Our History
First Maxfield Mutual Insurance Association is one of the oldest insurance companies in Iowa. Its history predates such significant history and events as the Civil War and the creation of the Iowa Fair.
As the third mutual to form in the state of Iowa, the First German Fire Insurance Company began on a Sunday afternoon in 1860. A group of German farmers gathered after services at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Maxfield township of Bremer County. As an expression of Christian brotherly love, they formed a membership to help one another recover financially in the event of a fire or storm. Eligible property was to be within a 12-mile radius from the church. Even in the early years, the membership followed guidelines to determine eligibility for membership.
The company was incorporated in 1878 and the writing territory soon expanded to include Fayette (1883), Black Hawk (1887), and Butler (1893) Counties, later followed by Buchanan and Floyd Counties. All of the early annals and by-laws were written in German until English was accepted as early as 1907.
Over the history of First Maxfield Mutual, the agricultural and insurance markets have faced adversities and developed innovations to overcome these challenges. Change has been constant. Today, First Maxfield Mutual meets the changing needs of its farmers by writing large agricultural risks. We strive to incorporate evolving technology to continually improve the ease of doing business.
In spite of the competition with national carriers and online insurance carriers, First Maxfield Mutual provides its homeowners with valuable products, stable rates, and most importantly, prompt, personal service from local people. Sound underwriting guidelines and a strong agent force have allowed First Maxfield Mutual to remain competitive in the homeowner’s insurance market.
First Maxfield Mutual now insures more than 11,000 policyholders in northeast Iowa counties through local community-based agents. In 2023, we surpassed the milestone of $5,000,000,000 of insurance in force.