Missouri database offers scores for insurers, good to bad

The Missouri Department of Insurance has published a searchable database of more than 11,000 complaints for consumers wanting to shop for coverage. The consumer complaint index report contains filings from Missouri residents about both local and national insurance companies like State Farm and American Family, Missouri Department of Insurance spokesman Travis Ford said in an e-mail to Consumer Ally.

"It takes a few months for our statistics section to put this data together, and we usually release it about this time each year," Ford said.

The scores are compiled by taking the number of company complaints divided by the average company premium. That number is then divided by the number of the industry-wide complaints divided by the industry-wide premium. The result is multiplied by 100. A complaint index of 100 is considered average; higher numbers reflect a worse complaint record. The complaint index is a score, not the number of complaints about the company.