At Branch, we think of ourselves as more than an insurance company. We’re a force for communal good. Our mission is to lower the costs of insurance, so more people can be covered. Helping more people over chasing more profits—that’s the Branch way.

Now, Branch is also a Certified B Corp. To us, that’s a really, really big deal.

Wait, first, what’s a B Corp? 

In short, a B Corp is a mission-driven company that balances purpose and profit. B Corps are companies that answer the call to address some of the most challenging issues we face in society today. The types of problems we can’t solve simply by passing a law or donating to a cause. 

B Corps use the power of for-profit business to make an impact that goes beyond what governments and nonprofits can do on their own. Every B Corp is certified by B Labs—a nonprofit network dedicated to making all business a force for good, transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Learn more about the B Lab story here.

There are more than 6,000 Certified B Corporations in 84 countries and over 156 industries. You might recognize names like Athleta, Ben & Jerry’s, Cotopaxi, Patagonia, and TOMS, to name a few. 

However, Branch is currently one of the only home and auto insurance companies that’s achieved B Corp certification. 

We’re here to change insurance. Because Americans need it.

The affordability of insurance is an everyday concern for millions of Americans. Practically everyone in the United States needs either home coverage, auto coverage, or both—but getting covered costs way too much.

The average cost of home insurance is $1,784 per year. For auto insurance, it’s $1,630 per year. Those costs continue to rise. Meanwhile, the median household income for the United States actually decreased over the past two years, from a high of $72,808 in 2019 to $70,784  in the most recent 2021 census.

That means, assuming the typical American family has just one car (the actual average number of vehicles is  1.88), a middle-of-the-road American household spends nearly 5% of their gross annual income on home and car insurance. 

Not only does the rising cost of insurance have an oversized effect on the budget of families across the country, it’s a purchase that’s mandatory if you require a mortgage to purchase your home or intend to drive your car legally. 

The intent of insurance was to be there when disaster strikes—to have your back on your worst day—not put a strain on your finances each and every day. 

You could say, the insurance industry has lost its way…

Branch is getting back to getting each other’s back.

When insurance first spread in the U.S., it really was seen as a force for communal good. Groups of people all across the country worked together, proactively pooling money to protect each other for when disaster struck the unfortunate few. The money they pooled in the form of insurance premiums belonged to the community, so they managed it responsibly and paid it out fairly. 

But the sense of community that insurance was built on has been slowly eroded by giant corporations. Today, they outspend each other with silly mascots to sell policies. Their billion-dollar ad onslaughts drive a lot of the constant price increases that come out of the consumer's wallet. They have you jump through hoop after hoop when you file a claim. 

It’s become “us vs. them” between insurance companies and the very people they insure.

At its core, Branch is an insurance company that uses technology to restore insurance to its original intent—to be that force for communal good.  We call it “getting back to getting each other’s back.”

Since Day 1, it’s been our goal to lower the cost of insurance. We do that by finding new efficiencies throughout the insurance process. We cut out the unnecessary costs that major corporations baked in over the last hundred-something years, so you can join at a price that’s structurally lower than what you might find at a traditional insurance company. 

1. We eliminate the “Friction Tax” that comes with bundling your insurance coverage. 

The easiest way to save on insurance is bundling your home and auto policies together—at most companies, it saves  between 5 and 15%. When you bundle with Branch, you can save up to 20% on your auto insurance and up to 35% on your home policy in most states (some states even more).* 

The reason for all that savings is simple. For insurance companies, when you bundle a policy, two products get sold to just one customer. This cuts the cost per acquisition by about one half. Not to mention, it’s easier to service one customer with two policies than two additional customers. Ultimately, it’s the insurance company who saves the most money when you bundle. 

So what’s the problem? Bundling is notoriously hard to do. It’s not because traditional insurance companies don’t want you to bundle. Again, it saves all of us money. It’s because most of these companies are over a hundred years old with systems and processes that were built long before you could bundle. 

It can take hours as you move between insurance company processes, systems, and operators—entering the same information, time after time. Time is a luxury too many households simply don’t have.

If you’re like many Americans struggling to make ends meet, you don’t have hours to spend filling out insurance applications or getting a quote, then having to pick up the phone and call in to find out the actual price you’ll pay and go through the process again.

Think of the hours it takes to bundle as up to a 15% tax on those who don’t have the luxury of time.

We call it the “Friction Tax”—a price you pay for your insurance company’s inefficiency. 

Branch is the first-ever insurance carrier that lets you bundle your policies instantly and checkout on the spot (just like you’d buy anything else online). In fact, you can bundle with Branch in as little as 63 seconds. Branch doesn’t just eliminate the Friction Tax entirely—the lack of friction and overhead in our bundle process is one way we can offer an even larger discount.

2. We’re structured around community (the way insurance was supposed to be).

We established the Branch Insurance Exchange as what’s called a “reciprocal exchange.” We’re now growing and launching the Branch Insurance Exchange in new states across the country.

In the same spirit as the original insurance communities across the United States, the Branch Insurance Exchange lets us collect money responsibly, manage it more efficiently, and pay it out fairly. 

When customers (we call them “members”) choose coverage on the Branch Insurance Exchange, they become members of the exchange. In simple terms, the money we pool from our members is owned by them. 

Their money is never ours to spend freely. Branch is simply a facilitator of their capital. This way, they get inalienable rights as members and we collect just a small flat fee in exchange for managing their money.

Of course, we’re not the only insurance company that operates a reciprocal exchange. But we are the only one that limits our share of premiums to just a flat 5% fee. 

This adds to the money we save our members up front. And unlike other insurance companies that can profit by denying claims or not paying in full, our flat 5% model makes sure we have zero incentive to underpay claims. 

Instead, our no. 1 financial incentive is to give people an experience they can trust so it’s worth staying with us—from setting fair prices, to getting covered with ease, to day-to-day member support.

Structuring around community also lets us offer exclusive discounts that lower the costs of insurance even further (and wipe away costs that get baked into traditional insurance premiums):

Community Pledge® discount

Most people would never commit insurance fraud. But when fraud does happen, it drives up the price of insurance for everybody. Community Pledge lets you vouch for other members you know, helping us safeguard against fraud. You'll earn a discount each time another member vouches for you (up to 5% total). The Branch app lets you search for people you know and vouch for each other in just a few taps.**

My Community® referrals and discounts

The insurance industry spends over $5 billion in advertising each year. At most companies, those billions come directly out of your premiums. Instead of wasting money on expensive TV ads, we reward you for helping us grow. We thank our members with referral bonuses, paid as gift cards. And in participating states, you also earn a My Community discount on your premium when your friends join Branch.†

In states where we don’t yet operate a reciprocal insurance exchange, we offer other programs and discounts that let members lower the cost of their insurance and make insurance just as easy to buy and bundle in seconds.

3. We simplify the entire insurance process, start to finish.

To get a Branch home or auto insurance price, you only have to enter two pieces of information—a name and an address. We automate the rest. So you don’t have to look up every last detail about your car, home, and life history. 

And rather than showing you a bait-and-switch quote that's subject to change, we only show the real price. That’s not just a better experience for anyone shopping for insurance, it allows us to reach new customers more efficiently, too. 

You see, buying insurance isn’t like buying other products. People buy insurance because it’s a requirement for another purchase. You could say that insurance is like the batteries to a toy you got when you were young, but they weren’t included. Only to buy insurance, you have to go to a different store and pay way more than you should.

Since Branch makes the buying process so simple, we can easily integrate with our partners to bring people insurance in the exact moments they need it. 

That’s why we partner with leading mortgage companies, auto companies, and home security providers. These partners let us meet people where they are—with insurance embedded into the transactions that require insurance in the first place. Applying for a mortgage. Taking out a loan on a car. Investing in ways to protect their home. You might say, we’re including the batteries to those toys. 

When we offer Branch through our partners, we’re a timely, affordable solution in the precise, real-life moments when people are actively looking for insurance. Branch becomes the clear choice. A simple add-on. A price and the click of a button. 

Yes, insurance really can be that easy. Add it up and we’re saving Branch members hundreds of dollars, plus hours of stress, confusion, and headache. 

And the money we save in simplifying insurance—from the lower overhead costs to the astronomical amounts of money spent advertising and customer acquisition—we pass along in the form of everyday lower prices and savings. 

As a B Corp, we’re bringing accountability back to insurance, too.

Insurance companies like to promise they’ll be responsible with the money they collect, only to spend that money elsewhere or pad their own profits. But before you can truly promise to be a good neighbor or be in good hands, first, you have to be held accountable. 

All Certified B Corporations are held to the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. 

To achieve B Corp certification, you can’t just say you’re different from the rest, you get put to the test. Literally.

The “B Impact Assessment” examines each company's impact on their customers, workers, community, environment, and customers. It dives deep into the company's governance structure and accountability.

This isn’t some one-time pledge or badge for our website. It’s a ongoing commitment that gets recertified every three years, so we can make sure we’re continuously improving and doing right by all the communities we serve:

For our members

When you “buy insurance,” you buy a promise—that if something financially devastating happens to your home or your car, your insurance will have your back. That we set prices responsibly, manage your money efficiently, and pay it out fairly in claims when you need it.  We hope this commitment shows we care more about keeping promises than maximizing profits. 

For our investors

You’ve been aligned with our vision since we first started Branch. We pitched Branch as insurance that’s not only structurally different, but could make a fundamental difference in everyday lives across the country. This is validation that our mission is coming to fruition and your investment is driving real change. 

For our people

Thank you to the hundreds of Branchers who make a better kind of insurance company an everyday reality. Branch isn’t just focused on changing the way people think about their home or auto insurance. Together, we’re changing what it means to “work in insurance, too.” This is just as much a commitment to the meaningfulness of your work and the importance of our culture.

We’re so proud to be officially recognized as a B Corp. Let’s keep getting back to getting each other’s back and restoring insurance to the way it was always supposed to be. 

*Multi Policy Discount amounts vary by state.

**Not available in every state. See branch.com for details. Only available in AR, AZ, CO, DC, GA, IA, ID, IL IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MI, MO, MT, MS, NE, NH, NM, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, TN, UT, VA, WI, WV, WY.

†Limitations apply. Subject to certain terms and conditions and may not be available to all users or referral reward amounts may be limited. No purchase of insurance is required.  Please see Referral Program Terms and Conditions for more details.