Foremost Insurance Group

Foremost Insurance Group has sold property and casualty coverage since 1952. The company is based in Caledonia, Michigan, and got its start insuring mobile homes, a market few other insurers served at the time. It now operates as a member of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies and reaches customers nationwide through a network of independent agents.

Website: foremost.com

Head office address: 5600 Beech Tree Lane SE, Caledonia 49316

Founded: June 12, 1952

Company type: private; member of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies

Business focus: specialty property and vehicle insurance for mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and other niche personal lines

Regions served: all 50 states and Washington, DC

History of Foremost Insurance Group

Edward Frey, Richard Riebel, and Edward Stoddard started the company in 1952. They aimed to cover a market mainstream insurers had largely ignored: mobile home residents.

• 1961: the company introduces Travel Sure, the first travel trailer insurance policy on the market
• 1962: Foremost commissions research into how high winds affect mobile homes, work that leads several states to pass mandatory tie-down laws
• 1989: AARP names Foremost an endorsed provider of mobile home insurance for its members
• 2000: Farmers acquires the company, adding it to its portfolio of property and casualty carriers
• 2007: Farmers acquires Bristol West, giving Foremost an automobile insurance line under a related brand
• 2018: the insurer rebrands its auto line as Bristol West to bring customer support and claims service under one brand
• 2021: Farmers acquires MetLife’s former auto and home business, expanding the distribution network available to Foremost’s agents

These deals shaped Foremost Insurance Group into a specialty carrier with a broader personal lines lineup than its mobile home roots suggest. The Bristol West brand still handles a large share of the auto business today.

What does Foremost Insurance Group insure?

The insurer sells a wide range of specialty property and vehicle coverage, much of it built for assets that standard carriers overlook. Independent agents across the country handle most of the distribution. Core lines include:

• mobile home insurance, including coverage for owner-occupied, vacant, and seasonal properties
• homeowners insurance for standard and landlord-owned properties
• renters and condominium insurance
• flood insurance underwritten through the National Flood Insurance Program
• automobile insurance for standard and non-standard drivers, underwritten through the Bristol West brand
• collectible and antique auto coverage, still written under the Foremost name through a partnership with J.C. Taylor
• motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, and golf cart insurance
• boat and watercraft insurance
• RV and travel trailer coverage

Many of these lines trace back to affinity programs Foremost built with AARP, which still endorses its mobile home and motorcycle policies. The company also partners with USAA and J.C. Taylor, extending specialty coverage options beyond its core property and auto lines.

Market position and distribution

Foremost Insurance Group sells its products mainly through independent agents rather than a direct sales channel. Its online quote tool sends requests to a local agent instead of completing a purchase directly, which keeps the agent relationship central to how Foremost does business.

Ownership ties Foremost to Farmers Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group. Zurich funded most of the 2021 deal that brought MetLife’s former auto and home business into the Farmers family, a transaction that added to Foremost’s own history of acquisitions.

Check out the news section below for coverage on Foremost.