COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 6331

Marine & Casualty Insurance

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

25companies1831–1993founding years25still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedAssicurazioni Generali SpA
1831
FoundedAmerican Premier Underwriters, Inc.
1846
FoundedThe St. Paul Companies, Inc.
1853
FoundedThe Royal Bank of Canada
1869
FoundedBerkshire Hathaway Inc.
1889
FoundedB.A.T. Industries PLC
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedOhio Casualty Corp.
1919
FoundedLegal & General Group plc
1920
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Allstate Corporation
1931
FoundedGEICO Corporation
1936
FoundedWaddell & Reed, Inc.
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedMercury General Corporation
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedW.R. Berkley Corp.
1967
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedGainsco, Inc.
1978
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedPulsar Internacional S.A.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedTransatlantic Holdings, Inc.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedEmployee Solutions, Inc.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedGryphon Holdings, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
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

Assicurazioni Generali SpA →
Active · founded 1831 · Italy
Founded in Trieste in 1831, Assicurazioni Generali SpA is the largest insurance company in Italy and the fifth-largest…
American Premier Underwriters, Inc. →
Active · founded 1846
Although property and casualty insurance company American Premier Underwriters, Inc.
The St. Paul Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1853
The St.
Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A. →
Active · founded 1864 · Mexico
Grupo Financiero Serfin, S.A.
The Royal Bank of Canada →
Active · founded 1869 · Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest financial institution.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. →
Active · founded 1889
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
B.A.T. Industries PLC →
Active · founded 1902 · England
B.A.T.
American National Insurance Company →
Active · founded 1905
American National Insurance Company is one of the 100 largest life insurance companies in the United States in terms of…
Ohio Casualty Corp. →
Active · founded 1919
Ohio Casualty Corp., which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1994, ranks as one of the United States's top 35 stock…
Legal & General Group plc →
Active · founded 1920 · United Kingdom
Legal & General Group plc is one of Great Britain's largest insurance concerns.
General Re Corporation →
Active · founded 1921
General Re Corporation is a holding company for General Reinsurance Corporation and National Reinsurance Corporation,…
The Allstate Corporation →
Active · founded 1931
The Allstate Corporation is the holding company for Allstate Insurance Company, the second largest property and…
GEICO Corporation →
Active · founded 1936
The GEICO Corporation is a holding company for a number of insurance companies, primarily the Government Employees…
Waddell & Reed, Inc. →
Active · founded 1937
Waddell & Reed, Inc.
Horace Mann Educators Corporation →
Active · founded 1945
An insurance holding company, Horace Mann Educators Corporation is a leading insurer serving educators in the United…
Mercury General Corporation →
Active · founded 1962
The largest agency writer of private passenger automobile insurance in California, Mercury General Corporation sells…
W.R. Berkley Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
W.R.
International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Once known primarily as a telecommunications company, the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT) has…
Gainsco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Gainsco, Inc.
Pulsar Internacional S.A. →
Active · founded 1981 · Mexico 66265
Pulsar Internacional S.A.
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Transatlantic Holdings, Inc.
Unitrin Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Although Chicago-based Unitrin has only existed as a stand-alone company since 1990, when it was spun off from…
Employee Solutions, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Employee Solutions, Inc.
Gryphon Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Gryphon Holdings, Inc.
TIG Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
TIG Holdings, Inc.
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