State Auto Insurance

State Auto Insurance, formally known as State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, is an American insurance company based in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded on September 16, 1921 by Robert “Bob” Pein with $30,000 in borrowed funds and just three employees, making it the first casualty insurance company headquartered in Columbus. The company was built on the belief that the auto insurance market was overly dominated by east-coast firms charging excessive rates, and it grew over the decades into a major regional insurance provider offering personal and commercial coverage products including property, liability, business auto, workers’ compensation, and farm and ranch insurance.

In March 2022, Liberty Mutual Insurance completed its acquisition of State Auto Group in an all-cash deal of approximately $1 billion, adding roughly $2.3 billion in premium and bringing over 2,000 State Auto employees into Liberty Mutual’s Global Retail Markets US business unit. While now part of Liberty Mutual, State Auto continues to operate under its own brand, with the same products, systems, customer service team, and staff. The company distributes its insurance products through a network of independent agents across dozens of states.