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Alleging 'unlawful conspiracy,' Country Financial sues American Farm Bureau Federation. Published September 29, 2026 at 10:58 AM CDT Country Financial is suing the American Farm Bureau Federation, the latest move in a series of escalating legal trouble tied to the insurer's decision to drop its requirement that some policyholders be farm bureau members. In legal documents obtained by WGLT, Bloomington-based Country Mutual Insurance Company [CMIC, the legal name of Country Financial] alleges the American Farm Bureau Federation [AFBF] has "openly engaged in an unlawful conspiracy to violate Illinois law through anticompetitive conduct, contractual breaches, intentionally tortious conduct and unfair and deceptive trade practices." Country alleges the result of the conduct is "significant financial harm" to both Country and its customers, "and to insurance customers generally in Illinois and nationwide." The lawsuit names nine current and former leaders within the AFBF. The allegations laid out include: * AFBF's breach of contract related to an agreement made between the two entities in 1990 which stated "AFBF shall not limit any activities of IAA's [Illinois Agricultural Association, the legal name for the Illinois Farm Bureau] affiliates that are not conducted under the Farm Bureau [trade] marks." * Unlawful conspiracy to injure the business of another * Unlawful interference with prospective business relations and expectancies * Violations of the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act * Ill. common-law commercial disparagement The AFBF is a nonprofit umbrella organization comprised of 50 member state farm bureaus plus Puerto Rico. The Illinois Farm Bureau founded Country Financial in 1925 and the two companies remain affiliated. At the root of the current disagreement is a 2024 business decision made by Country. Previously, Country required membership with the Illinois Farm Bureau for all property/casualty insurance policy holders in the state of Illinois. This effectively meant that anyone buying an auto or home insurance policy through Country was required to join the Farm Bureau and pay a membership fee in addition to their insurance premium. Country decided that in the interest of long-term customer growth, they would discontinue this practice. "CMIC today serves a broad, diverse client base spanning more than one million policyholders across 19 states, a substantial portion of which are outside the agricultural sector," according to the complaint. This decision introduced significant tension between the company and the Farm Bureau, the lawsuit states. A series of leadership changes on the board followed. Current president Philip Nelson defeated former president Brian Duncan in an election in December 2025 and Duncan initially refused to resign his seat. Nelson cited his victory over Duncan as being directly related to the changes Country made to the Farm Bureau membership requirement. In a statement issued Tuesday, Nelson expressed support for Country as the legal case plays out. "Country Financial is critical to IFB and our county Farm Bureaus' success. IFB stands behind our insurance affiliate," Nelson said. Country issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying "After unsuccessful good faith efforts to resolve our differences, Country Mutual filed suit in Illinois state court against the American Farm Bureau Federation. Country and the Illinois Farm Bureau are united in this lawsuit to protect the rights of IFB members and our Country policyholders across 19 states." Regarding the civil complaint, former Illinois Farm Bureau president Brian Duncan told WGLT "I hope people read it. I think it speaks for itself." The conflict ultimately contributed to the retirement of Jim Jacobs, former CEO, this summer. Country has not yet named a new CEO. Country is seeking a jury trial and financial damages. An administrative hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3. The case has been assigned to newly appointed Chief Judge Mark Fellheimer. Country has also requested to consolidate this new lawsuit with a prior lawsuit the Illinois Agricultural Association filed in 2024 against the American Farm Bureau Federation. The AFBF has not responded to WGLT's request for comment. This story will be updated.

Meet America's Best Insurance Companies 2027. ByHaniya Rae, Contributor. Haniya Rae is a freelance journalist covering lists for Forbes. Sep 15, 2026, 09:45am EDT Updated Sep 15, 2026, 06:08pm EDT The increasing use of AI chatbots across the insurance industry may serve to quickly analyze customer data, assess claims and provide basic answers, but for some customers, talking directly with an AI chatbot can feel stilted, says Jonathan Ernest, an assistant professor of economics at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. A chatbot won't have the same empathetic response that a human agent would, and might even cause the customer to value the company less, says Ernest, who has experience as an insurance industry analyst. "There's a lot of concern over the proper level of investment [in AI] companies are going to have to decide on." The Savings Bank Mutual Life Insurance Company of Massachusetts (SBLI) has addressed this concern in part by providing customers with a virtual assistant tool that can quickly connect customers to a live representative if they choose. "We prioritize making people feel heard, supported and confident in the decisions they're making," says Rose Conneely, SBLI's senior vice president and chief operating officer. "Sometimes that is a faster digital experience that's easier to understand and navigate. Other times it means having a real person available to advise and help." SBLI's ability to meet customers where they are is one of the reasons the insurer earned top rankings (No. 2 for permanent life insurance and No. 5 for term life insurance) on Forbes' list of America's Best Insurance Companies 2027. The ranking, which Forbes produced in partnership with Statista for the sixth straight year, recognizes the best insurers in the United States categorized by five insurance types: homeowners, renters, auto, permanent life and term life. The winners were determined through an independent survey conducted throughout June 2026 that included more than 18,000 people across the U.S. who reported having an insurance policy in one of those five categories within the last three years. Survey participants were asked how satisfied they were with their insurer, how loyal they felt toward the company and how likely they were to recommend it overall. Respondents were also asked to rate their insurance provider based on these criteria: customer service, advice given, price, transparency, digital services and damage service. Ratings for each insurance type were calculated, and the 112 insurers with the highest scores were awarded. For more on the methodology, see below. Customers of Amica, which ranked No. 2 for homeowners insurance, No. 8 for auto, No. 3 for renters, and No. 2 for term life, rave about the company's services, with many staying loyal for years or even decades, as evidenced by one recent customer review on the platform Trustpilot: "We have been with Amica Insurance since 1967 for Auto and Home insurance," writes the customer. "Every phone call has been responsive with courtesy and promptness in followup on the issue or claim. Every claim has been handled with professionalism and efficiency." Kristin Abdel-Aziz, vice president and director of communications for Amica, adds, "Amica customers stay with us for an average of 18 years and we have a 98% retention rate among customers who bundle their home and auto policies with us." Another reason for the long-term appeal, suggests Abdel-Aziz, is that the company operates as a mutual insurer, which means policyholders jointly own part of the company and can help determine coverage decisions and vote on management - and may receive profits from insurance sales in the form of dividends or reduced rates on their policies. Thrivent, which ranked No. 12 for permanent life insurance and No. 3 for term life insurance, also falls into the mutual insurance category, and offers financial services and banking along with disability income insurance. This year, the century-old company gave $590 million back to clients through dividends and nonguaranteed policy enhancements, says David Royal, Thrivent's chief financial and investment officer. Strong returns may be one reason why Thrivent has an estimated policy lapse rate of about 2% when compared with other similar insurers, says Royal: "That means most policyholders choose to stay with Thrivent," which Royal also attributes to the strong relationships between policy holders and their advisors. Policyholders at COUNTRY Financial often say that they feel their needs are tailored to, says Andrea Thorpe, an executive vice president and chief experience officer, especially those who are recovering from a loss or supporting loved ones or elderly parents. COUNTRY Financial ranked No. 23 for homeowners insurance, No. 23 for auto insurance, No. 2 for renters, No. 7 for permanent life and No. 4 for term life. The company, which has its roots as a farming and agriculture speciality insurer, works across 19 states and recently reduced its auto insurance rates in Oklahoma by 15%, despite insurance costs rising across the country. In a recent internal customer service satisfaction survey, Thorpe says they saw high satisfaction with how auto claims are handled, with 90% of recent customer claims saying the process was easy. "These results reinforce our commitment to delivering personalized service, simplifying the insurance experience and being there for our clients when they need us most," says Thorpe. Ranking No. 3 for permanent life insurance, Prosperity Life Group offers universal life insurance and annuities, though recently-appointed CEO Michael Ferik, says the company is currently expanding its retail offerings to make it even more competitive among similar insurance companies and help strengthen returns for policyholders. "Having the opportunity to support families across the country with critical financial planning solutions has already been so rewarding and will continue to be our focus and driving ambition," says Ferik. To find other insurers that are supporting their policyholders across the country, check out Forbes list of America's Best Insurance Companies 2027. Methodology. America's Best Insurance Companies 2027 - produced in partnership with market research firm Statista - was based on survey responses from more than 18,000 people across the United States who reported having an insurance policy within the last three years in at least one of five categories: homeowners, renters, auto, permanent life and term life. Survey participants were asked how satisfied they were with their insurer, how loyal they felt toward the company and how likely they were to recommend it to others. Respondents were also asked to rate their insurance providers on such criteria as the advice agents offered, customer service, cost, company transparency, digital services and damage services. The survey results were then tallied and combined with responses from the last two years (which received lower weights) so that the scores would reflect performance over time. The companies with the highest scores made our rankings. (The list lengths vary for each insurance type because each list is dependent on the number of evaluations collected, the final score and the size of that insurance market.) Ultimately, out of more than 3,100 eligible U.S. insurance companies, a total of 112 insurers were recognized in one or more categories (45 companies were awarded in homeowners insurance, 28 in renters insurance, 37 in auto insurance, 53 in permanent life insurance and 32 in term life insurance). The full list of America's Best Insurance Companies 2027 is presented directly below. As with all Forbes lists, companies do not pay to participate or be selected. To read more about how we make these lists, click here. For questions about this list, please email listdesk [at] forbes.com.