COUNTRY Financial and Illinois Farm Bureau Celebrate a Century
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COUNTRY Financial is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025. Andy Bender, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for COUNTRY and the Illinois Farm Bureau, shares the history behind the company’s agricultural beginnings.
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Adapting to Demand
In 1925, the Illinois Farm Bureau planted a seed that grew into what is today known as COUNTRY Financial. Born out of the need to assist small companies in their desire to spread risk, Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Co. was chartered on Nov. 17, 1925. Over the next two decades, the company began offering insurance products directly to consumers and was renamed Country Mutual Fire Co. in 1946.
The near-immediate success of the reinsurance company encouraged demand for additional insurance services, specifically auto insurance. At the time, farmers were underinsured and faced with paying the same rates as urban drivers who drove cars more often and in more congested areas.
The solution came via Illinois Agricultural Mutual Insurance Co., chartered on Oct. 14, 1926. This company was also renamed in 1946, becoming Country Mutual Casualty Co. In 1957, Country Mutual Fire Co. and Country Mutual Casualty Co. merged to become the company we know today as Country Mutual Insurance Co.
Despite the progress in property and casualty insurance, farmers still had unique needs to protect their families. COUNTRY Life Insurance Co. (CLIC) was started in 1928, offering ordinary life insurance to Farm Bureau members. In 1970, CLIC hit the incredible milestone of becoming the first $2 billion company to provide life insurance in one state.
These companies operated exclusively in Illinois until the early 1960s, when they began to expand to other states. While maintaining the values that made them successful, the companies found broader geographic and demographic success through acquisition and organic growth.
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Meeting the Need
Today, the companies that make up COUNTRY Financial provide a broad range of insurance products and financial services in 19 states, helping clients protect what they have and provide planning throughout their lives.
Even as the group continues to grow and add new products and services for clients, the companies remain focused on providing insurance and financial solutions for farmers and maintaining a strong relationship with the Farm Bureau. Today, COUNTRY is the leading farm insurer in Illinois and has expanded its farm insurance products to 10 states. To learn more or find a representative near you, visit countryfinancial.com.
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About the Author: Andy Bender has served as senior vice president and deputy general counsel for COUNTRY Financial and Illinois Farm Bureau since June 2019.
