Beginning Aug. 1, 2024, Farmers Insurance will resume accepting new commercial multi-peril applications for auto service and repair, habitational, manufacturing, real estate and wholesale distribution policies in California. The insurer also recently announced its intention to lift its temporary moratorium on writing new commercial auto business beginning July 1.

The insurer has been working with the California Department of Insurance over the last several months on plans to reenter the business insurance market after it had previously paused the issuance of new policies. In a release, Farmers credited its ability to reopen these lines in California to an improved commercial insurance marketplace in the state.

“As a leading insurer of small businesses, we are excited to be re-opening these key lines of our commercial insurance offerings to new customers in California and help provide business owners with more choices when shopping for coverage options,” Eric Coleman, president of business insurance for Farmers, said in a release. “Farmers has operated in California for nearly a century, and while challenges remain, we are encouraged by the positive changes taking place in the state’s commercial insurance marketplace.”

Coleman also noted that the fundamental condition for the insurer beginning to offer coverage in again was that the rates they were able to charge reflected the risk exposure they were insuring. Through “constructive conversations” with the California Department of Insurance, he stated they are now ready to reenter the market.