Farmers Mutual Insurance Company of Michigan
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Carrier is a Michigan-domiciled mutual writing homeowners and related property coverage in Michigan only. Preferred home risks - Owner-occupied, 1–2 family dwellings in good condition with continuous solid masonry foundations, modern central heating and acceptable roofs. - Dwellings insured to at least the minimum Coverage A limits by form: HO-1 $30,000; HO-2 $50,000; HO-3 $100,000; HO-4 (renters) $10,000. - For HO-3, central heat that is thermostatically controlled, vented with ductwork in each room, and 25 years old or newer; roof of composition shingle or metal not over 25 years old; copper or plastic plumbing. - Standard owner-occupied 1‑family homes for HO‑3; 1–2 family homes acceptable on HO‑1/HO‑2. Acceptability and structural requirements - Agents may bind any risk that clearly meets the manual rules; maximum Coverage A binding limit $300,000. Anything above requires company underwriter approval. - Foundations: HO‑1 allows pier with skirting/underpinning; HO‑2 and HO‑3 require continuous solid masonry foundation. - Heating: HO‑1 can use space heaters; HO‑2 accepts floor furnace, circulating or baseboard heat; HO‑3 requires qualifying central heat (including properly installed wood furnaces) within age and venting limits. - Roofing: HO‑1/HO‑2 accept shingle, metal, slate, or clay; HO‑3 limited to shingle or metal, within 25 years of installation. Rolled or Ondura roofs are not acceptable for the HO‑3 package. - Occupancy: HO‑3 must be owner‑occupied one‑family only; HO‑1/HO‑2 allow one‑ or two‑family. - Plumbing: HO‑1 may have galvanized; HO‑2/HO‑3 must have copper or plastic. Restricted / declined risks (operational indicators) - Risks outside the above structural, age, or occupancy requirements are not eligible for binding and must be submitted to underwriting, with expectation many will be declined (e.g., HO‑3 with rolled/Ondura roof, older or non‑central heating, non‑masonry foundation, galvanized plumbing, or multi‑family use). - Reinstatements after cancellation require underwriter approval and a signed no‑loss statement; agents must not accept premium to reinstate without that approval. Geographic notes - Company is licensed and markets only within Michigan; business should be in-state dwellings that meet the homeowners program requirements. Submission and binding expectations - New business may be bound by agents up to the $300,000 Coverage A limit when all underwriting rules are clearly met. - All new business is subject to inspection; agents should fully describe any marginal structural, heating, roof, or occupancy characteristics and be prepared for additional underwriting review. - For any risk not clearly within guidelines, treat as a submit‑only account and await underwriter decision before committing coverage. - For reinstatements, agents must obtain a signed statement of no loss and secure explicit underwriter approval before coverage is considered in force. Producer / broker notes - Agents have defined but limited binding authority: stay within coverage and eligibility parameters and do not bind above the stated Coverage A maximum. - Emphasis on accurate structural and systems information (foundation type, roof age/material, plumbing type, heat type/age) at quoting and binding; misclassification can cause non‑renewal or rescission. - Company directs consumers to independent agents for quotes and service; no direct-online binding, so producers remain the primary underwriters of first resort, with the company underwriting team reviewing exceptions and higher‑limit requests.