Denise Kowalczyk
Principal agent and owner
Denise bought the agency from its founder in 2009 and still handles her own book of clients in Lakewood and Rocky River.
Independent agency, Cleveland since 1987
Fourteen carriers. One agent who reads the fine print.
We compare auto, home, life and business coverage across 14 insurers, then stay with you on the day you have to use it.
See every line we write
- 1987
- Independent since
- 14
- Carriers shopped
- 6,200+
- Households insured
- 4.9
- From 1,284 reviews
Nine lines of coverage, each written by someone who only writes that line
Auto and home are the ones everyone shops. Umbrella, workers' comp and commercial auto are the ones that decide whether a bad year ends the business.
Compare all nine- 01Auto insuranceLiability, collision and comprehensive for Ohio drivers, shopped across our carriers.
- 02Home insuranceDwelling, belongings and liability, with the water backup and roof terms Ohio homes need.
- 03Renters insuranceYour belongings and personal liability, usually for less than a streaming subscription.
- 04Condo insuranceWalls-in coverage that fills the gaps left by your association's master policy.
- 05Life insuranceTerm and permanent life insurance, compared side by side by a licensed agent.
- 06Business owners policyProperty and general liability packaged for shops, offices, restaurants and contractors.
Bundling arithmetic, with the subtraction shown
Carriers pay for the second and third policy in a household. We quote the bundle next to the best separate prices, so you only bundle when it actually wins.
Price a bundleHome and auto
15% to 22% credit- Home, best standalone carrier
- $1,842
- Auto, best standalone carrier
- $2,538
- Same carrier, multi-policy credit
- -$668
Separate:
$4,380$3,712
Saves $668 a year
Sample credit quoted for a Parma household, valid through 31 March 2027.
Home, auto and umbrella
18% to 25% credit- Home and auto, separate carriers
- $4,380
- $1M umbrella on split carriers
- $318
- All three with one carrier
- -$1,172
Separate:
$4,698$3,526
Saves $1,172 a year
Umbrella prices lower when the underlying policies sit with the same carrier. Sample figures.
Business owners and fleet
8% to 14% credit- Business owners policy
- $2,940
- Commercial auto, four vans
- $6,200
- Package credit, one carrier
- -$920
Separate:
$9,140$8,220
Saves $920 a year
Sample package credit for a Strongsville trades business, subject to loss runs.
The two numbers everybody guesses at
Your deductible is what you pay on the worst day. Your liability limit is what stands between a verdict and your house. Move them and watch what happens to both sides of the trade.
How to read the break-even
A higher deductible is a loan you make to the carrier: you keep the premium difference every year, and you repay it in one lump the year you claim. Divide the extra out-of-pocket by the annual saving and you get the number of claim-free years the trade needs to survive.
Northeast Ohio households file a property claim roughly once every nine years. That is the number to hold the break-even against, and it is why we rarely recommend a $500 deductible to anyone who could absorb $2,500.
Annual home premium$1,640
Saved against a $500 deductible$202 / yr
Your cheque on a $14,200 hail claim$1,000
Carrier pays$13,200
Years of savings before the higher deductible pays for itself2.5
Raising auto liability costsincluded
Sample figures for this demo. Your premium depends on the carrier, the property, the drivers and your claim history.
What an independent agency does that a website cannot
The commission is in the premium either way. The difference is who is working for you after the policy is issued.
The 14 carriers we represent| What you get | Ironbridge | Captive agent | Buying online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carriers compared | 14 carriers | 1 company | 1 company per site |
| Re-shops your renewal | Automatically, if up 10%+ | No | You do it yourself |
| Claims help | In-house claims advocate | Varies by agent | Call center |
| Local, licensed agent | Named agent, direct line | Yes | No |
| Personal and business lines | All under one roof | Limited | Rarely |
| Cost of advice | $0 | $0 | $0 |
What actually happens after the water comes through
Four stages, one advocate, and a file that does not close until the last cheque clears.
- 01
First hour
Make it safe, then photograph
Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Shut the water at the main, tarp what you can reach safely, and photograph every room before anything is cleaned up.
- 02
Same day
Report it, with us on the line
Our 24/7 number, (216) 555-0190, files the claim with your carrier while you are still standing in it. Policy number helps, but we can look it up.
- 03
Day 2 to day 10
Meet the adjuster together
Kevin spent twelve years writing estimates for a carrier. On any property loss over $10,000 he joins the inspection and checks the scope line by line.
- 04
Weeks 2 to 12
Push the settlement to closing
We chase supplements, contest low unit prices and make sure withheld depreciation is released once the invoices land. The file stays open until you are paid in full.
Rebuild cost, not market value
Most Cleveland-area houses were built before 1960, and most are insured for what they would sell for rather than what they would cost to put back. Those are different numbers, and on this housing stock the gap runs one way.
Coverage A, dwelling
$325,920
1,940 sq ft at $168 per sq ft
- Coverage B, other structures 10% of A
- $32,592
- Coverage C, personal property 50% of A
- $162,960
- Coverage D, loss of use 20% of A
- $65,184
- Ordinance or law 10% of A
- $32,592
- Total limits written on the policy
- $619,248
Sample per-square-foot costs for Cuyahoga and Lake counties. A full replacement-cost estimator run by the carrier will ask about foundation type, roof pitch, bath count and mechanicals. We run one free, with or without a quote.
Rebuild cost is not market value and is not the county valuation. On the older Cleveland housing stock it is usually the larger of the two.
Claims center: what to do in the first hourSnow belt, lake effect, hail alley
Three storms a year decide most of our claim volume
- Ice dams and backupsThe most frequent property loss we handle. Water backup is an endorsement, not a standard inclusion, and $10,000 of it costs about $52 a year.
- Wind and limb damageMature oaks in Shaker and Lakewood bring one every storm season. Debris removal has its own sub-limit, usually $1,000.
- Hail on older roofsThe single loss most likely to be settled at actual cash value instead of replacement cost. Check the endorsement before the sky does.
Six licensed agents, 95 years between them, all reachable by extension
You get a name, a direct extension and the same person next year. Tap a portrait for what each of them actually spends the day on.
Meet the whole team
Marcus Bell
Commercial lines manager
Marcus works with contractors, restaurants and property managers across Cuyahoga and Lake counties.
Priya Raman
Life and benefits advisor
Priya runs needs analyses for young families and business owners, and explains underwriting in plain English.
Tomás Herrera
Personal lines agent
Tomás grew up in Clark-Fulton and works with a lot of first-time homebuyers and Spanish-speaking households.
Andre Moore
Client service lead
Andre is who you reach for ID cards, lender paperwork and anything that needs to be done today.
Kevin O'Donnell
Claims advocate
Kevin spent twelve years as a carrier adjuster before joining Ironbridge to sit on the client's side of the table.
A client on our claims advocacy
"A hailstorm took out our roof. Kevin met the adjuster at the house and got the depreciation reversed. Worth every penny of the premium."
- 5 of 14 carriers rated A+
- 19 yrs claims experience on staff
- $0 charged for advice
1,284 reviews, and the ones about renewals matter most
4.9
Read all reviews1,284 reviews · 96% five star
"Denise found us $1,140 a year in savings and added water backup coverage we did not know we were missing. Three weeks later the sump pump failed."
Latoya SimmonsShaker Heights · Home and auto
"Tomás explained everything in Spanish for my mother and got both of our cars on one policy. Very patient, very clear."
Ana Lucia OrtizClark-Fulton · Renters and auto
"Our landlord needed a certificate with specific wording by Friday. Marcus had it to them Thursday morning."
Jordan PikeLakewood · Business owners policy
"Four service vans, three carriers quoted, and a clear side-by-side. We saved about 18 percent without cutting limits."
Samir HaddadStrongsville · Commercial auto
"Priya compared term options across four carriers and got me a better health class than my previous application. No sales pressure."
Dr. Michael OseiBeachwood · Life insurance
"Our old agent never called. Ironbridge reviewed the policy every spring and re-shopped it when the renewal went up 22 percent."
Carla RussoMentor · Home
"For our cafe they added equipment breakdown and spoilage. When the walk-in cooler died in July, we were covered."
Megan FitzgeraldTremont · Business owners policy
"Solid, local, reachable. The office actually picks up the phone, and they explain the fine print instead of glossing over it."
Robert LindqvistBay Village · Home and umbrella
1350 Euclid Ave, Playhouse Square
Slate in Shaker, doubles in Lakewood, snow load in Mentor
Local risk is not a marketing line here. It changes the endorsements we ask for, street by street.
Every community we serveWhat three Northeast Ohio households actually pay
Sample bands, not a quote. We publish them because "it depends" is a bad answer to a fair question.
Get a free quoteRenting in Ohio City
One adult, one car, 700 sq ft apartment
- Renters, $30k contents / $300k liability
- $14 - $22 / mo
- Auto, 100/300/100, one sedan
- $96 - $142 / mo
- Multi-policy credit
- -9% to -14%
Bundled, all in$104 - $151 / moFamily home in Parma
Two adults, two cars, 1,940 sq ft colonial
- Home, $325k dwelling, $1,000 deductible
- $1,428 - $1,842 / yr
- Auto, 250/500/100, two vehicles
- $158 - $224 / mo
- Umbrella, $1M above both
- $186 / yr
Bundled, all in$3,510 - $4,716 / yrTrades business in Strongsville
Four vans, two locations, six employees
- Business owners policy
- $1,980 - $3,240 / yr
- Commercial auto, four vehicles
- $5,600 - $8,900 / yr
- Ohio BWC and stop gap liability
- $410 - $780 / yr
Bundled, all in$7,990 - $12,920 / yr
What the price includes
Four things we put in writing
No fee for advice
Carrier commission is built into the premium whether you buy direct or through us. You never pay us separately.
Renewals re-shopped at +10%
If a renewal comes back more than ten percent above the expiring premium, we requote it across every appointed carrier before you see the bill.
A named agent, a direct line
You get an agent's name and extension, not a queue. Same person next year.
A claims advocate on your side
Kevin spent twelve years as a carrier adjuster. He reads the estimate before you sign it.
Every premium on this page is a sample figure prepared for this demo site, not a quote or an offer of coverage. Real pricing depends on the carrier, the property, the drivers, the loss history and underwriting approval.
Licensed, rated, credentialed and insured ourselves
Licensed in three states
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Agency and producer licence numbers are placeholders on this demo site.
5 of 14 carriers rated A+
Every carrier we place business with holds an A- or better financial strength rating at the time of binding.
CIC, CLU, CRIS and CISR
Five of our six agents carry a professional designation beyond the state licence.
$2M agency E&O cover
Errors and omissions insurance on the agency itself, because advice is the product.
Ironbridge Insurance Group is a licensed independent insurance agency in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan (license numbers shown are placeholders for this demo). Coverage is subject to policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions, and to underwriting approval by the issuing carrier.