Auto-owners Insurance

Auto-Owners Insurance started as a humble business in 1916 by Vern V. Moulton, in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. With virtually no capital and confined to only a small room in a local bank building, the company packed up and left Mt. Pleasant to transfer to Lansing, Michigan. Its assets were listed at $174.25 and had only one book with the names of its clients.

The company showed its strength during the Great Depression by performing beyond expectations and paying claims promptly. Its assets during that period included more than $2.5 million in insurance policies.

Before the onset of World War II, the Auto-Owners got into the general casualty arena while retaining its automobile insurance program. Because of its continuous growth, the company had to obtain three additional buildings near its main office.

During its first years in business, Auto-Owners Insurance focused in Michigan until it ventured into Indiana and Ohio. Over the years, the company expanded its operations and joined the insurance industry in more states.

At present, Auto-Owners is active in 72 cities spread out in 25 states. The corporate headquarters is still based in Lansing, Michigan in a building constructed in 1975. The same building has been renovated and has expanded three times ever since.

Its company head office in Lansing also houses Auto-Owners Insurance’s subsidiary companies, Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company, Owners Insurance Company, Property-Owners Insurance Company, Home-Owners Insurance Company, and Southern-Owners Insurance Company.

The company is among the largest in the country. Overall, it has some 4.2 million written insurance policies and employs around 3,000 workers. It is also represented by more than 5,000 independent insurance agents.