Chubb Group and NLC Mutual Insurance Company received highperformance ratings among Connecticut independent agents in asurvey sponsored by the Professional Insurance Agents ofConnecticut.

The online survey asked agents to rate companies in 16performance categories concerning products and pricing, treatmentof agents, marketing support, technology, service andunderwriting.

Close to 200 agents responded to the fifth annual companysurvey, rating 33 companies.

Warren, N.J.-based Chubb and Washington, D.C.-based NLC haverated highly in the survey for the past few years.

Others carriers with scores of 60 or higher from all categoriesinclude: New York-based Atlantic Mutual; Boston-based LibertyMutual subsidiary Peerless Insurance Co.; Mayfield, Ohio-basedProgressive; St. Paul Travelers, based in St. Paul, Minn.;Hartford, Conn.-based The Hartford; The Hanover Insurance Group ofWorcester, Mass.; Seattle-based Safeco; and Zurich, based inSwitzerland.

Scoring is based upon the adding up of all responses, with anoverall score of 80 possible.

The report is similar to the New Jersey survey released twoweeks ago by PIA New Jersey, which had 308 responses to rank 42companies or business units that the agents deal with.

That survey gave the following firms a top ranking with overallscores of 60 or more: Great American, based in Cincinnati, Ohio;Atlantic Mutual; Progressive; Branchville, N.J.-based Selective;Chubb Group personal lines; First Trenton, a subsidiary of St. PaulTravelers; Penn National Security Insurance Co., based inHarrisburg, Pa.; Berkeley Heights, N.J.-based Palisades Group; St.Paul Travelers; Andover Companies, based in Andover, Mass.;Chicago-based CNA's Continental Casualty; The Hartford; and ARIMutual Insurance Co., based in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Among some of the highlights of the reports, on the issue oftreatment of agents, Andover, Atlantic Mutual and NLC personallines scored overall highest on three rankings by Connecticutagents. In New Jersey, the highest rated companies were Andover;ARI; Atlantic Mutual; Farmers of Flemington, N.J.; Great American;Penn National; Quincy Mutual of Quincy, Mass.; and Selective.

In the area of technology, Progressive and Selective got highmarks from New Jersey agents, while St. Paul Travelers and itssubsidiary First Trenton, The Hanover Insurance Group, Progressive,Safeco and The Hartford scored very well among Connecticutagents.

In the New Jersey survey, while most insurers scored in the high50s or better in their overall score, New York-based AmericanInternational Group's commercial lines and Camden Fire InsuranceAssociation, a subsidiary of Boston-based White Mountain Group,came in with overall ranking of less than 50.

AIG scored well in branding, products and pricing, and overalltechnology, but did not fare well on service, and on a one-to-fivescale (five being the highest) was below three on treatment ofagents and claims handling. The company's total score was 43.5.Only eight agents rated AIG commercial lines.

Camden Fire, with 16 agents responding, did poorly on marketingsupport and underwriting, but received rankings well above three inmost other categories. Total score was 49.6.

In the Connecticut survey, AIG commercial lines did poorly aswell, the only company in the survey with a total ranking below 50with 32.7. Nine agents responded in that state's survey.

A representative from AIG declined to comment on the survey.

The average score in the Connecticut survey was 57.9, while inNew Jersey it was 58.

Mary Christiano, director of member and public informationservices for the Glenmont, N.Y.-based PIA members of New Jersey,New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire, said the company survey ofNew York agents will be released July 10.

AIG did not immediately respond to a request for comment.