Is 1st Auto and Casualty Insurance Legit?

Last Updated on October 16, 2026

By James Shaffer · Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 16, 2026 · How we fact-check

1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company is gone. A Wisconsin court ordered it into liquidation on January 2, 2024, effective January 1, and the order ended every 1st Auto policy within 15 days — so no 1st Auto policy has been in force since January 17, 2024. You cannot buy coverage from 1st Auto, and nobody can quote it for you. If you held a policy or have a claim tied to one, skip to “What to Do If You Had a 1st Auto Policy” below.

So, was 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance “legit”? Yes. It was a real, state-licensed insurance company for decades. It is also finished, which makes the useful question a different one: what happens to policyholders and claims after an insurer is shut down? That is what the rest of this page covers.

Quick Answer: Is 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Legit?

Yes. 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company was a legitimate, Wisconsin-domiciled property and casualty insurer and a subsidiary of Wisconsin Reinsurance Corporation (WRC).

Since January 2024 it has been in liquidation — a court-supervised shutdown, roughly the insurance equivalent of bankruptcy, run by the state insurance commissioner rather than a bankruptcy trustee. For a shopper that is the end of the story: there is nothing to buy. For former policyholders and claimants, a claim goes through the liquidation process and, in most cases, your state property and casualty guaranty association. Wisconsin’s OCI has sent liquidation notices to the guaranty associations in each state where 1st Auto wrote.

Who Is 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance?

1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company (“1st Auto”) was part of the Wisconsin Reinsurance Group. WRC functioned primarily as a reinsurer for certain insurers, and 1st Auto wrote direct policies (including private passenger auto and other lines). The companies were based in Madison, Wisconsin and marketed many products through affiliated channels.

Where 1st Auto was licensed (when it was actively writing business): Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

If you’re trying to confirm you’re looking at the right company (and not a similarly named business), use the official liquidation page and look for the insurer name and NAIC number: Wisconsin OCI: Liquidation of WRC and 1st Auto.

What Happened to WRC and 1st Auto?

According to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI), WRC and 1st Auto ran into serious financial trouble after higher-than-expected losses, including severe storm losses in 2022. OCI petitioned to put both companies into rehabilitation on May 23, 2023 — the step where the regulator takes over and tries to fix the company. That did not work. OCI filed the petition for liquidation on November 1, 2023.

The court entered the liquidation order on January 2, 2024, effective January 1, 2024, with the Commissioner of Insurance appointed as liquidator. The Notice of Liquidation says policies terminate at the earliest of four things: 15 days from the date of the order, the policy’s normal expiration, the date you obtained replacement coverage, or the date the policy was transferred to another insurer. Fifteen days from January 2 is January 17, 2024, so that is the latest any 1st Auto policy could have been in force. Most ended earlier than that, when their holders found new coverage.

You can read official dates, documents, and FAQs here: OCI liquidation page. The WRC Group website also posts liquidation contact info and links back to OCI: thewrcgroup.com/1st-auto.

What to Do If You Had a 1st Auto Policy

If you were insured by 1st Auto at any point, focus on these steps:

• Replace coverage, if you somehow haven’t. Every 1st Auto policy ended in January 2024. If you have not bought a policy from another insurer since then, you have been driving uninsured for two years, and that is the first thing to fix today.
• Gather documentation. Keep your declarations page, cancellation notices, claim paperwork, photos, police reports, repair estimates, and any communications you have.
• If you have (or had) a claim: follow the official liquidation instructions and contact the liquidator using the info below. Depending on your state and claim type, your state guaranty association may be involved.
• The claim deadline has passed. OCI set July 1, 2024 as the bar date and due date for Proof of Claim forms. That date is behind us. If you never filed, contact the liquidation office anyway and ask where you stand — late claims are handled differently, and the answer depends on your claim, but you will not find it out by waiting.

1st Auto liquidation contact information

If you’re trying to understand how guaranty funds work (and how to find yours), a helpful starting point is the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds (for property & casualty guaranty associations): ncigf.org.

What Coverages Did 1st Auto Write?

Before liquidation, 1st Auto primarily wrote auto-related coverage and related liability lines. In plain English, that typically included:

• Liability insurance (required in most states)
• Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage (damage to your vehicle, depending on the cause)
• Commercial auto insurance (for vehicles used primarily for business)
• Personal/farm umbrella and liability (learn more about personal umbrella insurance)

None of that is available now. If you are shopping for replacement coverage, your premium will depend on several things, especially the type of vehicle you have and how much coverage you choose. If 1st Auto wrote your farm or commercial policy, go through an independent agent — those lines are harder to replace online than personal auto.

How to Verify Whether an Insurance Company Is Legit

If you’re ever unsure whether an insurer is legitimate (or whether a website/phone number is really connected to the insurer), use this checklist:

• Check licensing with your state Department of Insurance (or equivalent regulator). For 1st Auto/WRC, the Wisconsin OCI pages are the authoritative source.
• Verify the NAIC number on the policy paperwork and match it to the regulator’s listing.
• Look up the company in NAIC’s consumer tools: NAIC consumer insurance company search.
• Check financial strength information from a reputable rating source (when available). For example, AM Best reported it withdrew the Wisconsin Reinsurance Group’s ratings in 2022 after the company requested to no longer participate in AM Best’s interactive rating process: AM Best notice.
• Review complaint history cautiously. BBB can show business-profile complaints and responses, but it’s not a financial-strength rating. BBB’s profile for 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance is here: BBB business profile.
• Be alert for scams after major events (like liquidations). Only use contact info from the state regulator’s page or the insurer’s official website, and be wary of unusual payment requests.

FAQs on 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance

Bottom Line

1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company was a legitimate insurer, and it is over. Wisconsin put it into liquidation in January 2024 and its policies ended within 15 days. If you are looking for coverage, you are shopping somewhere else. If you had a 1st Auto policy or claim, the Wisconsin OCI liquidation page has the forms, the deadlines and the official contacts.

One thing I would add from experience: when a small insurer gets into trouble, the warning signs show up at renewal before they show up in the news. A rate increase nobody can explain, a notice that a line is being dropped, a rating withdrawn. If you get one of those, do not wait for the state to act. Get a quote somewhere else while you still have continuous coverage to show, because that is the thing that keeps your next premium down.

Sources

Checked October 5, 2026

• National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds — Home Page
• Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance — Liquidation of Wisconsin Reinsurance Corporation and 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company
• Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance — Notice of Liquidation