Westfield business insurance

Overview

Westfield is an Ohio property-casualty group that has insured farmers since 1848 and now writes commercial, farm, personal and surety business through independent agents, plus a fast-growing specialty arm. Its NAIC group ranked No. 39 among U.S. business insurers by 2025 commercial lines direct premiums written, with $2.48 billion, based on NAIC market share data. Other liability, which includes Westfield Specialty's E&S casualty, led at $985.9 million, followed by commercial multiple peril (package and BOP policies), commercial auto and farmowners. Westfield does not rank in the national top 10 in any commercial line. Commercial lines were about 73% of the group's $3.38 billion of total U.S. direct premium in 2025.

The group's U.S. companies are Ohio Farmers Insurance Company, the ultimate parent, and its subsidiaries Westfield Insurance Company, Westfield National, Old Guard Insurance Company, American Select and several other Westfield-named companies, including Westfield Specialty Insurance Company. Westfield says it writes personal insurance in nine states, commercial insurance in 21 and surety in all 50. Outside the U.S., Westfield Specialty underwrites through Lloyd's Syndicate 1200, a Luxembourg company platform for Europe, and offices in London and Dubai. Ed Largent is CEO and board chair.

History

Westfield began on February 8, 1848, as the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Medina County, formed by farmers to protect their properties against fire. It became Ohio Farmers Insurance Company in 1862 and expanded into Indiana, its first state outside Ohio, in 1877. It formed Ohio Farmers Indemnity Company in 1929 and adopted the Westfield Companies brand in 1971. Westfield Center, the company's hometown, still has the Westfield Inn and the company's country club. Wespak, a combined home and auto policy, followed in 1984. Westfield says it has held an AM Best rating of "A" (Excellent) or higher since 1934.

The last five years have changed its shape. Westfield Specialty started writing in July 2021 under Jack Kuhn, offering E&S property, E&S excess casualty, commercial management liability, financial institutions, and cyber and professional liability under the Westfield Pro name. Environmental liability was added in 2023. That same year Westfield bought Lloyd's Syndicate 1200, which took the company international. In June 2026 Westfield Specialty bought the renewal rights to DOXA's Arris Property Underwriters program, an E&S commercial property book sold through wholesalers.

To put more capital into insurance, Ohio Farmers agreed in June 2025 to sell Westfield Bank's parent, Westfield Bancorp, to First Financial Bancorp for $325 million, 80% in cash and 20% in stock. The bank had been chartered in 2001. The sale closed in November 2025.

Business insurance products

Standard commercial (Westfield Insurance). The SureStep BOP packages property, business interruption and general liability for small and mid-sized firms, with industry endorsements. See What is a business owner's policy (BOP)?. Beyond the BOP, Westfield writes commercial property, general liability, commercial auto, workers' compensation, umbrella, inland marine, equipment breakdown, crime and cyber. For contractors it adds endorsements for employee tools, contractors' errors and omissions, contractual risk transfer and pollution.

Workers' compensation. Westfield writes comp in 19 states and supports it with WesCare, a no-cost package that includes 24/7 nurse triage, assigned advocates and bilingual service, a return-to-work program, pharmacy benefit management and a physician network of more than 750,000 doctors. See workers' compensation insurance: how it works.

Farm and agribusiness. Coverage for more than 45 types of farms, livestock operations and commercial agriculture, including wholesalers, processors and manufacturers, handled by dedicated ag underwriters. Farmowners premium was $142.3 million in 2025.

Surety. Commercial and contract bonds in all 50 states, including WesExpress contract bonds, a credit-based program for small and emerging contractors. See surety bonds explained: how they differ from insurance.

Westfield Specialty. E&S property and excess casualty, management liability, financial institutions, cyber and professional liability, and environmental liability, written largely through wholesale and specialty brokers. Westfield Specialty says it closed 2025 with $1.9 billion of gross written premium worldwide. In the first half of 2026 it reported $1.18 billion of gross written premium, up 25%, at a 94.3% combined ratio. Its U.S. platform, including surety, wrote $642 million of that.

Who it insures

Standard lines target small and mid-sized businesses in contracting (artisan trades through large general contractors), distribution, health care offices and facilities, hospitality (restaurants, caterers, hotels and golf courses), manufacturing, offices, real estate, retail, and farms and agribusiness. The commercial footprint is 21 states: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Comp is offered in 19 of those, but not in Ohio, a monopolistic state fund state, or Florida. A business outside that footprint can still reach Westfield for surety bonds or, through a wholesaler, for E&S coverage from Westfield Specialty.

How to buy

Standard commercial, farm and surety business is sold through independent agents; use the find-an-agent search on westfieldinsurance.com, which filters by business, bond or home and auto. Westfield does not sell business policies directly or quote them online. Westfield Specialty works mainly with wholesale and specialty brokers. Policyholders manage policies, bills and claims through the MyWestfield portal, and Westfield offers risk control services and periodic premium audits for auditable lines.

Claims

Report a commercial accident or incident by calling 800-243-0210 and selecting option 3, or start a claim online from the claims page. There are separate paths for commercial auto, commercial property, general liability, workers' comp and surety. The customer care center at the same number is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. For comp claims, WesCare's nurse triage, advocates and return-to-work program run from first notice of injury. Westfield's claims leaders are listed by name on its claims page if an agent needs to escalate.

Financial strength and ratings

On March 4, 2025, AM Best affirmed the A (Excellent) financial strength rating and "a+" long-term issuer credit ratings of Westfield Insurance Company and its affiliates. It moved the issuer credit rating outlook back to stable from negative, the outlook it had assigned in February 2024 after several years of elevated underwriting losses. AM Best said the combined ratio returned below 100% in 2024 thanks to rate increases, tighter policy terms and a shift toward more profitable lines, including surplus lines business, even with heavy convective storm and hurricane losses. It also noted that surplus grew in 2024 after several years of decline. NAIC filings cited in coverage of the action show Westfield Insurance Company's net income at $143 million in 2024, after $16 million in 2023 and a $34 million loss in 2022. Westfield Specialty's 2026 sales materials still list the A (Excellent) rating and "a+" issuer credit rating.

Westfield does not publish S&P or Moody's ratings for its U.S. companies on its main site.

Strengths and weaknesses

Westfield offers a broad agency-sold commercial and farm program backed by a 178-year-old Ohio company with the strongest capitalization grade from AM Best. Underwriting results were weak in 2022 and 2023, and most of its recent growth has come from specialty lines rather than Main Street business.

• Strengths: Strong farm and agribusiness program; surety in all 50 states, including a fast-track contract bond for small contractors; WesCare comp services with 24/7 nurse triage; E&S and Lloyd's capacity under the same roof through Westfield Specialty; balance sheet assessed as strongest by AM Best.
• Weaknesses: Commercial lines limited to 21 states, with no comp in Ohio or Florida; AM Best rating one notch below A+ peers and an outlook that was negative from February 2024 to March 2025 after underwriting losses; no online quoting for business owners; personal lines in only nine states, so fewer account-rounding options in some areas.

Agents in its footprint commonly compare Westfield with Cincinnati Insurance, Erie Insurance, Selective Insurance and The Hanover.

How to contact Westfield