*USAA home insurance is available only to members of the military, veterans and their families.
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Reviewed
Reviewed
Updated: Jul 1, 2024, 5:35am
Our analysis of 14 home insurers finds that Westfield is the best homeowners insurance company. State Farm and USAA are also among our top picks. Our analysis included costs, complaints and coverage options. Take these factors into account when shopping for home insurance. The right policy will protect your home and belongings, and give you liability coverage in case someone gets hurt and blames you.
How We Chose the Best Homeowners Insurance Companies
We analyzed home insurance rates, complaints and other factors. Our editors are committed to bringing you unbiased ratings and information. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate insurance companies, so all companies are measured equally. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and the methodology for the ratings below.
Company | Company - Logo | Forbes Advisor Rating | Forbes Advisor Rating | Learn More CTA text | Learn more CTA below text | LEARN MORE | Our expert take |
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Westfield | ![]() |
5.0 | ![]() |
View More | Best for Price | ||
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4.8 | ![]() |
View More | Great for Bundling Auto and Home | |||
USAA* |
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4.8 | ![]() |
View More | Best for Military and Veterans | ||
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4.6 | ![]() |
View More | Great for High-Value Homes | |||
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4.4 | ![]() |
View More | Best for High Liability Limits | |||
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4.4 | ![]() |
View More | Great for Coverage Perks | |||
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4.0 | ![]() |
View More | Great for Extended Coverage for Dwellings | |||
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4.0 | ![]() |
View More | Great for Discounts |
*USAA home insurance is available only to members of the military, veterans and their families.
$1,344 yearly/$112 monthly
No
Westfield has the lowest average prices among the top-scoring companies in our analysis. We also like its expanded dwelling coverage, including extended replacement cost and guaranteed replacement cost coverage. Westfield’s Estatepak home insurance is designed for high-value homes, and Wespak Estate combines luxury home coverage with auto insurance.
Westfield is known for its personalized approach to home insurance, offering customizable coverage options tailored to individual needs. Their customer service and claims handling are typically reliable, providing peace of mind to policyholders.
– David Perkins, founder of Assured Claim Service
Westfield has consistently had a low complaint ratio to state departments of insurance compared to the industry average over the past three years.
Westfield sells home insurance in these 10 states:
$1,298 yearly/$108 monthly
Yes
We found that State Farm has decent prices and the highest average discount for bundling home and auto insurance among the companies we evaluated. Dog owners will like that the company doesn’t have a banned dog list.
State Farm is often recognized for its broad national presence and generally reliable customer service, making it a staple in the home insurance market. Their ability to offer extensive resources and a stable claims process makes them a dependable choice for many homeowners. We often encounter clients who appreciate State Farm’s straightforward approach to claims and their comprehensive coverage options.
– John Christ, founder of Prestizia Insurance
State Farm has been consistently near the industry average for home insurance complaints, though higher than top competitors.
State Farm offers home insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
$1,270 yearly/$106 monthly
Yes
We found that USAA delivers low prices and quality service to military members, veterans and their families. Those who are eligible should definitely consider USAA insurance. We also like that customers can take advantage of a variety of discounts through the USAA perks program, including hotels, rental cars and cruises.
USAA is a highly reputable insurer known for its excellent customer service and competitive rates. They offer a wide range of coverage options to meet the needs of homeowners, including comprehensive coverage for both the structure of the home and its contents. Overall, I highly recommend USAA to homeowners who are looking for a reliable and affordable insurance provider.
– Paige Robinson, owner of House Buyers
USAA has much better complaint levels than the average. This result can signify strong customer satisfaction.
USAA sells home insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
$1,157 yearly/$96 monthly
Yes
We like Nationwide’s competitive rates and that it offers both extended and guaranteed replacement cost coverage. High-net-worth homeowners will probably like Nationwide’s Private Client insurance, which includes a cash-out option if your home is destroyed and you decide not to rebuild. That coverage also reimburses you for accidental breakage of items such as crystal and china, and equipment breakdown coverage for appliances and home systems.
Nationwide offers comprehensive home insurance coverage with additional options for policyholders to enhance their protection. Their strong financial stability and large presence make them a reliable choice for homeowners seeking peace of mind.
– David Perkins, an insurance expert and founder of Assured Claim Service
Nationwide’s recent complaint level for home insurance is lower than in previous years.
Nationwide offers home insurance is available in 43 states and Washington, D.C. It is not available in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Mexico.
$1,810 yearly/$151 monthly
No
We think homeowners will appreciate Chubb’s excellent customer service and extended replacement cost coverage. Owners of high-value homes will appreciate Chubb’s high liability coverage limits. The company also offers the option to receive a cash settlement if your house is destroyed and you don’t wish to rebuild. Top-notch service includes Chubb’s Wildfire Defense Service for clients in wildfire-prone areas. This includes wildfire preparation and firefighting service when fires threaten a home.
Chubb is targeted toward the high-end market and offers some of the most comprehensive coverage available, which is a boon for clients with high-value properties that require more than just basic coverage. They handle claims with utmost professionalism and detail, ensuring that their affluent clientele receives the level of service they expect.
– Patti Yencho, owner and agent at Professional Insurance Advisors
Chubb has consistently had extremely low levels of complaints about its home insurance. This reflects strong customer satisfaction.
Chubb offers home insurance policies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
$1,256 yearly/$105 monthly
No
We found that Erie stands out from many competitors for its competitive rates, good customer service and superior dwelling coverage options. Erie is worthy of being a top contender if you live where it’s available. With both extended and guaranteed replacement cost options, you can make sure you have ample funds to rebuild your house.
Erie Insurance is known for its exceptional customer service and competitive rates. They offer a range of coverage options and discounts, making them a popular choice among homeowners looking for affordable yet reliable insurance protection.
– David Perkins, founder of Assured Claim Service
Erie has very low complaint levels about its home insurance, and much better than the industry average.
Erie sells home insurance in 12 states and Washington, D.C.:
$2,020 yearly/$168 monthly
Yes
We like American Family for its extended and replacement cost coverage, which allows you to exceed dwelling coverage limits if you need to rebuild your home. We also like its multiple types of home insurance discounts.
American Family insurance offers customizable home insurance policies with additional options for policyholders to tailor their coverage to their specific needs. Their focus on customer satisfaction and community involvement sets them apart in the industry.
– David Perkins, founder of Assured Claim Service
American Family home insurance has had low complaint levels over the past three years.
American Family offers home insurance in 19 states:
$1,525 yearly/$127 monthly
No
We’re impressed by Auto-Owners many policy discounts, including price breaks for being claims-free, being mortgage-free, having an automatic generator back-up, having protective devices, paying in full and more.
Auto-Owners often gets overlooked, which is a shame. Very strong customer satisfaction ratings. Their niche is well-maintained, not-too-unusual homes. If your house fits that profile, they’re absolutely worth a look.
– Samuel Green, CEO of Blue Insurance
Auto-Owners’ home insurance consistently has lower complaints than the average—a good sign of customer satisfaction.
Auto-Owners is available in these 26 states:
Extended replacement cost is a feature that typically provides a certain percentage of money above your dwelling coverage amount if your house costs more to replace than the dwelling limit provides. This is valuable coverage in cases where local construction costs have spiked and made your dwelling coverage insufficient.
Company | Offers extended replacement cost coverage? |
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American Family
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Yes, from American Family Connect, starting at $5,000
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Auto-Owners
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Yes, up to 25% more
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Chubb
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Yes, up to 25% more
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Erie
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Yes, up to 25% more
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Nationwide
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Yes, up to 50% more
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State Farm
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Yes, up to 20% more
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USAA
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Yes, up to 25% or 50% more
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Westfield
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Yes, up to 25% more
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Guaranteed replacement cost coverage is a step above extended replacement cost. It guarantees that the insurer will pay any amount necessary to rebuild your house after a disaster. It is harder to find, but some of the best home insurance companies offer it.
Company | Offers guaranteed replacement cost coverage? |
---|---|
American Family
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Yes, with American Family Connect
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Auto-Owners
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Yes
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Chubb
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No
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Erie
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Yes
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Nationwide
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Yes
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State Farm
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No
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USAA
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No
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Westfield
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Yes
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Some insurers have official lists of banned dog breeds. If you own one of these breeds the dog may be excluded from your liability insurance or you could be denied coverage altogether.
Company | Has a banned dog breed list? |
---|---|
American Family
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No
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Auto-Owners
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Yes
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Chubb
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No
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Erie
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Yes
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Nationwide
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No
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State Farm
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No
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USAA
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No
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Westfield
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Yes
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We suggest taking these steps to find the best home insurance.
Review each basic coverage type and adjust the limits to fit your specific needs. Here are the main coverage types to consider.
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Dwelling coverage. The dwelling coverage should match the cost to rebuild your house, based on local construction labor and material costs. |
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Extended dwelling coverage. We recommend adding extended or guaranteed replacement cost coverage if your insurer offers one or both. These provide reimbursement above your dwelling limit if the cost of rebuilding turns out to be more than expected. We think this coverage is a smart buy. |
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Contents coverage. This reimburses you for replacing stolen or damaged possessions, including furniture and clothes. We recommend making sure your policy has replacement cost coverage. This reimburses you for the cost of new items, as opposed to the depreciated value of your damaged items. If you have high-value items such as antiques, we recommend scheduling personal property. |
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Liability insurance. This pays other people if you cause injuries or property damage. We recommend buying enough liability coverage to cover what can be taken from you in a lawsuit. Supplement home insurance with umbrella insurance for extra liability coverage. |
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Medical payments. Medical payments coverage is available in small amounts, such as $1,000 to $5,000. It pays the medical bills of people who blame you for accidental injuries, without regard to fault. |
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Additional living expenses. Additional living expenses coverage reimburses you for extra costs—such as a hotel or rental—if you can’t live at home because of damage from a problem covered by your policy. |
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Other coverage. Fill in gaps with supplemental coverage like insurance for floods, earthquakes, water and sump overflow, and more. |
It’s smart to compare home insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies. Insurers’ rates can vary considerably for the same coverage, so it’s good to compare quotes from at least three companies.
Insurance companies offer many home insurance discounts that can reduce your policy costs. Here are common ones.
Type of discount | How to qualify |
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Claims-free discount
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Don’t file a home insurance claim within the last few years.
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Insurance payment discounts
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Pay in full or go paperless.
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Loyalty discount
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Stay with the same company.
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Multi-policy discount
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Buy auto insurance from your home insurance company
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Protective device discounts
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Install security, fire-safety or water leak-detection devices.
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Renovated home discount
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Upgrade plumbing, heating or electrical.
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Roof age discount
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Install a new roof.
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What’s the best home insurance isn’t the same for everyone. Here’s how to find the best home insurance for you.
EXPERT TIPS
George Hosfield
Advisory Board Member
Les Masterson
Insurance Editor
Ashlee Valentine
Insurance Editor
Amy Danise
Insurance Managing Editor
Michelle Megna
Insurance Lead Editor
Roof claims are one of the most common (and expensive) claim types and the terms of roof coverage can vary significantly. Some policies provide coverage for the full replacement cost of the roof. Others only provide the current “actual cash value” which may be a fraction of the total cost. Some policies have separate, higher deductibles for roof claims. When comparing policies, be sure to understand these nuances.
Advisory Board Member
Your home insurance company or agent should be able to provide an estimate of how much it would cost to rebuild your house. This should be your dwelling coverage amount. One common mistake I’ve seen is that people confuse this amount with the real estate market value, but it’s not the same. And don’t include land value.
Insurance Editor
Our research finds that home insurance discounts can save you hundreds on your policy. One of the best discounts is bundling home and auto policies. We found that State Farm beats competitors with an average 23% multi-policy discount. Make sure to ask about how much you can save by bundling.
Insurance Editor
We suggest owners of high-value homes focus on insurers that specialize in high-value homes such as Chubb. They can provide high levels of liability coverage and have special coverage options that address the needs of these homeowners.
Insurance Managing Editor
When shopping for home insurance, I recommend making sure you get quotes for the same coverage from at least three insurers. That will allow you to accurately compare each company.
Insurance Lead Editor
Nearly all of our top picks for the best home insurance companies have complaint levels that are below the industry average.
Ask an expert
Michelle Megna
Insurance Lead Editor
Les Masterson
Insurance Editor
Jason Metz
Insurance Lead Editor
Penny Gusner
Insurance Senior Writer
-Michael I., Brentwood, Tennessee
No, standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage. You instead typically need to buy a separate flood insurance policy either through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer that sells flood coverage. NFIP policies are capped at $250,000 dwelling coverage but I’ve found that you may be able to find higher levels with a private insurance company.
Insurance Lead Editor
-Ron T., St. Louis, Missouri
Filing a home insurance claim can increase your rates at the next renewal time, so you want to make sure you won’t pay more to fix your home or replace your items in the long run. For instance, if you have a $1,000 deductible and you’re reporting a loss of, say, less than $1,500, it likely wouldn’t be wise to file a claim, since you’ll likely pay more over time because of the possible rate increase.
Insurance Editor
-Don D., Phoenix, Arizona
When choosing a liability insurance amount, think about your assets and savings, which could be at risk if you’re sued. A policy’s liability coverage generally only goes up to $500,000. If you need more coverage, you can buy umbrella insurance, which will offer liability coverage of $1 million and up.
Insurance Lead Editor
-Joseph M., Martinsville, Virginia
An insurance company’s offerings, financial stability and customer satisfaction may all be factors when choosing an insurer. For instance, extended replacement and guaranteed replacement coverage are options not offered by all insurers. These coverage upgrades provide higher dwelling coverage if your home is damaged or destroyed and inflation and/or higher building costs exceed your policy’s coverage limit. If that extra coverage is important to you, narrow your options to companies that offer that coverage.
Insurance Senior Writer
To find the best home insurance companies we analyzed costs around the country, policy information and complaints against insurers. We scored companies based on these factors:
Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates home insurance companies
Here are other companies we analyzed.
Company | Forbes Advisor rating |
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![]() 3.8 stars
|
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![]() 3.4 stars
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![]() 3.2 stars
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Shelter
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![]() 3.0 stars
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![]() 2.9 stars
|
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![]() 1.0 stars
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Looking for Homeowners Insurance?
Based on our analysis, the cheapest home insurance companies are Progressive, Nationwide, Erie, USAA and State Farm.
Those are good starting points, but the cheapest home insurance for you will vary depending on your location and the type of house you’re insuring. Shop around for a few home insurance quotes. And if you’re also getting car insurance quotes, ask about a discount for bundling auto and home insurance with the same company.
Homeowners insurance covers your house, other structures on your property like a detached garage, personal property like furniture and clothing, liability insurance, additional living expenses and medical payments coverage.
HO-3 is the most common type of homeowners insurance policy and it covers your house for any problems except those specifically excluded in the policy. It additionally covers personal property for specific problems named in the policy, such as fire, theft and smoke damage.
Contact the home insurance company or your insurance agent to file a home insurance claim over the phone, through the company’s website, chat, email or app, depending on the company. You want to document the loss by providing information about the cause, when it happened and a list of what was lost.
If your home was damaged, you should try to prevent more damage, such as boarding up a broken window. We wouldn’t suggest fixing the problem before contacting your insurance company. The insurer may want to send an adjuster to observe the damage. You should also keep damaged items so the insurer can document. Once the insurance company is done with its investigation, the insurer will offer a claims payout.
Get Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best insurance companies and helpful information on how to find the best travel, auto, home, health, life, pet, and small business coverage for your needs.
Les Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before covering insurance, Les was a news editor and reporter for Patch and Community Newspaper Company and also covered health care, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans for multiple websites.
George Hosfield is senior director and general manager of home insurance solutions at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. In this role, he manages all aspects of the personal lines property business, including overall strategy, profitable growth, new product development and partnerships. He is responsible for several industry-leading data solutions, including LexisNexis® Rooftop and LexisNexis® Current Carrier Property®.
George has been with LexisNexis for more than 20 years, working in a variety of operational and strategic roles in both the LexisNexis Legal & Professional and LexisNexis Risk Solutions divisions.