Western & Southern Financial Group

Western & Southern Financial Group, also commonly referred to as Western & Southern, is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based diversified family of financial services companies with assets owned, managed and under care in excess of $52 billion as of March, 2011. It is one of the eight highest-rated life insurance groups in the world based on Standard & Poor's rating.

With heritage dating back to 1888, Western & Southern is a Fortune 500 company ranking at 482 as of 2012. Through its member companies, Western & Southern offers a variety of financial services such as life insurance, annuities, mutual funds and investment management. Western & Southern's member companies include The Western & Southern Life Insurance Co, Western-Southern Life Assurance Co, Columbus Life Insurance Co, Lafayette Life Insurance Co, IFS Financial Services, Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Eagle Realty Group, Integrity Life Insurance Co, and National Integrity Life Insurance Co.

Western & Southern's annual report is available at "Western Southern Annual Report". Western & Southern Financial Group. Retrieved 2011-05-20.

Western & Southern hosts the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. This tennis event has contributed more than $5.5 million to charities in the Greater Cincinnati community.

Western & Southern played a key role in the development of the Great American Tower at Queen City Square project in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Farmers Insurance Group

Farmers Insurance Group (informally Farmers) is an American insurance and financial services company headquartered in Los Angeles, California and a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Insurance Group. It provides home, auto, commercial and life insurance and other financial services throughout the United States.

Farmers is the third-largest provider of both private passenger auto and homeowners insurance in the U.S., servicing over 10 million households with more than 20 million individual policies. It has around 24,000 employees and 50,000 exclusive and independent agents.

Operations   

• The Farmers Exchanges, headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, are three reciprocal insurers or inter-insurance exchanges (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange) owned by their policyholders. The Farmers Exchanges, directly or through their subsidiaries and affiliates, offer homeowners insurance, auto insurance, commercial insurance, and financial services throughout the United States. Farmers Group, Inc. (dba Farmers Underwriters Association) and its subsidiaries, Truck Underwriters Association and Fire Underwriters Association, provide certain non-claims administrative services for the Farmers Exchanges as their attorneys-in-fact. The Farmers Exchanges do not hold an ownership interest in Farmers Group, Inc., and neither Farmers Group, Inc. nor its ultimate parent, Zurich Financial Services Ltd., a Swiss company, holds an ownership interest in any of the Farmers Exchanges.
• The Foremost Insurance Group, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a group of companies that primarily insure specialty products such as mobile homes, motor homes, travel trailers and specialty dwellings, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, boats and personal watercraft. It was founded in 1952 and was acquired by the Farmers Exchanges in March 2000. The Foremost companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.
• The Bristol West Insurance Group became a part of Farmers in July 2007. In 1973, it began providing private passenger auto insurance to residents in Florida and now provides liability and physical damage insurance - focusing exclusively on private passenger vehicles - across the United States. The Bristol West companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.
• 21st Century Insurance, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, became a part of Farmers in July 2009. Using the internet and direct response marketing channels, 21st Century markets personal auto insurance to consumers throughout the United States. The 21st Century Insurance companies are subsidiaries of the Farmers Exchanges.
• Farmers New World Life Insurance Company started as Catholic Life Insurance Company in Spokane, Washington in 1910. Later that year it was renamed New World Life Insurance Company. In 1953, it was acquired by Farmers Group, Inc. In 1954, its name was changed to the current Farmers New World Life Insurance Company. Farmers New World Life Insurance Company is now based in the Seattle suburb of Mercer Island, Washington. It offers flexible universal life insurance, traditional term life insurance, whole life insurance and annuities. Farmers New World Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Farmers Group, Inc.
• Farmers Financial Solutions, LLC. was created by the Farmers Exchanges in 2000 to provide financial products to customers.

Farmers' products and services include:

• auto insurance;
• home insurance, including homeowners, condominium and renters insurance, mobile and manufactured home insurance, specialty home insurance, including landlord and rental properties, seasonal homes, and vacation homes, and flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program;
• motorcycle insurance;
• life insurance, including term, whole and universal life insurance;
• recreational insurance, such as insurance for boats, ATVs, RVs, and travel trailers;
• business insurance for small and medium sized businesses, such as liability and property insurance, commercial auto and workers compensation insurance for apartment and commercial property owners, artisan contractors, condominium homeowner associations, offices, religious organizations, educational and non-profit organizations, and other businesses in the light manufacturing, service, restaurant, retail, wholesale, and auto service & repair industries; and
• financial services and products, such as mutual funds and variable annuities.

ACE Limited

ACE Limited (NYSE: ACE) is the parent company of the ACE Group, a global provider of insurance products covering property and casualty, accident and health, reinsurance, travel, creditor, and life insurance. It also operates in the Lloyd's insurance market in London. It offers services including process management, unusual hazards identification and expected loss calculations, and engineering services.

Based in Bermuda and Switzerland, ACE trades on the NYSE. Its core operating insurance companies are rated "AA-" (Very Strong) for financial strength by Standard & Poor's and "A+" by A. M. Best. Moody's rates the U.S. companies "A2" and the unsecured loan notes "A3". In 2010, the group controlled $83.4 billion in assets and received more than $19.5 billion of gross written premiums.

Clients of the ACE Group consist of multinational corporations and local businesses, insurers seeking reinsurance coverage, and individuals purchasing insurance policies.

History
1985–1999
ACE Limited was established in 1985, funded by a group of 34 individuals seeking difficult to obtain excess liability and directors and officers insurance coverage. That year, ACE and its Bermuda subsidiary, incorporated in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, wrote its first insurance policy with John Cox as its President and CEO. In 1987 the company assumed management of Corporate Officers & Directors Assurance Limited (CODA), expanding ACE Bermuda's product line.

Walter Scott became Chairman, President, and CEO of ACE in 1990 and saw the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1993. Brian Duperreault succeeded Scott in 1994 as Chairman, President & CEO and worked for the next ten years as ACE went through a series of acquisitions and a diversification process that brought the ACE Group of Companies global status. One of the multiple acquisitions made during this time was the global property and casualty business of Cigna Corporation, which was purchased for $3.45 billion in 1999. 

2000–2010
In 2004 Evan G. Greenberg became President and CEO of ACE Ltd.[6] In 2004 ACE was also investigated by NY Attorney General Elliot Spitzer for participating in a bid rigging and price fixing scheme with insurance broker Marsh & McLennan.

In April 2008, ACE purchased the accident and health insurance provider Combined Insurance Company of America (founded by W. Clement Stone in 1919) from Aon Corporation for $2.56 billion.

Also in 2008, ACE relocated from the Cayman Islands to Zürich, Switzerland. Evan Greenberg described the move as a “natural progression” that would provide ACE with a “better strategic flexibility…and a solid legal and regulatory environment…”The re-domestication was completed in July that year.

In 2010 the ACE company ESIS Inc. was hired by BP to process claims made by the victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

In 2010, ACE Limited purchased Rain and Hail, LLC for $1.1 billion. Rain and Hail Insurance Service, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, is an industry leader in crop insurance in the United States.

In 2011, ACE Limited purchased agribusiness insurer Penn Millers, Mexican Surety Lines Company Fianzas Monterrey , Asuransi Jaya Proteksi in Indonesia,and Mexican Personal Lines Insurer ABA Seguros.

Swiss Life

The Swiss Life Group is the largest life insurance company of Switzerland. The firm is headquartered is in Zurich. The Swiss Life Group has 7,500 employees and had assets under management of approximately CHF 133 billion in 2010.

Foundation and growth

Conrad Widmer established Schweizerische Rentenanstalt in 1857 as the first life insurance company in Switzerland. Alfred Escher was integrally involved in the development of the cooperative. The goal of the company was to provide Swiss families a sufficiently solid foundation by providing insurance against the uncertainties of life. In 1866 Widmer obtained a license in Prussia. A year later, the annuity establishment had business operations in Hamburg and Bremen. The German branch split from the company. All of the policies were hand written in Zurich. Beginning in 1894, the establishment was one of the first insurance institutions to offer occupational insurance. Between 1866 and 1987, Rentenanstalt expanded to Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, and Italy. In 1988 it took over La Suisse insurance company in Lausanne.

Going corporate
In 1997 under the management of Martin Lopez, Rentenanstalt changed from a cooperative into a publicly traded company. In 1998 Rentenstalt/Swiss Life shares debuted on the SMI index. SwissLife then advanced on a expansionary strategy acquiring Livit, Banca del Gottardo, the Lloyd Continental and UTO Albis in 1999, Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft in 2000, a takeover of the real estate properties of Oscar Weber Holding AG in 2001. Finally in 2002, new acquisitions ceased as the company looked to restructure as many felt it was too big.

Products
Swiss Life offers for both individuals and corporations policies a variety of policies including disability insurance, accident insurance as well as annuity insurance and life insurance.

American International Assurance

American International Assurance known as AIA (Chinese: 美國友邦保險) is an insurance company based in Hong Kong. It has offices in Asia-Pacific region including Taiwan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Macau, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam. Holdings include Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company and minority stakes in TATA AIA Life Insurance and TATA AIG General Insurance.

It was a member of American International Group, but separated from the group in 2009 after it was finalized that AIA as well as ALICO (another AIG subsidiary) were placed under the administration of a Special Purpose Vehicle in exchange for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

According to the statistics from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (保險業監理處), AIA being the number 1 of Hong Kong insurance company in terms of the number of policies, its market share in Hong Kong Insurance market (on Non-Linked Individual Business) is 26% and sum assured worth more than 400 billion HKD (i.e. more than $ 50 billion).

AIA was planned to be listed in Hong Kong Stock Exchange in April 2010. However, in March 2010, Prudential plc, a United Kingdom-based financial services company, announced that it will buy AIA for $35.5 billion.[4] The purchased later fell through, and AIA held an IPO later in October 2010 raising $20.51 billion, the third largest ever IPO

Assurant

Assurant, Inc. is a holding company with businesses that provide a diverse set of specialty, niche-market insurance products in the property, casualty, life and health insurance sectors. The company’s four operating segments are Assurant Employee Benefits, Assurant Health, Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property.

The company, formerly known as Fortis, Inc., was spun off from Dutch and Belgian financial-services company Fortis Insurance N.V. in 2004. The company’s initial public offering on Feb. 5, 2004 at $1.76 billion was the fourth largest that year. In connection with the public offering, the company changed its name to Assurant, Inc.

Headquartered in New York City, Assurant is 285 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest publicly traded companies in the United States. It also is included in the Ward’s 50, which recognizes the top property-casualty insurance companies domiciled in the United States.

History

Assurant recently celebrated its 120th anniversary, tracing its roots back to founding of the La Crosse Mutual Aid Association, which was established to sell disability insurance in Wisconsin in the early 1890s. La Crosse Mutual Aid Association would later become the Time Insurance Company. In 1978, N.V. AMEV of the Netherlands acquired the Time Insurance Company (now Assurant Health) via its U.S. holding company AMEV Holdings, Inc. During the next 12 years, AMEV Holdings, Inc. would expand through acquisition, buying American Security Insurance (credit-related insurance); United Family (funeral insurance); Western Insurance Company (mutual funds); and Superior Insurance (auto insurance). In 1990, N.V. AMEV of the Netherlands acquired VSB Groep NV bank to become the Netherlands first financial conglomerate combining an insurer and a bank, creating Fortis. AMEV Holdings, Inc. was rebranded Fortis, Inc. in 1991. The business was subsequently renamed as Assurant and spun off from the parent company. 

Products and Services

In March 2010, Assurant Solutions and IBM unveiled a Real-Time Analytics Matching Platform (RAMP) to improve call center performance. RAMP is an application that works by analyzing historical data about the individual caller and the skill set of customer service representatives to optimize the routing of the call. As calls come in they are assigned to a customer service representative based on their expertise and past performance, improving customer response and retention rates.

In May 2012, Assurant launched solar project insurance for developers of mid-size (100 kW to 3 MW) solar projects.

Aegon

Aegon N.V. (styled as AEGON) is an multinational life insurance, pensions and asset management company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. At the end of 2011, Aegon companies employed about 25,000 people worldwide, serving approximately 47 million customers.

History

Aegon was founded in 1983 from the merger of AGO Holding N.V. (created by the merger of three companies in 1968) and Ennia N.V. (formed by the merger of three companies in 1969).

Aegon acquired Scottish Equitable in 1994. In 1998 it formed Stonebridge International Insurance Ltd to create and market a range of personal insurance products, providing accident, health and unemployment cover to its own customers and via business partners.

In 1999 it acquired the life assurance business of Guardian Royal Exchange. That year it also bought Transamerica Corporation.

On August 13, 2007, Aegon and Merrill Lynch announced a strategic business partnership in the areas of life insurance and investment products. As part of the relationship, Aegon acquired two of Merrill Lynch's life insurance companies for US$1.3 billion.

On April 23, 2008, Alex Wynaendts succeeded the retiring Donald J. Shepard as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Aegon N.V. following the Group's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders: Donald Shepard announced his retirement in November 2007, after six years as Chairman.

On October 28, 2008, the Dutch government and De Nederlandsche Bank agreed to give Aegon a €3 billion capital injection to create a capital buffer in exchange for convertible bonds to ease the group through the financial crisis.[6] On June 15, 2011, Aegon fulfilled its key objective of repurchasing all of the EUR 3 billion core capital securities issued to the Dutch State. The total amount Aegon has paid to the Dutch State amounts to EUR 4.1 billion. Of this amount, EUR 3 billion covered the original issue of core capital securities, while an additional EUR 1.1 billion was paid in premium and interest.

On August 3, 2011, Aegon USA announced that all its various businesses will be grouped under a single brand name: Transamerica. Transamerica’s key businesses are life insurance, investments and retirement. The group includes companies whose history goes back over 100 years and whose products and services have become well-known throughout the USA, including founding companies Life Investors Insurance Company of America and Monumental Life Insurance Company.

Aviva

Aviva plc (LSE: AV., NYSE: AV) is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has around 43 million customers across 21 countries. It is the market leader in both general insurance and life and pensions in the UK and has major businesses in Asia, Continental Europe and North America.

Aviva has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

History
Aviva can trace its history back to the establishment of the Hand in Hand Fire & Life Insurance Society in London in 1696.

It was created by a merger of two British insurance firms, Norwich Union and CGU plc (itself created by the 1998 merger of Commercial Union and General Accident as CGNU in 2000. The Aviva name was adopted in July 2002.

During March 2005 Aviva acquired the RAC plc breakdown recovery operation for around £1.1 billion.
In July 2006, Aviva greatly increased its presence in the United States by acquiring AmerUs Group, a financial services company founded in 1896. Aviva Corp. is not affiliated with Aviva Energy Corp., an energy consulting firm based in the U.S.

The Company continued to use the Norwich Union name as a trading name in the UK until 1 June 2009 when it became formally known as Aviva within the United Kingdom. The launch was supported by a £9 million advertising campaign to promote the rebranding (one of the most expensive ever in the UK insurance field), with the participation of celebrities including Bruce Willis and Alice Cooper. In January 2010, the process of Aviva's rebrand was formally recognised when they appeared on the shortlist of the Transform Awards for rebranding and brand transformation in a number of categories

In June 2009 the Company decided to dispose of Navigator, its Australian wealth management business, to National Australia Bank for A$825 million (£401 million).

In October 2009 the company decided to focus on its commercial insurance sector and demonstrate its commitment to brokers by launching their 'find a broker' facility, using the British Insurance Brokers Association search engine. To help them with this endeavour, Paul Whitehouse was recruited to play the part of a successful hairdresser running three salons. The message of the campaign focused on business insurance through insurance brokers. The closing line of the campaign was "We're in business to keep you in business".

In September 2011, Aviva completed the sale of RAC plc breakdown recovery operation for £1.0 billion to The Carlyle Group.

In August 2012, Aviva announced that up to 800 jobs would be lost following a reorganization caused by further turmoil in the euro region.

MetLife

MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, or MetLife, for short, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with 90 million customers in over 60 countries. The firm was founded on March 24, 1868.

On January 6, 1915, MetLife completed the mutualization process, changing from a stock life insurance company owned by individuals to a mutual company operating without external shareholders and for the benefit of policyholders. The company went public in 2000. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia’s Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East. MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States and serves 90 of the largest Fortune 500 companies. The company’s principal offices are located at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, though it retains some executive offices and its boardroom in the MetLife Building, located at 200 Park Avenue, New York City, which it sold in 2005.

History

The predecessor company to MetLife began in 1863 when a group of New York City businessmen raised $100,000 to found the National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company. The company insured Civil War sailors and soldiers against disabilities due to wartime wounds, accidents, and sickness. On March 24, 1868, it became known as Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and shifted its focus to the life insurance business. A severe business depression that began in the early 1870s forced the company to contract, until it reached its lowest point in the late 1870s. After observing the insurance industry in Great Britain in 1879, MetLife President Joseph F. Knapp brought “industrial” or “workingmen’s” insurance programs to the United States – insurance issued in small amounts on which premiums were collected weekly or monthly at the policyholder’s home. By 1880, sales had exceeded a quarter million of such policies, resulting in nearly $1 million in revenue from premiums. In 1909, MetLife had become the nation’s largest life insurer in the U.S., as measured by life insurance in force (the total value of life insurance policies issued).

In 1907, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company tower was commissioned to serve as MetLife’s 23rd Street headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Completed two years later, the building was the world's tallest until 1913 and remained the company's headquarters until 2005. For many years, an illustration of the building (with light emanating from the tip of its spire and the slogan, "The Light That Never Fails") featured prominently in MetLife’s advertising. By 1930, MetLife insured every fifth man, woman, and child in the United States and Canada. During the 1930s, it also began to diversify its portfolio by reducing the percentage of individual mortgages in favor of public utility bonds, investments in government securities, and loans for commercial real estate. The company financed the construction of the Empire State Building in 1929 as well as provided capital to build Rockefeller Center in 1931. During World War II, MetLife placed more than 51 percent of its total assets in war bonds, and was the largest single private contributor to the Allied cause.

Life insurance
MetLife’s individual life insurance products and services comprise term life insurance and several types of permanent life insurance, including whole life, universal life and variable universal life. The company also offers group life insurance, provided through employers, which consists of term life, group variable universal life and group universal life. MetLife is the largest life insurer in the United States, based on life insurance in-force.

Assicurazioni Generali

General Group / Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste. In 2010, Assicurazioni Generali Group was the second largest insurance group in the world by revenue after AXA.

Under the name of Imperial Regia Privilegiata Compagnia di Assicurazioni Generali Austro-Italiche, the company was founded on December 26, 1831. At the time, Trieste was the most important sea port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The company grew in importance, becoming one of the largest insurance operators both in Italy and in Central Europe.

Operations
Generali's headquarters in Trieste, Italy.

Today, Generali operates primarily in Europe, Middle East and East Asia, with large market shares in Italy, Poland, Germany (under the name of Generali Deutschland), France, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, China and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with secondary operations in Latin America, for example, in Panama.

On Jerusalem's Jaffa Road the "Generali Building" , built by the company in 1935, is still known by that name though for decades the company has had no connection with it. It is a famous Jerusalem landmark, due to the large and well-preserved Assicurazioni Generali winged lion on its roof .

In Serbia the company operates under the name Delta Generali - a joint venture of Assicurazioni Generali and Serbian Delta Holding.

In India the company is represented by Future Generali, a joint venture of Future group and Assicurazioni Generali.

Subsidiaries of the group includes, in Italy: INA Assitalia, Fata Assicurazioni, Alleanza - Toro, Europ-Assistance, and Genertel.

Manulife Financial

Manulife Financial Corporation is a Canadian insurance company and financial services provider. Manulife Financial's global head office is located in Toronto, Canada and the Company has operations in 21 countries and territories worldwide.

The company operates in Canada and Asia through the brand name "Manulife Financial" and in the United States primarily through its John Hancock division. It is one of the largest life insurance companies in the world as measured by market capitalization, and has approximately 26,000 employees world-wide.

Manulife Bank of Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation.

History

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company was founded in 1887. Its first president was the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald. In 1897, Manulife Financial expanded its operations into Asia, including China and Hong Kong.

In 1999, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s voting eligible policyholders approved demutualization. Later that year, the shares of Manulife Financial Corporation, the holding company of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, began trading on The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) under the ticker 'MFC', and on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK) under the ticker ‘945’. 

In 2002, Manulife–Sinochem Life Insurance Co. Ltd. was granted approval by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) to officially open its branch office in Guangzhou, China. This was the first branch license granted by CIRC to a foreign invested joint–venture life insurance company. Later in 2003, Manulife-Sinochem received approval to open a branch office in Beijing. This was Manulife-Sinochem’s second branch license and the first multiple-branch license granted to a foreign-invested joint venture life insurance company. Manulife-Sinochem is now licensed to operate in more than 40 cities across China.

In 2003, Manulife Financial Corporation and John Hancock Financial Services, Inc. and (including its Canadian subsidiary Maritime Life) announced that their Boards of Directors had each unanimously agreed to a tax–free stock–for–stock merger of the companies creating a leading global insurance franchise. Completed in April 2004, the merger created the largest life insurer in Canada, second largest in North America, and fifth largest in the world at the time.

In 2008, Gail Cook-Bennett became the Chair of Manulife Financial’s Board of Directors.

In 2009, Donald Guloien, the Chief Investment Officer, succeeded Dominic D’Alessandro as President and CEO of Manulife Financial. Shortly before his departure, facing a shareholder revolt as the firm posted a quarterly loss for the first time in its public history, D'Alessandro modified his retirement package; the restricted units would only vest for a total of $10 million if the shares reached $36 by the end of 2011, and he would receive $5 million if the shares hit $30. However, the first initiatives under Guloien's leadership were a dividend cut and an equity offering to bolster Manulife's capital levels, making it difficult for the share price to reach the target levels needed to vest.

In September 2009, Manulife Financial Corporation closed a transaction to purchase AIC’s Canadian retail investment fund business. In October 2009, Manulife Financial announced that it had purchased Pottruff & Smith Travel Insurance Brokers Inc., a leading broker and third party administrator of travel insurance across Canada.

In 2010, Manulife Financial announced that it had closed the transaction to purchase Fortis Bank SA/NV’s1 49 per cent ownership in ABN AMRO TEDA Fund Management Co. Ltd. The new joint venture, Manulife TEDA Fund Management Company Ltd. (Manulife TEDA), provides traditional retail and institutional asset management for clients across the Chinese market. Manulife TEDA is 51 per cent owned by Northern International Trust, part of Tianjin TEDA Investment Holding Co., Ltd. (TEDA).

Liberty Mutual Insurance

Liberty Mutual Group, more commonly known by the name of its primary line of business Liberty Mutual, is a diversified global insurer and the third largest property and casualty insurer in the United States based on 2010 net written premium. It is the 82nd company on the Fortune 500 list for 2011. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, it employs over 45,000 people in more than 900 locations throughout the world. As of December 31, 2010, Liberty Mutual Group had $112.35 billion in consolidated assets, $95.4 billion in consolidated liabilities, $17.0 billion in policyholders' equity, and $33.2 billion in annual consolidated revenue. The company, founded in 1912, offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers’ compensation, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, fire and surety.

LMG owns, wholly or in part, local insurance companies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China (including Hong Kong), Colombia, India, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

The current CEO is David H. Long, who succeeded his predecessor Edmund (Ted) F. Kelly on June 29, 2011. Ted Kelly was appointed CEO in 1998.

Sun Life Financial

Sun Life Financial Inc. is an international financial services company known primarily as a life insurance company. Based in Toronto, Canada, Sun Life and its partners provide insurance, retirement and investment solutions for individuals and businesses around the world including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. Sun Life ranks number 236 on the Forbes Global 2000 list for 2010.

Our success over the last 140 years has lain largely in our ability to evolve. While our mission has always been to help customers achieve lifetime financial security, our practices and products have adapted to the times to ensure our business has always reflected the world our customers live in.

The same is true of our brand. At Sun Life, our brand defines how we conduct business and speaks of our values. It’s what sets us apart in such a crowded marketplace. It’s a brand that 1 in 5 Canadians has a relationship with, along with millions more across the U.S., the U.K. and Asia.

Our brand drives the products and services we offer. It drives our commitment to environmental sustainability and corporate responsibility, and fuels our support for causes around the world. It's embedded in our culture and reflected in the way we treat our employees, advisors, clients and our communities.

It's why life is brighter under the sun.

Sun Life Financial worldwide

We're Sun Life. We're a leading international financial services company, building on our strengths for over 140 years.

We've known who we are from the dawn of our history, and it has served us well. After all these years our commitment to our customers is unwavering. We want our customers to achieve the peace of mind that comes with a lifetime of financial security. It's at the centre of all we do.

Our mission, vision and values are the DNA of our organization. These commitments drive us forward and touch every business decision. From our culture to the products and services we offer around the globe - we are a company dedicated to our customers' financial success.

Standard Insurance Company

Standard Insurance Company, also branded as The Standard, is an American insurance and financial company which is a subsidiary of StanCorp Financial Group, headquartered in Portland, Oregon.

The Standard covers 8.5 million people (June 30, 2008) in the USA through and out of above 30000 employers with group and individual disability insurance, group life, AD&D and dental insurance, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities. It is licensed in 49 states and Washington, DC. In New York it has Standard Life Insurance Company of New York. The average loan-to-value ratio on new loans was 64 percent in 2008. Standard Insurance Company maintains an “A” rating or higher from A.M. Best Company since 1928. Assets $14.56 billion (March 31, 2009). 3,400 employees in 2008. In December 2005 revenue was $2,147,500,000.

The Standard was founded in 1906 by a German immigrant Leo Samuel.

In 2006, on a 100th anniversary celebration the company launched The Standard Charitable Foundation with emphasis on helping individuals and families who have experienced a loss or setback such as a major disability or the loss of a loved one.

Standard's headquarters are located in the Standard Insurance Center, and the company also has offices in Standard Plaza. It owns both buildings.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio. The company also operates regional headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, San Antonio, Texas, Gainesville, Florida, and Lynchburg, Virginia.

Nationwide Financial Services, a component of the group, was partially floated on the New York Stock Exchange prior to being repurchased by Nationwide Mutual in 2009. It had owned the majority of NFS common stock since it had gone public in 1997.

The Companies

Nationwide is one of the largest insurance and financial services companies in the world, focusing on domestic property and casualty insurance, life insurance and retirement savings, asset management, and strategic investments.

History
Beginnings as Farm Bureau Mutual

On December 17, 1925, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation incorporated the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Company in Columbus, Ohio. At that time, Ohio law required 100 people to pledge to become policyholders. The first agents managed to recruit ten times that number, and on April 12, 1926, Farm Bureau Mutual started business with 1,000 policyholders.

The first product of the new company, as its name implied, was automobile insurance. The company wrote policies only to Ohio farmers. In 1928, Farm Bureau Mutual began offering policies to West Virginia farmers, followed by Maryland, Delaware, Vermont, and North Carolina. Farm Bureau Mutual began underwriting residents of small towns in 1931, and residents in larger cities in 1934.

Expansion
Also in 1934, Farm Bureau Mutual began offering fire insurance. This product grew the following year with the purchase of a struggling fire insurance company. With growth came a need for expansion of office space. In 1936, the company moved to the famous 246 Building at 246 N. High Street in Columbus. By 1943, Farm Bureau Mutual operated in 12 states and the District of Columbia. Even with the tripling of space in the 246 Building (which was finally dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the company), Farm Bureau Mutual still had insufficient office space, and began opening regional offices in 1951.

In 1955, Farm Bureau Mutual changed its name to Nationwide Insurance, a name by which it's commonly known today. In the 10 years that followed, Nationwide expanded into Oregon, making the company truly "nationwide". It also expanded into 19 other states, bringing the total by 1965 to 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Nationwide outgrew the 246 Building by the 1970s and work began on a new skyscraper headquarters for the company. In 1978, One Nationwide Plaza was completed at the southwest corner of N. High Street and Nationwide Blvd. on the northern edge of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Since 1978, Nationwide has added the following to its presence in Downtown Columbus: Plaza Two (on the northeast corner of High Street and Chestnut), Plaza Three (just west of High Street and Chestnut), Plaza Four (Front Street), and 275 Marconi (behind Plazas One and Three on Marconi Blvd) which together with Plaza One form the primary downtown complex. In addition to downtown Columbus, Nationwide also has a significant presence in the suburbs of Dublin and Grove City.

Nationwide currently has about 36,000 employees, and is ranked #100 in the most recent Fortune 500.

Zurich Insurance Group, the world's largest insurance group

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. (SIX: ZURN), commonly known as Zurich, is a Swiss Insurance company, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group is Switzerland’s biggest insurer. As of 2011, Zurich was the world’s 79th largest public company according to Forbes’ Global 2000s list and ranked 94th in Interbrands top100 brands.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd is a global insurance company which is organized into three core business segments: General Insurance, Global Life and Farmers. The company employs around 60,000 people serving customers in more than 170 countries and territories across the globe.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and as of 2011 the Group’s Capital position was strong with shareholders equity of $31.6 billon.

History

The company was founded in 1872 as a marine reinsurance under the name “Versicherungs-Verein” (Insurance Association), a subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Company. In 2000, after a number of acquisitions, it was unified to form one holding company – Zurich Financial Services.

In April 2012, Zurich Financial Services Ltd changed its name to Zurich Insurance Group Ltd. The name change reflects that in recent years Zurich has streamlined its business portfolio to concentrate on insurance. In a statement the group explained the rationale behind the name change. “In recognition of this strategic focus, the reference to financial services in the company name has been replaced by indicating the insurance activity of the Group instead and to specify the purpose accordingly.

Financial performance / information
Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (“Zurich”) is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker ZURN. As of the 1st December 2010 there were 147,385,822 fully paid registered shares and 121,715 shareholders. Twenty three percent of the holding of the registered shares were private individuals (14 percent of all issued shares), seven percent were foundations and pension funds (five percent of all issued shares) and 70 percent were other legal entities (44 percent of all issued shares).

In its full year results for 2011 Zurich reported a net income after tax (attributable to shareholders) of $3.8bn[19], an increase of 10% on the previous year, and a business operating profit of $4.3bn. It declared a full year dividend of CHF 17.00, to be paid in April 2012.

The company has a robust capital position with a Solvency 1 ratio of 242% and a Swiss Solvency Test ratio of 190% as of 31 December 2011, far above the minimum capital requirements. The strength of Zurich’s balance sheet is reflected in the reports of the ratings agencies. As of 21 March 2011 Zurich Insurance Company Ltd was rated as ‘AA-/stable’ by Standard and Poor’s, ‘Aa3/stable’ by Moody’s, and A+/stable’ by A.M. Best.

Allianz, the world's largest insurance group

Allianz SE (formerly Allianz AG) is a German bunch banking casework aggregation headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its amount business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest banking casework accumulation and 23rd-largest aggregation according to a blended admeasurement by Forbes magazine.

Its Allianz All-around Investors analysis ranks as a top-five all-around alive investment manager, accepting €1,443 billion of assets beneath administration (AuM), of which €1,131 billion are third-party assets (as of 2010-09-30), with specialized asset managers including PIMCO (Bonds), RCM (Equities) and Degi (Real estate).

Allianz awash Dresdner Coffer to Commerzbank in November 2008. As a aftereffect of this merger, Allianz acquired a 14% authoritative pale in the new Commerzbank Group.

HistoryAllianz AG was founded in Berlin on 5 February 1890 by Carl von Thieme (a built-in of Erfurt, whose ancestor was the administrator of Thuringia) and Wilhelm von Finck (co-owner of the Merck Finck & Co bank). The aboriginal footfall to become an all-embracing aggregation started with the aperture of a annex appointment in London in the backward 19th century.

Operations

Allianz has operations in over 70 countries and has about 180,000 employees. The ancestor company, Allianz SE, is headquartered in Munich, Germany. Allianz has added than 60 actor barter common and its casework cover acreage and blow insurance, activity and bloom allowance and asset management.

New York Life Insurance Company

The New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is one of the largest mutual life-insurance companies in the United States, and one of the largest life insurers in the world, with about $287 billion in total assets under management, and more than $15 billion in surplus and AVR.

The company ranks #71 on the 2011 Fortune 100 list, making it the highest privately held insurance company on that list. In 2007, NYLIC achieved the best possible ratings by the four independent rating companies (Standard & Poor's, AM Best, Moody's and Fitch). In June 2009, the same four rating companies reaffirmed New York Life's "superior" financial strength, which became a selling point in national TV ad campaigns that same year. 

The company is now one of only three life insurers to hold the highest ratings currently awarded to any life insurer by all four rating agencies (Moody's: Aaa, A.M. Best: A++. Standards & Poor's: AA+, Fitch: AAA. All of these are for financial strength. Other New York Life affiliates provide an array of securities products and services, as well as institutional and retail mutual funds.

History

The company was founded in 1845 as the Nautilus (Capt. Nemo) Insurance Company in New York City, with assets of just $17,000. It was renamed the New York Life Insurance Company in 1849. Its first headquarters were at 112-114 Broadway; the first president was James DePeyster Ogden. The current New York Life headquarters was designed by noted architect Cass Gilbert and completed in 1928. The New York Life building, at 51 Madison Avenue, was constructed during the presidency of Darwin P. Kingsley. He expanded the company’s operations and developed new types of insurance. As with other early insurance companies in the U.S., in its early years the company insured the lives of slaves for their owners. In response to bills passed in California in 2001 and in Illinois in 2003, the company reported that Nautilus sold 485 slaveholder life insurance policies during a two-year period in the 1840s; they added that their trustees voted to end the sale of such policies 15 years before the Emancipation Proclamation.

The company became known for innovative business practices. In 1860, well before state laws required it, New York Life developed the non-forfeiture option, the predecessor to the guaranteed cash values of modern policies, under which a policy remains in force even if a premium payment is missed. It was also the first American life insurance company to pay a cash dividend to policyholders, and the first U.S. company to issue policies to women at the same rates as men. Susan B. Anthony was one of their first female policy holders, and her father worked for NYLIC. In 1896, New York Life became the first company to insure people with disabilities and the first to issue a policy with a disability benefit that presumes total disability to be permanent after a predetermined period.

In the late 1990s New York Life was one of several large mutual life insurers to back a bill that would allow demutualization into a structure known as a mutual holding company (MHC). CEO Sy Sternberg himself argued strongly in favor of the bill, which was ultimately defeated. The NYLIC board of directors subsequently reversed course, with the company strongly and publicly embracing their mutual nature in a series of advertisements.

American Automobile Association

AAA (American Automobile Association), formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive, insurance, financial, and discounts. Its national headquarters are in Heathrow, Florida.

Members belong to one of 69 individual clubs (see List of AAA regional clubs), and the clubs in turn own AAA. The member clubs have arranged a reciprocal service system so that members of any participating club are able to receive member services from any other affiliate club. Member dues finance all club services as well as the operations of the national organization.

The vast majority of AAA clubs have "AAA" as part of their name, although the two largest AAA clubs by membership do not: the Automobile Club of Southern California and Auto Club South.

From the standpoint of the consumer, AAA clubs primarily provide emergency road services to members. These services, which include everything from lockouts, winching, tire changes, automotive first aid, and towing, are handled by private local towing companies contracted by a state AAA club. Many AAA clubs have an automotive fleet division serving large metro areas, while private towing companies cover the surplus call volume by area. Recently, certain clubs have implemented an "on the go" diagnostic/installation automotive battery program, which offers members an additional service to an ever more demanding commute. This is part of AAA's vision for the future of automotive services, termed "On the go".

Clubs also distribute road maps (including customized map guides for specific journeys, branded as "TripTik") and travel publications (TourBooks), and rate restaurants and hotels according to a "diamond" scale (one to five). The best hotels and restaurants according to AAA's criteria receive the Five Diamond Award. Many offices sell automobile liability insurance, provide travel agency, auto-registration and notary services. Maps, TourBooks, and travel agent services are generally free to members. AAA also offers member discounts through its "Show Your Card & Save" program.

Prudential Financial, Inc

For more than 135 years, Prudential Financial, Inc., has helped individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. Today, we are one of the world's largest financial services institutions with operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. We also have one of the most recognized and trusted brand symbols: The Rock , an icon of strength, stability, expertise, and innovation.

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Life insurance, disability insurance, and annuities are issued by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ, and its affiliates. Each is a Prudential Financial company that is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. Our policies and contracts contain exclusions, limitations, reduction and terms for keeping them in force. A licensed financial professional can provide you with cost and complete details. The availability of other products varies by carrier and state. All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company.