What is a mutual insurance company?

East Tennessee Mutual Insurance is of course a mutual insurance company, but what does that mean?

     East Tennessee Mutual Insurance Company was founded in 1896 by a group of farmers who wanted to protect their farms and their homes. Our original name was Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Sullivan County. As a Mutual Company, we are owned by our policy holders, not shareholders which allows us to focus solely on our customers' needs. When you call, a person, not a machine, will answer the phone. We are constantly working to make sure that we are serving our policyholders quickly and efficiently. If you have an issue, we can usually resolve it in a few minutes or at worst, the same day we receive your call. Our company motto is "a personal touch" with "peace of mind."

     Until 2003, our primary focus of coverage was to Farms and Dwellings. Since then, we have expanded our coverage to include full Homeowner's Policies, Dwellings, Mobile Homes, Doublewides, and Rental homes while still offering the coverage to the Farms (Barns, Farm equipment, Livestock and Hay/Grain). Our mission is to be able to offer our policyholders a policy that fits their needs and is affordable.

     We have two locations: one in Blountville, TN and another in Mountain City, TN. We have 10 counties in East Tennessee that we currently write in. We have implemented a few new payment options: In person with cash, check, or credit card; mail in payments; monthly automatic drafts from a bank account; and online (Credit card or Bank draft) www.easttnmutualins.com.

     For 118 years, we have and will continue to grow and adjust to the changing needs of our policyholders. We base our decisions on what is best for our policyholders. Our company still stands by the core values of our original founders by being honest and being a company you can trust and rely on.