A Decade Older

One of the successful direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance companies, Esurance, has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. It is considered to be an important milestone for the innovative company.


Esurance was started on December 16, 1999 to improve the way people shop for, buy, and manage their auto insurance. A decade of hard work has its fruits - Esurance sold more than 1.5 million auto insurance policies, and insured more than 2.2 million drivers.


Over 10 years, Esurance has become the third-most recognized personal auto insurance provider on the Internet. By combining best-in-class Web-enabled technology, underwriting expertise, and a culture of continuous improvement, Esurance has become a leader in a competitive industry.


President and Chief Executive Officer, Gary Tolman, described the last 10 years by saying, "Our parent company, White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. WTM, helped nurture Esurance as we became a significant competitor in the personal auto insurance space. We are grateful for their tremendous support over the years. Now, after a decade in business, Esurance has matured into an established, well-known insurance carrier."


Esurance began its activity providing Web-enabled insurance services long before most of its more established competitors. Esurance was one of the leaders in making the purchase of auto insurance simpler and faster for customers by introducing electronic signatures, real-time underwriting verification, and actionable comparison quotes. Over the past 10 years, the company has created reliable, proprietary, Web-based systems throughout its entire technology infrastructure, including quoting and purchasing, policy management, billing, customer service, and claims handling.


In 2004, Esurance launched television advertising featuring the company's animated icon, Erin Esurance. The colorful animated television spots helped Esurance stand out in a competitive category and supported the Esurance brand as innovative and fun-- adjectives not often used to describe personal auto insurance. Today, the Esurance brand is recognized by 2 out of 3 people in the United States.


More recently, White Mountains' purchase of Answer Financial, one of the largest U.S. personal insurance agencies, brought it and its capabilities into the Esurance family. Esurance has partnered with Answer Financial since 2003, but the enhanced relationship now allows consumers shopping on the Esurance Web site to purchase insurance coverage from multiple leading insurance companies.


Esurance has earned an "A-"(Excellent) rating from A.M. Best Company, an independent firm that rates the financial strength and performance of insurance companies.


Tolman concluded, "We will use our experience from the last 10 years to guide our success in the next decade. I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I would like to thank all of our associates for their continuing hard work and dedication to the company. We very much look forward to the next 10 years."