Country Financial News

Jacobs Named Next CEO at Illinois’ COUNTRY Financial

Insurer COUNTRY Financial, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, has named Jim Jacobs as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective early next year. He succeeds Kurt Bock, who is retiring Jan. 31, 2019, after serving as CEO for seven years. Jacobs …

Country Financial CEO Bock Plans to Retire in January

Kurt Bock will retire as chief executive officer of Illinois-based Country Financial effective January 31, 2019, after serving in the leadership role for seven years. The company said a search for his successor is underway. Bock has been chief executive …

COUNTRY Financial Appoints Thorpe VP of Commercial/Agribusiness Underwriting

Andrea Thorpe, of Bloomington, Illinois, has been named vice president of Commercial/Agribusiness Underwriting at COUNTRY Financial. She replaces Sheri Bane who will retire in January 2018. Thorpe will lead the Agribusiness Underwriting, Commercial Underwriting Operations and Field Underwriting divisions at …

Crop Damage from Herbicide Dicamba a Growing Problem Across U.S. Farm Belt

Larry Martin in Illinois says he’s never seen anything like it in his 35 years of farming. Arkansas soybean grower Joe McLemore says he faces the loss of his life savings. They’re among farmers across the U.S. suffering from a …

Report: Some Illinois Insurance Companies Forcing Roof Replacements

When Dennis Roberts’ car insurance started getting a bit too expensive, he did what a lot of consumers do and shopped around. Then he picked a new company and switched both his home and auto coverage, never expecting what it …

COUNTRY Financial COO Baurer to Retire

Barb Baurer, chief operating officer for Bloomington, Ill.-based COUNTRY Financial, announced she will retire in January 2015. Baurer has been with the company for 37 years. She joined the company in 1977 and has served as chief operating officer for …

Interest in Renters Insurance Climbs after Illinois Storms

An insurance agent in central Illinois says he’s noticing an increase in the number of inquiries about renters’ insurance following the deadly November tornadoes. The (Peoria) Journal-Star reports one of the newly insured is Jesse Hunter. Washington man and his …

Claims Filing Begins Following Midwest Storms

Two Illinois-based insurers say they’ve received about 6,000 claims so far from Sunday’s tornadoes and they expect that figure to climb. State Farm officials told The (Bloomington) Pantagraph they’ve received about 3,500 claims from customers in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. …

Illinois Farm Deaths at Lowest Level in 35 Years

The number of laborers and others killed in accidents on Illinois farms is falling. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that the number of fatalities in the 12 months ending June 30 was the lowest in 35 years. According to the insurance …