Foremost Insurance homeowners insurance

Overview

Foremost Insurance is the specialty property arm of Farmers Insurance, and one of the best-known names in manufactured home insurance. It was founded in 1952 to insure families living in mobile homes, and it still writes the kinds of property that standard homeowners programs tend to decline: mobile and manufactured homes, rental houses, vacant homes and seasonal places. It also sells a standard homeowners program, Foremost Choice, along with auto, boat, RV and motorcycle policies.

Foremost is not ranked on its own. Its premiums are counted in the Farmers Insurance Group, which ranked #5 among U.S. homeowners insurance groups by 2025 direct premiums written, with $10.31 billion (5.46% of the national market), according to NAIC market share data. Part of Foremost's specialty business, such as dwelling fire and landlord policies, falls outside the homeowners line in those figures.

Foremost sells through more than 38,000 agents, both independent agents and Farmers agents, and directly by phone. It also runs member programs: AARP has endorsed Foremost for mobile home insurance since 1989, and Foremost operates a program site for USAA members. Many people meet Foremost through another company's agency: the GEICO Insurance Agency lists Foremost companies for homeowners, landlord and mobile home policies, and Progressive lists Foremost as a carrier for dwelling fire and manufactured home coverage.

History

Foremost Insurance Company was founded on June 12, 1952 in Michigan by Edward J. Frey, Richard E. Riebel and Edward L. Stoddard, with a few other investors, to insure mobile homes. In 1961 it introduced Travel Sure, which Foremost describes as the first travel trailer insurance policy, and later added motor home, RV and boat coverage. The flagship company's legal name still carries its origin: Foremost Insurance Company Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Foremost companies' principal place of business is now Caledonia, Michigan.

The Farmers Insurance Group acquired Foremost in 2000. Farmers bought nonstandard auto insurer Bristol West in 2007, which let Foremost add auto insurance. In 2019 Foremost launched Foremost Choice, a program for standard homeowners. Foremost Signature, a separate auto and home line for independent agents, is written by Farmers companies based in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Homeowners coverage

Foremost's mobile home policy is the core product. It can cover the home on a comprehensive (open-perils) basis for direct, sudden and accidental physical loss unless excluded, plus liability. If a covered loss destroys the home, agreed loss settlement pays the full insurance amount minus the deductible, rather than a depreciated value. Optional replacement cost removes depreciation from partial losses and, in most states, can add up to 20% more than the insurance amount. Built-in extras include additional living expenses, trees and shrubs, debris removal, food spoilage, ID fraud and check forgery, and golf carts. Endorsements include trip coverage while the home is being moved, water backup, earthquake, scheduled personal property, hobby farm or ranch liability and incidental business liability. Foremost says it accepts homes of any age, make and model, including park models and modular homes.

The Foremost Choice homeowners program offers named-peril or comprehensive coverage and a choice of settlement terms, from actual cash value to replacement cost. At the top end are Coverage A Plus, which caps your cost on a covered total loss at the deductible even if rebuilding runs past the dwelling limit, extended replacement cost of up to 50% more, and guaranteed rebuild. Add-ons include a home share endorsement, service line, equipment breakdown, ordinance or law, water backup and a blanket property limit. These options are not available in every state or program.

For rentals, a landlord policy covers one- to four-family dwellings, including student rentals and short-term or vacation rentals leased for less than 12 months, with replacement cost, actual cash value or agreed loss settlement. Loss of rents, landlord personal injury, other structures, service line and equipment breakdown are optional. A vacant dwelling policy covers homes that have been unoccupied for a period that varies by state (usually 30 days, Foremost says), the situation in which a standard homeowners policy's vacancy clause can restrict coverage. It is meant for homes for sale, between tenants, under renovation or held by an estate or LLC, and it includes vandalism coverage, which some insurers exclude on empty homes. Flood is written through the NFIP.

Discounts and savings

Foremost's mobile home discounts are for a named insured aged 50 or older, newer homes, homes in an approved mobile home park, and multi-policy bundles with products such as a boat or ATV. The homeowners program lists protective devices (fire and theft protection, self-monitored thermostats), age of home, claim-free and multi-policy discounts. Landlord customers can get multi-dwelling, tenant screening and landlord association membership discounts; vacant-home customers get multi-dwelling, multi-policy and newer-home discounts.

Some credits are state-driven. Oklahoma's insurance department lists a 10% FORTIFIED roof discount on the wind and hail premium for Foremost, based on 2018 rate filings. Foremost says Oregon customers do not receive wildfire risk mitigation discounts.

Where it sells and recent market moves

Foremost is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Its homeowners program is offered in many but not all states, and coverages, settlement methods and discounts vary by state and program; Foremost Lloyds of Texas and Foremost County Mutual write in Texas only.

When Farmers announced in July 2023 that it would stop writing Farmers-branded auto, home and umbrella policies in Florida, Foremost, Foremost Signature and Foremost Choice were not affected; with Bristol West and Farmers GroupSelect they made up about 70% of the group's Florida policies. In California, Foremost reopened its manufactured home FAIR Plan companion endorsement in July 2024 and its owner-occupied manufactured home program in September 2024, then reopened manufactured home landlord policies on March 1, 2025 and dwelling fire landlord and vacant policies on March 15, 2025.

Claims

Claims can be reported 24/7 at 800-527-3907 or online through Foremost's claims site. A claims professional is assigned, an adjuster contacts you to review coverage and help prevent further damage, then inspects and estimates the loss. If you find more damage after a claim closes, you can call to reopen it. After disasters, Foremost deploys a catastrophe response team with mobile claims vehicles and customer care trailers, and it refers fire, smoke and water cleanup to ServiceMaster Restore. For a manufactured home, adjusters commonly ask for the manufacturer, model year, serial number and photos, so keep copies somewhere other than the home.

Ratings and reputation

Foremost's website states that AM Best rates Foremost A (Excellent) but does not give the date of the latest affirmation; check AM Best's site for the current rating of the company named on your policy. Foremost was one of five companies added to J.D. Power's U.S. Home Insurance Study in 2025, though trade-press summaries of the study did not report its score or rank.

Who it suits

Foremost suits owners of manufactured homes of any age, landlords with one to four units, people with a vacant or seasonal home, and anyone a standard carrier has turned down because of how the home is built or used. It suits less well a buyer who assumes every option is in force: Foremost policies can be written on named perils or actual cash value, and replacement cost, comprehensive coverage and the top dwelling guarantees are options that vary by state. Compare it with American Modern Insurance Group, the other large specialty writer.

• Strengths: more than 70 years of mobile home specialization; agreed loss settlement on manufactured home total losses; landlord, vacant and seasonal programs; sold widely through independent agents, Farmers agents, AARP, and partners such as GEICO and Progressive.
• Weaknesses: coverage and settlement options vary by state and program; Oregon customers get no wildfire mitigation discounts; no published, dated AM Best affirmation on its site; no published J.D. Power score.

How to contact Foremost Insurance