Farmers Mutual of Tennessee
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
PROGRAM SCOPE / GEOGRAPHY - Tennessee-domiciled mutual writing personal lines in Tennessee only, accessed via independent agents. Home program uses AAIS-based ML-1 Basic, ML-2 Broad, ML-2ACV Broad, ML-3 Special, plus ML-4 contents-only and ML-9/ML-10 liability forms. ([alt2.fmtinsurance.com](https://alt2.fmtinsurance.com/forms-resources/?utm_source=openai)) - Forms & Resources page lists an Underwriting Manual (Sections 1, 4, 6, 7) plus a Homeowners Risk Selection Summary that condenses the main eligibility criteria. ([alt2.fmtinsurance.com](https://alt2.fmtinsurance.com/forms-resources/?utm_source=openai)) PREFERRED / TARGET HOMEOWNERS RISKS (ML-3 SPECIAL, ML-2 BROAD, ML-2ACV BROAD, ML-1 BASIC) Summary applies to owner-occupied dwellings written on ML-1/2/2ACV/3 forms; risks outside these parameters require prior underwriter review before binding. All homes must be in good condition with no known hazards. Applicants must be financially stable as evidenced by a favorable financial responsibility report. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) 1) ML-3 SPECIAL – TOP TIER NEWER HOMES - Description: Newer dwellings with central heat and air and superior fire protection. - Heating: Central heat and air with ducted vents to all living areas. - Electrical: 200-amp service, grounded, no fuse boxes. - Age: Less than 20 years old. - Coverage Amount / Insurance-to-Value: Coverage A at least $100,000, and between 80%–90% of market value (excluding land). - Roof: Asphalt shingles <10 years old in good condition, or metal roof in good condition. Roll, flat or built-up roofing not acceptable. - Protection Class: Located within city limits with Protection Class 7 or better. - Applicant: Financially stable (good credit/financial responsibility report). These parameters collectively define the carrier’s preferred newer, well-maintained suburban / in-town risks. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) 2) ML-2 BROAD – STANDARD NEWER HOMES - Description: Newer dwellings with superior heating systems. - Heating: Central heat and air with ducted vents to all living areas; baseboard electric, ceiling heat, gas floor furnace, or natural gas/propane stoves heating the entire living area are acceptable. - Electrical: 200-amp, grounded, no fuse boxes. - Age: Less than 30 years old. - Coverage / ITV: Coverage A at least $75,000; 75%–90% of market value (excluding land). - Roof: Asphalt shingles <12 years and in good condition; metal roofs acceptable. Roll, flat, built-up roofing not acceptable. - Protection Class: Class 8 or better; Class 9–10 acceptable only if dwelling is visible from the street and within 300 feet and in sight of at least two other occupied dwellings. - Applicant: Financially stable. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) 3) ML-2ACV BROAD – OLDER BUT ABOVE-AVERAGE HOMES (ACV) - Description: Older homes of above-standard construction with superior heating systems; must be in excellent repair. - Heating: Same as ML-2 – central heat and air with ducted vents; or baseboard electric, ceiling heat, gas floor furnace, or natural gas/propane stoves heating entire living area. - Electrical: 200-amp, grounded, no fuse boxes. - Age: Homes built before 1900 must be submitted for prior approval. - Coverage / ITV / Minimum Value: Coverage A at least $50,000; insured for 70%–90% of market value (excluding land); minimum market value of $35 per square foot. - Roof: Asphalt shingles <12 years and in good condition; metal, tile, and slate acceptable. Roll, flat, or built-up roofing not acceptable. - Protection Class: Class 8 or better; Class 9–10 acceptable only if visible from street and within 300 feet and in sight of at least two other occupied dwellings. - Applicant: Financially stable. This tier targets older, higher-quality houses where ACV settlement is appropriate while still insisting on strong condition and heating/electrical safety. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) 4) ML-1 BASIC – LOWER VALUE, OLDER BUT WELL-KEPT HOMES - Description: Older, lower-value homes in good condition with strong pride of ownership. - Heating: Central heat and air with ducted vents; or baseboard electric, ceiling heat, gas floor furnace, natural gas/propane stoves, or electric wall heaters that heat the entire living area. - Electrical: 200-amp grounded service with fuse or breaker boxes allowed (i.e., fuses may be acceptable if otherwise adequate and grounded). - Age: Less than 60 years old. Homes built before 1900 require prior approval. - Coverage / ITV: Coverage A at least $40,000; insured for 70%–85% of market value (excluding land). - Roof: Asphalt shingles <15 years and in good condition; metal, tile, and slate acceptable. Roll or built-up roofing not acceptable. - Protection Class: All classes acceptable, but dwelling must be in sight of at least one other dwelling. - Applicant: Financially stable. ML-1 provides a home for modest, older dwellings that are still sound and well-maintained but may not meet replacement-cost or higher ITV standards of other forms. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) RESTRICTED / DECLINED FEATURES AND RED FLAGS - Condition: Any home not in good repair, with visible hazards, or lacking pride of ownership is outside summary parameters and should be discussed with underwriting prior to binding. - Roof: Roll, flat, and built-up roofing is consistently listed as “Not acceptable” across tiers (with flat/built-up prohibited in most columns and roll/built-up in ML-1). Roofs beyond stated age limits or in poor condition are outside guidelines. - Fire Protection: Protection Class 9–10 is restricted; requires visibility from street plus proximity to neighboring occupied dwellings (two others for ML-2 and ML-2ACV; at least one for ML-1). Isolated rural structures without nearby dwellings or poor access should be treated as non-preferred and cleared with underwriting. - Electrical: Anything less than 200-amp grounded service, presence of ungrounded or obsolete systems (e.g., knob-and-tube, significant fuse-panel issues) falls outside summary criteria and needs underwriter review. - Heating: Non-superior or unvented heating sources, space heaters as primary heat, or solid-fuel primary heating systems are not contemplated by the risk selection matrix and should be treated as non-standard/likely unacceptable without prior approval. - Very Old Dwellings: All homes built prior to 1900 must be submitted for prior underwriting approval; they are not automatically acceptable under ML-2ACV or ML-1. - Financial History: Applicants must show good financial responsibility reports; substandard credit/financial history is flagged as an eligibility concern. Detailed exclusions for specific liability exposures (trampolines, ATVs, swimming pools, certain canines, equine, personal watercraft, exotic animals, etc.) are supported by dedicated FMT exclusion forms and may be required for otherwise-eligible risks with these exposures. ([alt2.fmtinsurance.com](https://alt2.fmtinsurance.com/forms-resources/?utm_source=openai)) GEOGRAPHIC / CATASTROPHE NOTES - State-limited appetite: Company serves homeowners and farms within Tennessee. All rating and risk assumptions presume Tennessee property and regulatory environment. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/help-desk/?utm_source=openai)) - Protection class handling suggests FMT is comfortable with both in-town and selected rural risks, but isolated high-PC locations without neighboring dwellings are outside standard appetite and must be cleared with underwriting. - Separate exclusion and endorsement forms exist for windstorm/hail deductibles, roof surfacing ACV, earthquake, bacteria/fungi/rot, and other cat/coverage modifications. These should be expected on many risks, especially where wind/hail or earthquake exposure is material. ([alt2.fmtinsurance.com](https://alt2.fmtinsurance.com/forms-resources/)) SUBMISSION / BINDING EXPECTATIONS FOR PRODUCERS - Homeowners Risk Selection Summary states that it is only a summary; full underwriting guidelines are in the Underwriting Manual. Agents should reference both before quoting and binding. ([fmtinsurance.com](https://fmtinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Homeowners-Risk-Selection-Summary.pdf?utm_source=openai)) - Prior to submitting new business, the agent must verify: • The home is in good condition and free of known hazards. • The risk fits within the matrix for the form level being requested (age, roof, electrical, heating, protection class, coverage limits and ITV, and minimum market value where applicable). • The applicant appears financially stable based on credit/financial-responsibility data. - Any risk falling outside the summarized parameters (age prior to 1900, substandard roof, marginal protection class without required neighboring dwellings/visibility, non-standard heating, electrical that does not meet 200-amp/grounding standards, unusual liability exposures, etc.) MUST be discussed with an FMT underwriter prior to binding. The summary explicitly directs agents to obtain underwriter approval in these cases. - Agents should be prepared to document: year built, square footage and estimated market value per square foot, roof material and age, heating system type and distribution, electrical service details, protection class and distance/visibility to neighboring dwellings, and any special exposures (pools, animals, ATVs, farm activities). - Because the Forms & Resources page lists a comprehensive Underwriting Manual (Sections 1 and 4 in particular), agents should consult or download those sections for detailed rules on cancellations, claims frequency, inspections, loss history, and underwriting referral triggers not fully described in the summary grid. BROKER / PRODUCER OPERATIONAL NOTES - Distribution appears to be through appointed local Tennessee agents; prospective business should be routed through contracted agencies, not open brokerage. - Emphasis on mutual values and long-term relationship suggests underwriting may weigh condition, maintenance, and pride of ownership strongly alongside technical factors. - Exclusion forms (trampoline, canine, pool, ATV, etc.) provide flexibility: some marginal liability exposures may be written subject to signed exclusions rather than outright declination, but this is subject to underwriter approval and program rules. ([alt2.fmtinsurance.com](https://alt2.fmtinsurance.com/forms-resources/?utm_source=openai)) In practice, treat the Homeowners Risk Selection Summary as the quick screen for new submissions, and escalate any off-matrix characteristics to FMT underwriting before binding or promising terms to the insured.