Liberty Mutual to Sunset Safeco Brand in 2026

Safeco Insurance will stop being a brand name in 2026, and Liberty Mutual Insurance will sell all of its personal lines products under the Liberty Mutual name.

Safeco has been Liberty Mutual’s brand for the independent agent channel to sell home, auto and specialty business since Safeco was acquired by the Boston-based insurer in 2008.

“The Safeco legacy is one of strength, partnership and an unwavering commitment to independent agents,” said Luke Bills, president of independent agent distribution, in a statement. “We will carry that legacy forward and will bring our agents even greater value with this brand change.”

But come 2026, Safeco logos in agency offices – the same one that once adorned a Major League Baseball ballpark – will be replaced with Limu Emu and Doug. Novelties commemorating Safeco’s 100-year anniversary in 2023 (born in Seattle by Hawthorne K. Dent as General Insurance Company of America) will be stored away.

Liberty Mutual, the sixth-largest writer of personal lines in the U.S., said the policies of Safeco customers will not be impacted and customers will keep their agent relationship. Liberty Mutual also uses direct distribution and licensed sales reps.

Transitioning away from the Safeco name will “fully harness the Liberty Mutual brand value for all of our customers, agents and partners, across all distribution channels,” added Tyler Asher, Liberty Mutual chief distribution and marketing officer, US Retail Markets. Liberty Mutual said direct and independent agent channels will remain differentiated.

“Importantly, this will significantly simplify our business, allow us to dedicate our considerable marketing power behind a single brand, and enable us to leverage and scale our technology to deliver unified but differentiated products and experiences across channels,” Asher added.

Since it was bought by Liberty Mutual in 2008, Safeco’s 22,000 or so independent agencies helped grow the business to $13 billion in annual premium – as the company sometimes stepped in to assume books of business from other insurers. It did so late last year when it took the personal lines book of Main Street America. In September 2024, Safeco said it entered into a personal auto and umbrella lines book transfer agreement with Columbia Insurance Group.