Three insurers drop out of the top tier in six months as general liability and construction satisfaction slides
Half of brokers who have an unsatisfactory commercial claims experience are unlikely to place business with the same insurer in the following 12 months. That is the key finding of the second wave of Insurance DataLab’s Commercial Lines Claims Pulse, conducted with Research in Finance.
The figure is up sharply from 39% in the inaugural wave in spring 2026. In addition, 82% of dissatisfied brokers said their trust in the insurer had fallen as a result, up from 78%. The contrast with a good experience is stark: 92% of brokers whose claim went well said they were likely to place business with that insurer again, against 12% of those who were dissatisfied.
Headline satisfaction held up, with 75% of brokers satisfied across almost 1,500 commercial claims experiences, down slightly from 77%. The survey measures satisfaction across initial response, claims handling and customer outcomes, alongside the effect on broker trust and placement intentions.
A reshuffled top tier
Travelers topped the rankings with overall satisfaction of 89%, followed by Sompo International at 86%. Chubb and Markel both recorded 83%, Hiscox 82%, Zurich 81% and AXA XL 80%. All seven receive a Commercial Lines Claims Gold Award.
Only Travelers, Markel and Hiscox kept their Gold Award status from the first wave. Beazley, which topped the inaugural study, dropped out of the top tier along with Allianz and AIG. Sompo International, Chubb, Zurich and AXA XL are new entrants. Chubb posted one of the strongest improvements, rising from 78% to 83%, driven largely by better customer outcome scores.
Performance varied across the claims journey. Sompo International recorded the group’s highest initial response satisfaction at 90% and its highest customer outcomes score at 88%, while Markel led on claims handling at 86%. Hiscox improved at all three stages.
Construction and general liability slip
Results by product line diverged sharply. Business equipment and office contents rose from 87% to 94%, directors’ and officers’ insurance edged up from 82% to 84%, and employers’ liability and professional indemnity remained comparatively strong.
General liability fell 10 percentage points, from 83% to 73%, and commercial combined dropped from 84% to 79%. Commercial motor remained a challenging line at 70%, while construction recorded 57%, one of the lowest scores in the study. For brokers handling construction and liability books, these are the lines where client claims are most likely to strain the relationship with the carrier.
Matt Scott (pictured), co-founder of Insurance DataLab, said overall satisfaction remained relatively stable, but that the bigger change was 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 showed how quickly insurer performance can change. The strongest performers, he said, were those able to deliver consistently from initial response and claims handling through to the customer outcome.
For brokers, that speed of change is the practical lesson. Three of the original six Gold Award winners fell out of the top tier within a single six-month cycle. Claims reputations used in security reviews and placement decisions therefore need regular refreshing rather than being taken as settled. The next wave is due in spring 2027.
