Country Financial
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| Type | Mutual, Stock |
|---|---|
| Industry | Insurance & Financial Services |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Bloomington, Illinois |
| Key people | Kurt Bock, CEO |
| Products | Insurance & Investing |
| Revenue | $3.237 billion USD (2010)[1] |
| Employees | 2,669 |
| Website | www.countryfinancial.com |
COUNTRY Financial is a group of US insurance and financial services companies. Its corporate headquarters are in Bloomington, Illinois.
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[edit] History
COUNTRY was founded in 1925 when a group of Illinois Agricultural Association members developed an organization to provide fire and lightning insurance for farmers. 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 85 years of operation, the insurance and financial services provider grew from a small Illinois company to one serving clients in 14 states and offering products and services in 40 states.
COUNTRY Financial and its alliances now serve more than 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 2,669 employees and more than 2,000 financial representatives[2]
Along with its home office in Bloomington, Illinois, COUNTRY has regional offices in Arden Hills, Minnesota; Salem, Oregon; Alpharetta, Georgia (Cotton States); Middletown, Connecticut (Middle Oak); and Salem, Massachusetts (Middle Oak).
[edit] 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, placing it among the 81 strongest auto, home and business insurers.
A.M. Best, www.ambest.com, has affirmed the A+ Superior rating for the property and casualty and primary life and health companies within COUNTRY Financial. COUNTRY has been rated A or higher by Best for more than 75 consecutive years.[3]
COUNTRY ranked 624 on the 2011 Fortune 1000 list.
[edit] 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.
[edit] COUNTRY Alliance
COUNTRY Financial now owns and operates two other insurance companies 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.
[edit] CEOs
| CEO | Years Served |
|---|---|
| Kurt Bock | 2012–Present |
| John Blackburn | 2001–2012 |
| Duane Miller | 1974–2001 |
| Darrell Achenbach[4] | 1962–1974 |
[edit] Revenue
2010 Revenue: 3.237 billion USD
2009 Revenue: 3.15 billion USD
2008 Revenue: 3.135 billion USD
[edit] 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
