- Country Financial
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Country Financial 
Type Mutual, Stock Industry Insurance & Financial Services Founded 1925 Headquarters Bloomington, Illinois Key people John Blackburn, CEO Products Insurance & Investing Revenue $3.237 billion USD (2010)[1] Employees 5,600 Website www.countryfinancial.com Country Financial is a group of US insurance and financial services companies. Its corporate headquarters are in Bloomington, Illinois.
Contents
History
Country was founded in 1925 when a group of Illinois Agricultural Association members developed an organization to provide fire and lightning insurance. The farmers created Country because insurance salesmen rarely traveled the dirt and gravel roads to their homes and they were being charged the same rates as city dwellers. In the company's first year of operation, more than 385 Illinois farmers worked part-time, offering insurance services to their friends and neighbors.
Crop insurance became available in 1926, auto insurance in 1927, and life insurance in 1929. Financial services, including retirement planning, estate planning, investment management, and annuities have been available for more than 35 years.
Country has grown exponentially since its founding. In more than 80 years of operation, the insurance and financial services provider grew from a small Illinois company serving only Illinois customers to having agents in 14 states and offering products and services in 40 states.
Country Financial and its alliances now serve about 1 million households and businesses and insure more than 1 million vehicles and a half a million homes throughout the United States. The organization currently has 3,600 employees and more than 2,000 agents[2]
Country has several corporate offices. Three are located in Bloomington, Illinois, and the others are in Arden Hills, Minnesota; Salem, Oregon; Atlanta, Georgia (Cotton States); Middletown, Connecticut (Middle Oak); and Salem, Massachusetts (Middle Oak).
Rankings
COUNTRY has had the lowest auto complaint ratio with the Illinois Department of Insurance for 11 of the last 12 years. COUNTRY has ranked among the top two home insurers with the lowest complaint ratio for the last 12 years.
Weiss Ratings awarded COUNTRY Life an A+ rating, which is the highest given by the ratings agency. COUNTRY Mutual earned a B+ rating, place it among the 81 strongest auto, home and business insurers.
A.M. Best Company, Inc. has affirmed the A+ Superior for the property and casualty and primary life and health companies within COUNTRY Financial. COUNTRY has been rated A or higher by Best's for more than 75 consecutive years.[3]
Country ranked at 624 on the 2011 Fortune 1000 list. Country ranked third among companies listed in Fortune’s property and casualty mutual insurance company category – the same ranking as the last three years.
Country Financial Security Index
The Country Financial Security Index is a bi-monthly measure of Americans' sentiments towards their overall financial security. Based on a national telephone survey of 3,000 Americans, the index tracks how secure Americans feel about their own financial situation in relation to their stage in life. Survey questions range from taking care of short-term needs and protecting current assets to planning for the future.
Country Alliance
Country Financial now owns and operates two other insurance companies which falls under a partnership called the Country Alliance. These companies are MiddleOak, which services the northeast portion of the United States, and Cotton States, which services the southeast portion of the United States.
CEOs
CEO Years Served John Blackburn 2001–Present Duane Miller 1974–2001 Darrell Achenbach[4] 1962–1974 Revenue
2010 Revenue: 3.237 billion USD
2009 Revenue: 3.15 billion USD
2008 Revenue: 3.135 billion USD
References
- ^ Fortune 1000 (2010)
- ^ "Primary Companies".
- ^ "Industry Analyst Confirms Superior Ratings For COUNTRY"
- ^ Executive VP. Prior to 1962, the companies which comprise Country Financial had separate leaders. Source: CLIC Magazine, August 1974
External links
Categories:- Companies established in 1925
- Companies based in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
- Financial services companies of the United States
- Insurance companies based in Illinois
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