Be sure to read our Mission Statement
With roots in Northwest Iowa, First Western was born as a "market finder" in Sioux City in 1969. It was a time when standard lines companies wanted a minimum of $100,000 in annual premium commitment.
Originally owned by 12 northwest Iowa insurance agencies, First Western became Iowa's first 'agency cluster' and holder of several company contracts into which the owner-agencies would place business, meeting company's minimum premium requirements.
This operation piqued the interest of several other independent agents, and in 1971 the offices of First Western were moved to West Des Moines. First Western began appointing affiliate agencies in the states of Iowa and Nebraska.
During the mid-seventies, standard lines companies, hungry for premium, reappeared with relaxed standards, appointing any agency that could give them a "reasonable" amount of business. As the need for standard lines markets began to wane, First Western was receiving more requests to place non-standard business than they were for standard business.
In 1975, in a change of direction, President Dick Watt became majority owner and established relationships with markets willing to write the more difficult classes of business. The company emphasis was changed from standard lines to Excess/Surplus/Specialty lines.
In 1989-90, First Western purchased four competitive specialty agencies: Bjornson, Inc. and Creative Underwriters in Iowa and Midway Underwriters and Hull & Company - Mid-America in Nebraska.
The Omaha office opened in 1990 to better meet the needs of those Nebraska insurance agents seeking alternative markets for their customers.
In 2001, First Western became part of the R.W. Scobie family. State of the art technology and generations of insurance experience as a result of this move have allowed us to continue to provide excellent service to our customers.
Today
Today, First Western is one of the Midwest's largest insurance wholesalers, serving over 1,800 agencies out of offices in West Des Moines and Omaha. Led by General Manager Tom Berry, the company proudly brings an average of fifteen years experience per underwriter to the table when working on risks ranging from A - Z.
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