D E Cressman Insurance Agency

What D E Cressman Insurance Agency does

D.E. Cressman Insurance Agency is a third-generation, family-owned independent insurance agency headquartered at 2310 Walbert Avenue in Allentown, Pennsylvania, serving the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Whitehall, Quakertown and surrounding communities). The agency was founded in 1956 by Don Cressman, passed to his son Dan Cressman in 1979, and is now owned by third-generation Allison Cressman Durnin (president) and her husband Rob Durnin (agent and finance manager), with Dan Cressman continuing as a mentor. A team of approximately eight licensed staff, several holding the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation, supports the operation.

The agency sells four core lines of insurance - home, auto (personal and commercial), life, and commercial - primarily as a licensed reseller of Erie Insurance products, with Hagerty used for specialty classic-car coverage. Products span homeowners and renters policies with Guaranteed Replacement Cost, auto coverage with extras such as pet coverage and glass repair, life products (whole, term, universal, express, 20-pay, paid-up-at-65), and commercial packages for auto services, contractors, landlords, restaurants, and professional services. The technology layer is minimal: customer interaction is conducted in-office, by phone, by text, or through a basic website quote form, with billing handled via Erie's online portal.

D.E. Cressman earns revenue through insurance commissions on new sales and renewals from its carrier partners, a recurring model that benefits from policy retention. The go-to-market is relationship-led, anchored by the long-running 'Bugged About Insurance' television campaign, Facebook and YouTube content, and word-of-mouth referrals. The 2025 acquisition of Coringrato Insurance Agency represents a local roll-up, and the 2022 generational ownership transition signals continued family stewardship rather than institutional exit.

Name

D E Cressman Insurance Agency

Legal name

D.E. Cressman Insurance Agency Inc.

Website

https://choosecressman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Short description

D.E. Cressman Insurance Agency is a third-generation, family-owned independent insurance agency in Allentown, Pennsylvania, selling home, auto, life, and commercial coverage primarily through Erie Insurance to households and small businesses across the Lehigh Valley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Allentown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, D.E. Cressman earns commissions by selling insurance policies from carrier partners (primarily Erie Insurance). They receive commissions on new policy sales and renewals. Additional revenue from processing policy changes and servicing existing client accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

D.E. Cressman Insurance Agency is a family-owned, independent insurance agency that sells personal and commercial insurance policies — home, auto, life, and commercial — primarily underwritten by Erie Insurance, with classic-car coverage via Hagerty. The agency serves homeowners, renters, drivers, families, and small businesses across the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, earning commissions on new sales and renewals and providing in-person, phone, and online servicing plus claims support.

Product overview

D.E. Cressman Insurance Agency is a family-owned independent insurance agency offering a portfolio of four core insurance products: Home Insurance (with Guaranteed Replacement Cost coverage and multiple optional protections), Auto Insurance (personal and commercial with numerous extras like pet coverage and glass repair), Life Insurance (including Whole Life, Term, Universal Life, and limited-pay options), and Commercial Insurance (focusing on Auto Services, Contractors, Landlords, Restaurants, and Professional Services). The agency also offers specialty coverage for classic cars through a Hagerty partnership. The products work together to provide comprehensive personal and business protection, with bundling options for customers covering multiple assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home Insurance Homeowners and renters insurance covering dwelling, personal property, liability, and additional living expenses for Lehigh Valley residents. Includes Guaranteed Replacement Cost coverage and optional add-ons such as Identity Recovery, Underground Service Line Coverage, Equipment Breakdown, Sinkhole Coverage, and Criminal Defense Cost Reimbursement.
• Auto Insurance Personal and commercial auto insurance covering cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles. Includes extras such as pet coverage (up to $500 per pet), personal item coverage (up to $350), auto glass repair with deductible waiver, roadside assistance and rentals, and locksmith services (up to $75).
• Life Insurance Life insurance products including Whole Life, Term Life (10/15/20/30-year terms), Universal Life, Express (no medical exam option), Life Paid Up at 65, and 20-Pay Life policies for income replacement, debt payoff, education costs, estate planning, and final expenses.
• Commercial Insurance Business insurance covering Auto Services/Mechanics, Construction Contractors, Landlord and Property Owners, Restaurants, and Offices and Professional Services. Includes property and liability packages, workers compensation, business catastrophe liability (umbrella), business auto, group life, crime/theft/fraud insurance, and bonds.
• Classic Car Insurance Specialized coverage for classic and collector vehicles through Hagerty partnership, including specialized repairs, parts coverage, flexible usage limits, storage considerations, and optional coverage for shows or events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer satisfaction rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Coringrato Insurance AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Coringrato Insurance Agency joined D.E. Cressman. Ed Coringrato was a fellow local Erie agent who helped Dan Cressman learn the industry when Dan's father Don had a heart attack in 1979. This represents a strategic consolidation of two Lehigh Valley independent insurance agencies with shared history.
• Erie InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary carrier partnership. D.E. Cressman is an independent agency selling Erie Insurance products. Erie Insurance provides home, auto, life, and commercial coverage. Erie Insurance has received highest J.D. Power ranking for customer satisfaction six years in a row and holds A+ rating from A.M. Best. The agency was founded selling for Erie Insurance in 1956.
• HagertyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for collector and classic car insurance. D.E. Cressman refers customers needing classic car coverage to Hagerty, who specializes in coverage for preserved, restored, or collected vehicles not driven daily. Hagerty offers specialized repairs, parts, flexible usage limits, and storage considerations for classic car owners.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Acrisure: Tech-enabled insurance brokerage that has rapidly aggregated agencies. Comparable as an illustration of how a small family-owned agency platform can be repositioned and scaled through M&A and technology investment.
• Brown & Brown: Large publicly traded insurance brokerage with significant personal and commercial lines. Comparable because Brown & Brown demonstrates the scale endpoint of independent agency roll-ups that D.E. Cressman is starting to pursue via acquisitions like Coringrato.
• Hub International: Mid-large North American insurance brokerage built largely through independent agency roll-ups. Comparable because Hub's playbook of acquiring local agencies mirrors the consolidation path D.E. Cressman appears to be starting with the Coringrato deal.
• Allstate: National personal lines carrier with captive agent force. Comparable because Allstate targets the same households with auto, home, and life products and represents the closest large-cap analog to D.E. Cressman's relationship-based agent model.
• GEICO: Direct-to-consumer auto and home insurer. Comparable because GEICO competes for the same Lehigh Valley auto and home customers that D.E. Cressman serves, with a digital-first model that pressures independent agents on price-sensitive segments.
• State Farm: Largest U.S. personal lines insurer with a captive agent model. Comparable because State Farm competes head-to-head for the same homeowners, auto, and life customers D.E. Cressman serves in Lehigh Valley, though via employed agents rather than independent brokers.
• Arthur J. Gallagher: Major global insurance brokerage and risk management firm. Comparable as a reference point for where a consolidator could take an agency platform of D.E. Cressman's character — multi-line, relationship-driven, with acquisition appetite.
• Nationwide: Mutual insurer with a strong captive agent network in the Mid-Atlantic. Comparable because Nationwide sells similar multi-line personal and small commercial products through local agents and competes directly for the same customer segments.

Others

• Erie Insurance: Primary carrier partner and dominant regional P&C insurer in the same Lehigh Valley footprint. Comparable because Erie's direct agency force, product set, and underwriting appetite define the competitive arena in which D.E. Cressman operates.

Emerging players

• Lemonade: Digital-first, direct-to-consumer insurance carrier targeting younger demographics. Comparable because Lemonade represents the disruptive alternative to the local independent agent model, competing for the same auto, home, and renters customers without a human intermediary.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@decressman
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChooseCressman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/d-e-cressman-insurance-agency-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about D E Cressman Insurance Agency