State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, commonly shortened to State Auto Mutual or State Auto, is an American insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio. It was incorporated in 1921 as the first casualty insurance company to be headquartered in Columbus.[1][2] In 2022, it was acquired by Liberty Mutual for approximately $1 billion.[3]
History
On September 16, 1921, Robert "Bob" Pein founded the State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company with $30,000 of borrowed funds and three employees at 257 East Broad Street. Pein believed that the American automobile insurance market was too dominated by east-coast companies who set rates too high, in addition to employing contractors to serve as claims adjusters rather than employing them full-time. In 1929, the corporation moved to its current site at 518 East Broad Street.[1]