COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC

Direct Life Insurance Carriers (pt)

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

129companies1727–2000founding years126still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedThe Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc
1727
FoundedBoatmen's Bancshares Inc.
1847
FoundedSociété du Louvre
1855
FoundedComerica Incorporated
1871
FoundedUnumProvident Corporation
1887
FoundedDr. August Oetker KG
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSumitomo Life Insurance Company
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedLutheran Brotherhood
1917
FoundedOld Republic International Corporation
1923
FoundedAMETEK, Inc.
1930
FoundedWorld's Finest Chocolate Inc.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedCumberland Packing Corporation
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedRenault Argentina S.A.
1955
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedCNA Financial Corporation
1967
FoundedDesc, S.A. de C.V.
1973
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedRiklis Family Corp.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedNovellus Systems, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedRooms To Go Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Haci Omer Sabanci Holdings A.S. →
Active · Turkey
Haci Omer Sabanci Holdings A.S.
Old Mutual PLC →
Active · United Kingdom
Old Mutual PLC has shrugged off nearly 150 years as an almost exclusively South African financial services business,…
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc →
Active · founded 1727 · United Kingdom
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc ranks as the leading Scotland-based banking group and the number three bank in the…
FleetBoston Financial Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1791
FleetBoston Financial Corporation is the eighth largest bank in the United States and the largest in New England, with…
Citigroup Inc. →
Active · founded 1812
The largest financial services company in the world, with assets in excess of $1 trillion, Citigroup Inc.
Assurances Générales de France →
Active · founded 1818 · France
Assurances Générales de France, or AGF, is one of France's oldest and largest insurance companies, offering a full…
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited →
Active · founded 1835 · Australia
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) is the second largest of the "Big Four" banks in Australia,…
AXA Colonia Konzern AG →
Active · founded 1839 · Germany
AXA Colonia Konzern AG is Germany's fourth largest primary insurer based in Cologne.
New York Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1841
New York Life Insurance Company is one of the largest insurance companies in the United States and the world.
Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. →
Active · founded 1847
Boatmen's Bancshares Inc.
Prudential plc →
Active · founded 1848 · United Kingdom
Prudential plc (known as "the Pru") has a long-standing history as a dominant force in financial services in the United…
The Associated Press →
Active · founded 1848
The Associated Press (AP) describes itself as the largest newsgathering organization in the world.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1851
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has changed slowly over a long period of time, and by doing so…
Banknorth Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1852
One of the 30 largest commercial banking companies in the United States, Banknorth Group, Inc.
Victoria Group →
Active · founded 1853 · Germany
Düsseldorf-based Victoria Group, formerly known as Victoria Holding AG is one of Germany's leading groups of direct…
Skandia Insurance Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1855 · Sweden
Since its founding in 1855, Sweden's Skandia Insurance Company, Ltd.
Société du Louvre →
Defunct · founded 1855 · France
Société du Louvre does not run that Paris museum, but its properties are almost as distinguished.
Credit Suisse Group →
Active · founded 1856 · Switzerland
Credit Suisse Group, which began as a commercial bank in 1856, at a time when Switzerland was first embracing the…
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1857
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NML)--the ninth largest U.S.
Bâloise-Holding →
Renamed · founded 1863 · Switzerland
Bâloise-Holding is positioning itself as a leading European integrated financial services provider.
Lloyds TSB Group plc →
Active · founded 1865 · United Kingdom
Lloyds TSB Group plc is one of the Big Four British clearing banks in the United Kingdom.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1866
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) has a long history of leadership in the financial services market.
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company →
Active · founded 1867
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is a prominent regional and specialty beer brewer.
Comerica Incorporated →
Active · founded 1871
Comerica Incorporated is a multi-state financial services company based in Detroit.
Heidelberger Zement AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.
The Prudential Insurance Company of America →
Active · founded 1873
The Prudential Insurance Company of America is one of the largest diversified financial institutions in the world and,…
The Yasuda Mutual Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1880 · Japan
Despite severe economic conditions in Japan that have crippled the insurance industry, the Yasuda Mutual Life Insurance…
The Chubb Corporation →
Active · founded 1882
s: 52321 Security and Commodity Exchanges; 524113 Direct Life Insurance Carriers; 52413 Reinsurance Carriers; 524114…
Vorwerk & Co. →
Active · founded 1883 · Germany
For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.
Modern Woodmen of America →
Active · founded 1884
Modern Woodmen of America (MWA) is a leading fraternal life insurance society in the United States, with more than…
UnumProvident Corporation →
Active · founded 1887
UnumProvident Corporation is a holding company for a group of companies that collectively are the leading disability…
Nippon Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1889 · Japan
Nippon Life Insurance Company operates as the largest life insurance provider in Japan and one of the world's largest…
Allianz AG →
Active · founded 1890 · Germany
Once known primarily as a German insurance company, Allianz AG has grown to become one of the world's leading financial…
Banco de Chile →
Active · founded 1893 · Chile
Banco de Chile is the second largest private bank in Chile and the largest that remains under Chilean ownership.
Alleanza Assicurazioni S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1898 · Italy
Alleanza Assicurazioni S.p.A.
Herman Goelitz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1898
Herman Goelitz, Inc.
Grupo Financiero Banorte, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1899 · Mexico
Grupo Financiero Banorte, S.A.
Dr. August Oetker KG →
Active · founded 1902 · Germany
Dr.
HDI (Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit V.a.G.) →
Active · founded 1903 · Germany
HDI (Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit V.a.G.) is Germany's third largest…
Gerling-Konzern Versicherungs-Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft →
Active · founded 1904 · Germany
Gerling-Konzern Versicherungs-Beteiligungs-Aktiengesellschaft (GKB) is the holding company for the family-owned Gerling…
The King Arthur Flour Company →
Active · founded 1904
The King Arthur Flour Company celebrates its 210th anniversary in the year 2000.
Debeka Krankenversicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit →
Active · founded 1905 · Germany
Debeka Krankenversicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit, based in Koblenz, sees itself as Germany's number one private…
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1906
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc.
Jefferson-Pilot Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Jefferson-Pilot Corporation is a major U.S.
Sumitomo Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
In order to boost its financial market, Japan began laying the groundwork for deregulation in its finance and insurance…
Blue Diamond Growers →
Active · founded 1910
Blue Diamond Growers is the world's largest tree nut marketer and also ranks as one of the largest agricultural…
Hartmarx Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Hartmarx Corporation is a holding company for a number of clothing companies, including its flagship brands of men's…
Pan-American Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1911
Founded in 1911, Pan-American Life Insurance Company (PALIC) is a venerable mutual insurance company headquartered in…
The Lane Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
The Lane Co., Inc.
UBS AG →
Active · founded 1912 · Switzerland
UBS AG was formed from the 1998 megamerger of Swiss Bank Corporation and Union Bank of Switzerland.
Schott Brothers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
Schott Brothers, Inc.
Lutheran Brotherhood →
Active · founded 1917
Lutheran Brotherhood is the second-largest fraternal benefit society in the United States.
Sanlam Ltd. →
Active · founded 1918 · South Africa
Sanlam Ltd.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund →
Active · founded 1918
TIAA-CREF, or the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund, was ranked as the…
Shionogi & Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Shionogi & Co., Ltd., ranks among Japan's leading developers, producers, and exporters of pharmaceuticals.
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1922
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, the cornerstone in the State Farm Insurance Companies group, has been…
USAA →
Active · founded 1922
USAA is a diversified insurance and financial services company patronized primarily by U.S.
Zatarain's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Zatarain's, Inc., is a leading producer of rice mixes.
Old Republic International Corporation →
Active · founded 1923
Old Republic International Corporation, one of the 50 largest publicly held insurance organizations in the United…
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Weis Markets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Weis Markets, Inc.
Rayonier Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Rayonier Inc.
Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Among the top life insurers in the world, Mitsui Mutual Life Insurance Company for years also has ranked sixth among…
Transamerica-An AEGON Company →
Active · founded 1928
Transamerica--An AEGON Company, purchased by AEGON N.V.
Torchmark Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
Torchmark Corporation is an insurance and diversified financial services holding company.
AMETEK, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
AMETEK, Inc.
Porsche AG →
Active · founded 1931 · Germany
Porsche AG is legendary for its innovative and beautiful automobile designs.
Value Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
Value Line, Inc.
Besnier SA →
Active · founded 1933 · France
Besnier SA is France's largest dairy products producer and one of the largest dairy products producers in Europe.
HUK-Coburg →
Active · founded 1933 · Germany
HUK-Coburg (whose full name is HUK-Coburg Haftpflicht-Unterst�tzungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands AG) in…
CUNA Mutual Group →
Active · founded 1935
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, CUNA Mutual Group provides financial services to credit unions.
The Midland Company →
Active · founded 1938
The Midland Company generates the vast majority of its revenue through specialty insurance, targeting loss types that…
World's Finest Chocolate Inc. →
Active · founded 1939
World's Finest Chocolate Inc.
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
c.
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Jos.
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc., is the leading manufacturer of built-in refrigerators, which can be fronted with cabinetry…
Alfa Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
The disclosure certainly did no serious harm to Alfa's reputation.
Iams Company →
Active · founded 1946
Iams Company is a manufacturer of premium dog and cat foods which are distributed only through veterinarians, animal…
Cumberland Packing Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Cumberland Packing Corporation is a relatively small, family-run business, yet it has been a major player in the…
Dal-Tile International Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
Dal-Tile International Inc.
Johnston Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Although it got its start selling auto replacement parts, Johnston Industries, Inc.
Consorcio G Grupo Dina, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1951 · Mexico
Consorcio G Grupo Dina , S.A.
Bayer A.G. →
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Bayer A.G., along with BASF and Hoechst, is heir to the German chemical cartel known as I.G.
WD-40 Company →
Active · founded 1953
Since the 1950s, the San Diego-based WD-40 Company has dominated the U.S.
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Renault Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1955 · Argentina
Of Argentina's ten automakers, almost all are closely held subsidiaries or affiliates of their American, European, or…
Malayan Banking Berhad →
Active · founded 1960 · Malaysia
Malayan Banking Berhad is the holding company overseeing Malaysia's largest bank, Maybank and a range of financial…
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc.
National Picture & Frame Company →
Active · founded 1964
National Picture & Frame Company is a major designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide variety of low-priced…
Ruth's Chris Steak House →
Active · founded 1965
Ruth's Chris Steak House is an international chain of upscale restaurants.
Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Founded in Berkeley, California, in the mid-1960s, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc.
American International Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
American International Group, Inc.
CNA Financial Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
As the unified holding company for a diverse group of insurance entities that date back to the second half of the 19th…
Ceradyne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Ceradyne, Inc.
Guardian Financial Services →
Active · founded 1968 · United Kingdom
Once one of the largest composite insurers in the United Kingdom, Guardian Financial Services, known previously as…
Leucadia National Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
A holding company, Leucadia National Corporation owns businesses ranging from insurance to telecommunications.
Loews Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
Loews Corporation is a holding company with diversified interests in insurance, tobacco, offshore drilling, hotels, and…
Offshore Logistics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Offshore Logistics, Inc., with headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana, provides a variety of services to the petroleum…
AFLAC Incorporated →
Active · founded 1973
Established in April 1973 as the holding company for a specialized insurance subsidiary, AFLAC Incorporated now insures…
Desc, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1973 · Mexico
Desc, S.A.
The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
The Yankee Candle Company Inc.
Virgin Group →
Active · founded 1973 · United Kingdom
Virgin Group is a diversified grouping of more than 200 privately held companies.
The Summit Bancorporation →
Active · founded 1974
The Summit Bancorporation is the holding company for Summit Bank, New Jersey's fourth largest bank.
Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile →
Active · founded 1976 · Chile
: 212234 Copper Ore & Nickel Ore Mining; 331411 Primary Smelting & Refining of Copper Ore The state-owned Corporacion…
The Really Useful Group →
Active · founded 1977 · United Kingdom
The Really Useful Group is the umbrella corporation over a welter of entertainment and leisure companies that operate…
Conseco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Conseco, Inc.
Riklis Family Corp. →
Active · founded 1980
Riklis Family Corp.
CIGNA Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
CIGNA Corporation is an insurance and financial services organization focusing on employee benefits, with its…
Aetna Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Specializing in managed healthcare, Aetna Inc.
Mediolanum S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1982 · Italy
Holding company Mediolanum S.p.A.
Nimbus CD International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
In the mid-1990s Nimbus CD International, Inc.
Grameen Bank →
Active · founded 1983 · Bangladesh
Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of 'micro-credit'--minuscule loans to the very poor.
Altera Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Founded in 1983, Altera Corporation is a leading maker of high-density programmable logic devices (PLDs), based on…
Novellus Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Based in San Jose, California, Novellus Systems, Inc.
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
American Classic Voyages Company →
Active · founded 1985
American Classic Voyages Company is parent company to two pleasure cruise companies, the Delta Queen Steamboat Company,…
Alderwoods Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987 · Canada
Alderwoods Group, Inc., is North America's second largest operator of funeral homes and cemeteries.
Svenska Handelsbanken AB →
Active · founded 1987 · Sweden
In its infancy, Svenska Handelsbanken AB was a small bank, with operations confined to the city of Stockholm.
Brightpoint, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Brightpoint, Inc.
Danske Bank Aktieselskab →
Active · founded 1990 · Denmark
Danske Bank Aktieselskab is the largest banking group in Denmark and among the three largest in Scandinavia.
Rooms To Go Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Rooms To Go Inc., a low- to mid-priced furniture store chain, has rapidly expanded to more than 60 stores since opening…
St. James's Place Capital, plc →
Active · founded 1991 · United Kingdom
St.
China Life Insurance Company Limited →
Active · founded 1996 · China
China Life Insurance Company Limited is the largest life insurer in the People's Republic of China.
Footstar, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1996
Footstar, Incorporated is a holding company whose two subsidiaries, Footaction and Meldisco, are leading shoe retailers…
Irish Life & Permanent Plc →
Active · founded 1998 · Ireland
That announcement provided Irish Permanent's Douglas with the opening to propose a new merger between his company and…
Weatherford International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Houston-based Weatherford International, Inc.
Aviva PLC →
Active · founded 2000 · United Kingdom
The product of multiple mergers, Aviva PLC is the United Kingdom's largest insurance and financial services group and…
Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. →
Active · founded 2000 · Argentina
Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A.
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