by Sophia Root

NEW BERLIN – This week, Commerce Chenango would like to highlight Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, founded in New Berlin, NY in 1896.

Preferred Mutual has been based in Chenango County for more than 125 years. They provide property and casualty insurance products to more than 232,000 individual and business customers, through a network of more than 570 independent agencies. These agencies are located throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, yet they remain headquartered here, in Chenango County.

According to Robert Murrer, Manager of Customer Experience, Preferred Mutual Insurance Company is “committed to supporting our agents, policyholders, employees, and community with services that exceed expectations and meet the everchanging needs of our customers. Preferred Mutual is rated “A” (Excellent) by AM Best Company, a leading insurance credit agency provider, for twenty consecutive years.” Murrer states that as a mutual insurance company, the policyholders are the real owners of Preferred Mutual.

The company’s tagline, “Live Assured,” speaks to more than just the insurance that Preferred provides. Murrer states that even though the company has a presence in four states, it does not lose focus of its roots here in Chenango County and considers those roots a vital part of the company's identity.