Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 2, 1884, IMT (Iowa Mutual Tornado, Cyclone and Windstorm Insurance Association) of West Union wrote the company’s first policy. Now based in West Des Moines, IMT continues to represent a pioneering influence in the insurance industry.
Founded by J.B. Herriman in 1884, IMT wrote its first policy for Dr. Lorenzo Dutton. Soon after, many others started taking policies with IMT, and by 1885, the company officially boasted a book of over $1 million in policies. The company continued to grow and eventually simplified its name from Iowa Mutual Tornado, Cyclone, and Windstorm Insurance Association to Iowa Mutual Tornado Insurance Association in 1903. By 1911, the company had topped the $150 million mark for tornado insurance policies.
Founded as a cooperative association, the company found itself as the largest cooperative association in the world by 1927. The company continued to evolve over the course of the 20th century. In 1955, the company started to provide fire insurance, and in the 1960s, IMT started writing homeowners, family auto, and commercial truck policies. Several major marketing changes also arrived in the second half of the 20th century, including the “Be Worry Free with IMT” tagline, the company’s trademark diamond logo, and the final name change to IMT Insurance Company.
After the company entered its second century in the 1980s, the company continued to grow and innovate in the insurance industry. Awarded the National Consumerism Award from PIA in 1980 and Company of the Year from the same organization in 1994, IMT continued to celebrate success as an Iowa-based company. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryClaendar
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