Central Iowa Mutual Insurance Association

About Us

During the 1850’s the area that is now Roland & Story City was settled largely by a group of Norwegian farmers. These early settlers had left behind the impoverished rock filled farms of Norway in search of the fertile land of the Midwest. As they settled and began to farm the land of central Iowa they discovered that they faced many new perils; prairie fires, hail storms, lightening, windstorms and tornados.

As more land came under cultivation, the farmers raised more grain and livestock. As their financial position improved they built better dwellings and farm buildings. With better buildings came the desire for protection from Mother Nature. Insurance agents representing east coast stock companies tried to earn an easy dollar from these supposedly uninformed immigrants by offering high rates with slow unsatisfactory loss settlements.

In the early 1880’s the area farmers and interested property owners were beginning to discuss the matter of seeking more satisfactory insurance coverage at a lower rate. On August 22, 1885 the first meeting was called to discuss the feasibility of organizing a mutual insurance association in the community. Directors and officers were elected and Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company headquartered in Story City began its career.

The company rapidly expanded into a community enterprise, protecting farm property and town dwellings in Story, Hamilton, Hardin, Boone, Marshall, Jasper and Polk Counties. Because of the expanded writing territory, the association voted on March 19, 1932 to change the name to Farmers Mutual Fire and Tornado Insurance Association of Central Iowa. The association shortened the corporate title to Central Iowa Mutual Insurance Association in April of 1966.

Central Iowa Mutual Insurance Association has watched many larger competitors exit the Iowa market following a stormy summer or an icy winter. Central Iowa Mutual Insurance Association remains firmly rooted in the rural Iowa communities where we first began. The company remains close to those roots with over 85% of our total business written on Iowa family farms.

Central Iowa Mutual’s home office is in Story City, Iowa. Our insurance products are marketed through a growing network of local independent insurance agents in Iowa.

Since 1885, we have grown to become one of the largest farm mutual companies in the state by serving our policyholders in the mutual tradition of Iowans helping fellow Iowans.