Our Vision
Our vision at American Family Insurance is to be the most trusted and valued customer-driven insurance company.
Our Mission
Our mission at American Family Insurance is to inspire, protect and restore dreams.
Our Chief Executive
BILL WESTRATE
CEO and chair of the board
Bill Westrate was named CEO-elect in August 2020 and took over the role in January 2022. He became chair of the board in January 2024. Bill has oversight and is actively engaged in the strategy and operations of the American Family Insurance group and its individual operating companies. He is closely involved in the organization’s business development and innovation efforts, and he has a passion for community/social impact and progressing the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Bill started with American Family in 1996 as an actuarial analyst and later became the division’s actuarial manager, homeowners lines director and risk pricing director. In 2006, he was elected vice president of the Actuarial Division, and two years later he was named vice president of Personal Lines.
Bill became an executive vice president in July 2011, when he began oversight of the product line divisions: Commercial-Farm/Ranch, Life and Personal Lines. He continued in that role until assuming the role of American Family chief operating officer in January 2014. In 2017, American Family promoted Bill to enterprise president, assuming that role from Chair and CEO Jack Salzwedel.
Bill earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College in mathematics. He is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He has served on the board of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and was elected chair of the board in January 2024. He is the vice chair of the United Way’s board of directors and a member of its executive committee.
Our History
American Family Insurance began on Oct. 3, 1927, when insurance salesman Herman Wittwer opened the doors of Farmers Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in Madison, Wis. At the time, the company's only product was auto insurance and its target market was farmers. Wittwer believed farmers presented lower risks than city drivers because they drove less often and not at all in the winter.
Over the years, Farmers Mutual expanded its market and product line to meet the changing needs of its customers. In 1963, Farmers Mutual changed its name to American Family Mutual Insurance Company to reflect its broader customer base.
Today, the American Family Insurance Group is the nation’s 12th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 243 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance Group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America Insurance. Across these companies the group has approximately 12,500 employees nationwide.
Our Financial Performance (2023 results)
Assets: $38 billion
Equity: $8 billion
Revenue: $17.1 billion
More financial information is available in our 2023 annual report.
Our Agents and Employees
American Family Insurance contracts with approximately 2,400 independent contractor agents and employs approximately 12,500 people in a variety of professional areas, including: actuarial, brokerage, claims, communications, education, government affairs, human resources, information services, investments, legal, marketing, office administration, product design and underwriting across its operating companies.
Our Facilities
American Family's National Headquarters is located at 6000 American Parkway, Madison, Wisconsin, 53783. The company has other core offices in these locations: Boston, MA; Keene, NH; Nashville, TN; St Joseph, MO; Eden Prairie, MN; Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Chicago, IL.
Our Operating Companies
American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.
American Standard Insurance Company of Wisconsin
American Family Life Insurance Company
American Family Brokerage, Inc.
American Family Insurance Company
American Standard Insurance Company of Ohio
CONNECT powered by American Family Insurance
Homesite Group Incorporated and its subsidiaries (Homesite)
Main Street America Group and its subsidiaries
Midvale Indemnity Company
PGC Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries (The General®)
Where We Stand
Based on written premium, American Family Insurance Group is the nation's 12 th largest property-casualty insurance group.
Source: SNL Financial LC