About

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The forerunner of Allen was organized by Wilder W. Perry in 1866 and purchased by George E. Allen in 1902. He conducted insurance and real estate business in Camden until 1935, when his son, Hervey C. Allen, Jr., sold the business to J. Hugh Montgomery, who operated the Allen Insurance Agency until his death in November 1953.

In 1954, his son, David H. Montgomery, became the President and Treasurer. The corporate name was changed to Allen Agency in June of 1971.

In the 1980s, some of the key managers joined the Allen Agency (see bios for details):

1980: Stephen V. Crane, Chairman of the Board from 2003 until his retirement.

1982: Sara Montgomery, Senior Vice President.

1986:  Gilbert T. Fifield, President.

1989: Peter M. Williams, Vice President.

In 1988, David Montgomery sold some of his stock in the agency to the newly formed Allen Agency Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). By 1994, the ESOP had distributed all its stock to the employees, who now owned more than 30% of the corporation.

Since the turn of the century, Allen has expanded geographically and in its capacity to provide the highest level of insurance and financial services to its clients:

• January 2001: Allen Agency and Peter Van Alstine merged their financial-services, life, and group business to form Allen/Van Alstine Financial Group (now Allen Financial), a wholly owned division of Allen Agency. In early 2001 the Allen Financial Group joined Commonwealth Financial Network in order to provide a truly independent and comprehensive approach to financial planning.
  
  
• September 2005: Allen opened an employee benefits office in Saco.
  
  
• April 2008: Allen consolidated the Thomaston office into the Rockland office, taking the opportunity to reorganize its Personal Lines departments in Camden and Rockland. The goal: To become the best personal lines team in Maine.
  
  
• November 2010: Allen welcomes L.S. Robinson, the seven-person insurance agency in Southwest Harbor, to the Allen Insurance and Financial family, allowing the company to chart a course for expanded customer service on Mt. Desert Island and points Downeast.

The growth of the Allen companies over the years would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of all of our employees. Each one takes responsibility to provide insurance protection for our clients in a thoughtful, friendly and professional way, while providing our insurance carriers with a book of profitable business.

After more than 140 years, we continue to put the client first, and to bring imagination and professionalism to our number-one objective: Providing the finest insurance program possible at the lowest possible cost commensurate with good insurance practices, while always keeping in mind the interests of the insurance companies we represent by consistently providing them with complete and accurate information on any risk they insure for us.