broker brings business back at all.
For brokers using this kind of data to inform placement decisions, that volatility is itself the key finding: a strong result in one wave is evidently no guarantee of the same result six months later.
