Beginnings as Farm Bureau Mutual In the 1920s, farmers were paying the same rates on their automobile insurance as city drivers even though they had fewer accidents and claims than city drivers. The Ohio Farm Bureau decided to set up its own insurance company to offer rates that accurately reflected the driving habits of farmers. On April 10, 1926, the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company obtained a license to do business in Ohio, and two days later, it acquired its financing—a $10,000 loan drawn from the membership dues of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. At that time,
Ohio law required 100 people to pledge to become
policyholders. The first
agents managed to recruit ten times that number, and on April 14, 1926, Farm Bureau Mutual started a business with over 1,000
policyholders. The first product of the new company, as its name implied, was automobile insurance. The company wrote policies only to Ohio
farmers who were members for the Ohio Farm Bureau.
Expansion In 1928, Farm Bureau Mutual expanded to
West Virginia, followed by
Maryland,
Delaware,
Vermont, and
North Carolina. Farm Bureau Mutual began
underwriting residents of small towns in 1931 and residents in larger cities in 1934. Also, in 1934, Farm Bureau Mutual began offering fire insurance. This product grew the following year with the purchase of a struggling fire insurance company. In 1935, Farm Bureau Mutual acquired the Life Insurance Company of America from the bankrupt fraternal insurer, American Insurance Union. The company was later renamed to Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company in 1938. With growth, came a need for the expansion of office space. In 1936, the company moved into the 246 Building at 246 N. High Street in Columbus. By 1943, Farm Bureau Mutual operated in 12 states and the
District of Columbia. Even with the tripling of space in the 246 Building (which was finally dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the company), Farm Bureau Mutual still had insufficient office space and began opening regional offices in 1951. In 1955, Farm Bureau Mutual changed its name to Nationwide Insurance, a name by which it is commonly known today. In the 10 years that followed, Nationwide expanded into
Oregon, making the company truly "nationwide". It also expanded into 19 other states, bringing the total by 1965 to 32 states and the District of Columbia. Nationwide outgrew the 246 Building by the 1970s, and work began on a new
skyscraper headquarters for the company. In 1978,
One Nationwide Plaza was completed at the southwest corner of N. High Street and Nationwide Blvd. on the northern edge of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Since 1988, Nationwide has added the following to its presence in Downtown Columbus: Plaza Two (on the northeast corner of High Street and Chestnut), Plaza Three (just west of High Street and Chestnut), Plaza Four (Front Street), 275 Marconi (behind Plazas One and Three on Marconi Blvd), and 10 West Nationwide, which together with Plaza One form the primary downtown complex. In addition to downtown Columbus, Nationwide also has a significant presence in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan suburbs of Dublin, Grandview Heights, and Grove City. In 2025, Nationwide closed a $1.25 billion acquisition of a specialty employer benefits line from Allstate Corp. Nationwide also acquired reinsurance renewal rights from Markel Insurance. In October 2025, Nationwide announced a $1.5 billion investment to accelerate technology and AI. In December 2025, Nationwide appointed Michael Carrel as CTO. Carrel is taking over the role from veteran IT executive Jim Fowler.
Nationwide Slogan & Jingle The genesis for the Nationwide slogan, "The Man from Nationwide is on your Side" was first introduced to the public in 1965, composed by Steve Karmen, an acclaimed jingle writer and it was later set to music in 1969. But by 1971 being an insurance agent was no longer strictly a male profession, so the words "the Man from" were dropped in 1972, and "Nationwide is on your side" became the slogan, after the first female agent Diana M Krapf was hired and asked that it be changed so she could properly represent the company as an insurance agent. Nationwide did make these changes (i.e. signs, letterheads, TV and print ads, even business cards) showing the changing attitudes of the times and were followed years later by other major companies.
Nationwide Jingle Singers & Performers •
Jana Kramer •
Peyton Manning •
Leslie Odom Jr. •
Brad Paisley •
Rachel Platten •
Jill Scott •
H.E.R. ==Sponsorships==