Data Study · March 3, 2026

Oregon Contractor Bond & Insurance Companies: 2026 Market Study

Which companies back the bonds and insurance of Oregon's 45,600 licensed contractors? A full analysis of 50,431 active bond records and 49,496 active insurance policies — data no other source publishes.

Source Oregon CCB Open Data Portal

Dataset 56,384 license records

Date March 3, 2026

Published by CCB Lookup

45,600

Unique contractors

50,431

Active bonds

49,496

Active policies

118

Bond companies

451

Insurance companies

41.1%

Western Surety share

Methodology & Data Source

This study analyzes 56,384 license records from the Oregon CCB Open Data Portal, representing 45,600 unique Oregon CCB-licensed contractors (some contractors hold multiple license types). Data was queried on March 3, 2026.

Bond and insurance counts include only records where the expiration date is on or after March 3, 2026. Market share percentages are calculated against the total pool of active bonds (50,431) and active insurance policies (49,496) respectively. This study does not include workers' compensation or commercial auto coverage. CCB Lookup is not affiliated with the Oregon CCB. Always verify at search.ccb.state.or.us.

Key Findings

Five things the data reveals

1. One company controls 41% of all Oregon contractor bonds

Western Surety Company backs 20,714 of 50,431 active bond records — more than the next seven companies combined. No other segment of the Oregon construction insurance market has this level of concentration.

2. The insurance market is 3.8× more fragmented than the bond market

118 companies cover contractor bonds. 451 companies cover contractor liability insurance. The top insurance company (CBIC) holds just 9.8% — compared to Western Surety's 41.1% in bonds.

3. CBIC is the only company in the top 5 of both markets

CBIC ranks #2 in surety bonds (8.82%) and #1 in liability insurance (9.78%). No other provider achieves significant presence in both markets simultaneously.

4. A digital-native insurer has captured the #3 insurance position

NEXT Insurance — founded in 2016, offering policies entirely online — holds 5.83% of active insurance policies, ranking #3 behind CBIC and Ohio Security. It outranks established carriers like State Farm (1.93%) and Liberty Mutual (0.59%).

5. Over 10% of license records show no active bond or insurance

5,953 records (10.6%) lack an active bond. 6,888 records (12.2%) lack active insurance. Some license types do not require both — but it underlines why checking expiration dates independently matters.

Part 1

The Surety Bond Market

50,431 active bond records · 118 companies · data: March 3, 2026

Complete Surety Bond Ranking — Top 30

#	Company	Licenses	Market share
1	Western Surety Company Market leader	20,714	41.07%
2	Cbic	4,448	8.82%
3	Rli Insurance Company	4,252	8.43%
4	Ohio Casualty Insurance Co	3,162	6.27%
5	Old Republic Surety Co	2,484	4.93%
6	Suretec Insurance Company	2,037	4.04%
7	Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company	1,519	3.01%
8	American Contractors Indemnity Co	996	1.97%
9	Travelers Casualty & Surety Co Of America	993	1.97%
10	Lexon Insurance Company	948	1.88%
11	North River Insurance Company	938	1.86%
12	Platte River Insurance Company	890	1.76%
13	SL Westfield Insurance Company	866	1.72%
14	Allegheny Casualty Company	831	1.65%
15	Merchants Bonding Co	607	1.2%
16	State Farm Fire & Casualty Co	560	1.11%
17	Jet Insurance Company	512	1.02%
18	Great American Insurance Co	354	0.7%
19	Liberty Mutual Ins Co	282	0.56%
20	The Cincinnati Ins Co	250	0.5%
21	Fidelity & Deposit Co Of Md	245	0.49%
22	Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company	237	0.47%
23	Philadelphia Indemnity Ins Co	237	0.47%
24	Swiss Re Corporate Solutions America Ins Corp	174	0.35%
25	Ngm Insurance Company	162	0.32%
26	Fcci Insurance Company	142	0.28%
27	Hartford Fire Insurance Co	141	0.28%
28	Federal Ins Co	132	0.26%
29	Federated Mutual Ins Co	127	0.25%
30	Arch Insurance Company	89	0.18%

Remaining 88 companies share 4.7% of the market (each below 0.18%). SL = Surplus Lines carrier.

41.1%

1 company alone
Western Surety

64.6%

Top 4 companies
combined

79.9%

Top 10 companies
combined

Part 2

The Liability Insurance Market

49,496 active insurance policies · 451 companies · data: March 3, 2026

Complete Liability Insurance Ranking — Top 30

#	Company	Licenses	Market share
1	Cbic Market leader	4,841	9.78%
2	Ohio Security Insurance Company	3,069	6.2%
3	Next Insurance Us Company Digital-native	2,884	5.83%
4	Continental Casualty Company	1,813	3.66%
5	Scottsdale Insurance Co	1,605	3.24%
6	Country Mutual Ins Co	1,272	2.57%
7	Acuity A Mutual Ins Co	1,221	2.47%
8	Hdi Global Insurance Company	1,144	2.31%
9	The Cincinnati Ins Co	1,097	2.22%
10	Atlantic Casualty Ins Co	1,011	2.04%
11	Us Specialty Insurance Company	974	1.97%
12	State Farm Fire & Casualty Co	955	1.93%
13	Artisan And Truckers Casualty Company	849	1.72%
14	Palomar Excess And Surplus Insurance Company	822	1.66%
15	Nautilus Insurance Company	817	1.65%
16	Third Coast Insurance Company	809	1.63%
17	Obsidian Specialty Insurance Company	727	1.47%
18	Sutton Specialty Insurance Company	653	1.32%
19	SL Kinsale Insurance Company	634	1.28%
20	Clear Spring Property And Casualty Co	632	1.28%
21	Ohio Casualty Insurance Co	611	1.23%
22	Western National Mutual Insurance Company	586	1.18%
23	United Fire & Casualty Company	577	1.17%
24	Spinnaker Insurance Company	563	1.14%
25	SL Cincinnati Specialty Underwriters Ins Co	531	1.07%
26	General Insurance Co Of America	484	0.98%
27	Midvale Indemnity Company	476	0.96%
28	Federated Mutual Ins Co	394	0.8%
29	Clear Blue Specialty Insurance Company	391	0.79%
30	Evanston Insurance Company	382	0.77%

Remaining 421 companies share ~36% of the market. SL = Surplus Lines (E&S) carrier. RRG = Risk Retention Group.

Part 3

Bond vs Insurance: Market Structure Comparison

Two markets with completely different concentration profiles

Head-to-Head Market Comparison

Metric	Surety Bond	Liability Insurance
Active records	50,431	49,496
Total companies	118	451
Market leader	Western Surety Co.	CBIC
Leader's market share	41.07%	9.78%
Top 4 combined share	64.59%	25.69%
Top 10 combined share	79.21%	39.72%
Companies with 1–2 records	~25	~80+
Company in both top 5	CBIC only
E&S / Surplus Lines presence	Minimal	Significant
Risk Retention Groups (RRG)	None notable	Present (4+ RRGs)
Digital-native in top 10	No	Yes (NEXT Ins. #3)
Lloyds of London presence	No	Yes (179 policies)

Part 4

Bond Market Share by License Type

Western Surety dominates all types — but the commercial segment is the exception

License type	Total bonds	#1 company	#1 share	#2 company
RGC	~24,700	Western Surety	55%	RLI Insurance
RSC	~6,600	Western Surety	47%	CBIC
RLC	~970	Western Surety	43%	CBIC
CGC2	~3,970	Western Surety	47%	Ohio Casualty
CGC1	~1,810	Western Surety	27%	Travelers C&S ← strong #2
CSC1	~990	Western Surety	26%	Ohio Casualty
CSC2	~1,960	Western Surety	38%	Ohio Casualty

CGC1 is the most competitive segment. Commercial General Contractors Level 1 — which require an $80,000 bond — show the most balanced market. Travelers Casualty & Surety is a strong #2 with 301 licenses (vs. Western Surety's 486). These contractors tend to use corporate brokers who offer a wider selection of carriers.

Part 5

Notable Companies & Market Dynamics

Bonds

What It Means When Your Contractor's Bond Is With Western Surety

Western Surety Company backs 20,714 active Oregon CCB bonds — 41.1% of the entire market. It is a subsidiary of CNA Financial Corporation (NYSE: CNA), a Fortune 500 insurer with an A (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best. If your contractor's bond is with Western Surety, financial solvency is not a concern.

Because Western Surety covers such a large share of the market, it handles the majority of Oregon CCB bond claims. However, claims do not go directly to Western Surety. The Oregon CCB process requires you to first file a complaint and obtain a court judgment or arbitration award — only if that judgment goes unpaid does Western Surety become liable.

Seeing "Western Surety Company" on your contractor's CCB profile is normal and expected — it is the most common bond provider in Oregon by a wide margin. What matters is that the bond expiration date has not passed.

Quick facts

Subsidiary of CNA Financial (NYSE: CNA)
A.M. Best rating: A (Excellent)
Authorized in Oregon by DCBS
Claims require CCB complaint + court judgment first
Bond amount is a shared pool among all claimants

How to file a bond claim in Oregon

Both markets

CBIC: The Only Company in the Top 5 of Both Bond and Insurance Markets

CBIC (Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company) is the only provider to rank in the top 5 of both markets simultaneously — #2 in surety bonds (8.82%) and #1 in liability insurance (9.78%). Unlike Western Surety, which operates across many sectors, CBIC specializes exclusively in contractor coverage. That focus may explain its unusually strong dual presence.

Across both products, CBIC covers approximately 9,300 Oregon CCB contractors (4,448 bonds + 4,841 insurance policies, with some overlap). When a contractor uses CBIC for both bond and insurance, the same specialized carrier handles both coverages — which can simplify the process if a claim involves both a performance failure and property damage simultaneously.

If your contractor's CCB profile shows CBIC for both bond and insurance, this is a common and legitimate configuration. As always, verify that both expiration dates are current before signing any contract.

CBIC at a glance

Contractors Bonding and Insurance Company
Specializes exclusively in contractor coverage
#1 insurance provider in Oregon CCB
#2 surety bond provider in Oregon CCB
~9,300 Oregon contractors covered across both products

Insurance NEXT Insurance

Founded in 2016 and offering policies 100% online, NEXT Insurance holds 2,884 active Oregon CCB policies — ranking #3 with 5.83% market share. It outranks State Farm (1.93%), Liberty Mutual (0.59%), and Farmers (0.41%). Its rise reflects the shift toward digital-first insurance purchasing among small contractors.

E&S / Surplus Lines Market segment

A significant portion of Oregon contractor insurance is placed through Excess & Surplus (E&S) lines carriers — identifiable by the "SL -" prefix in CCB records. Companies like Kinsale, Nautilus, Palomar, Obsidian, and James River are common. E&S carriers take on specialty risks that standard markets decline. They are not subject to the same rate regulations as admitted carriers.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

For most homeowners, the issuing company matters less than whether the bond is currently active and unexpired. All surety companies issuing bonds in Oregon must be authorized by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. What matters most is the expiration date — verify it before hiring. Learn how bonds protect you →

"SL -" stands for Surplus Lines — a category of insurance carriers that operate outside Oregon's standard admitted market. Surplus Lines (also called Excess & Surplus or E&S) carriers insure risks that standard carriers decline, which is common in construction for specialty trades. They are legal and legitimate but operate under different regulatory rules. If your contractor's insurer is an E&S carrier, ask for a Certificate of Insurance directly from the carrier.

RRG stands for Risk Retention Group — a special type of liability insurer owned by its policyholders, who share similar business risks. In the Oregon CCB data, RRGs like Preferred Contractors Insurance Co RRG and Western Pacific Mutual appear. RRGs are federally chartered and not subject to the same state insurance regulations as traditional carriers. They are legal for contractor liability coverage but carry different risk profiles.

Two reasons. First, some license types do not require liability insurance — for example, certain limited license categories. Second, bonds and insurance can lapse independently of the license status. A license may show as Active in the CCB database even if the bond or insurance has expired. This study found 5,953 records (10.6%) without an active bond and 6,888 (12.2%) without active insurance. Always check expiration dates independently before hiring. Full verification guide →

The underlying data in this study was queried from the Oregon CCB Open Data Portal on March 3, 2026. CCB Lookup syncs with the Open Data Portal regularly — individual contractor pages show their last sync date. Market share figures in this study reflect a point-in-time snapshot and will shift as licenses are issued, renewed, and cancelled. We plan to update this study annually.

Data queried: March 3, 2026 · Source: Oregon CCB Open Data Portal · 56,384 records analyzed · CCB Lookup is not affiliated with the Oregon CCB · Not legal or financial advice.

Verify Your Contractor

Check any Oregon contractor's bond company and insurance provider — free, instant.

Oregon CCB License Lookup

Bond Market — Top 10

1 Western Surety Co. 41.1%
2 CBIC 8.8%
3 RLI Insurance 8.4%
4 Ohio Casualty 6.3%
5 Old Republic Surety 4.9%
6 SureTec Insurance 4.0%
7 Nationwide Mutual 3.0%
8 Am. Contractors Ind. 2.0%
9 Travelers C&S 2.0%
10 Lexon Insurance 1.9%

Insurance Market — Top 10

1 CBIC 9.8%
2 Ohio Security Ins. 6.2%
3 NEXT Insurance 5.8%
4 Continental Casualty 3.7%
5 Scottsdale Insurance 3.2%
6 Country Mutual 2.6%
7 Acuity Mutual 2.5%
8 HDI Global 2.3%
9 Cincinnati Ins. Co. 2.2%
10 Atlantic Casualty 2.0%

Study at a Glance

Dataset date Mar 3, 2026
Total records 56,384
Unique contractors 45,600
Active bonds 50,431
Active ins. policies 49,496
Bond companies 118
Insurance companies 451