List of insurance companies in Hong Kong

This is a list of insurance companies in Hong Kong.
Source: "List of Authorized Insurers". Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (2007-11-26). Retrieved on 2007-11-28.

Name of insurer	Place of incorporation	Type of business authorised
ACE Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
AIG United Guaranty Insurance (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Allianz Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (France)	France	General
American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus	United States	Long Term
American Home Assurance Company	United States	General
American International Assurance Company (Bermuda) Limited	Bermuda	Composite
American International Assurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
Anglo Starlite Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Asia Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
Asian Area Reinsurance Company Limited (in liquidation)	Hong Kong	General
Assicurazioni Generali Societa per Azioni	Italy	Composite
Assuranceforeningen Gardgjensidig	Norway	General
Atradius Credit Insurance N.V.	Netherlands	General
Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
AXA (Hong Kong) Life Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
AXA China Region Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited	Bermuda	Composite
AXA China Region Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
AXA General Insurance China Limited	Hong Kong	General
AXA General Insurance Hong Kong Limited	Hong Kong	General
AXA Life Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
AXA RE	France	General
AXA Wealth Management (HK) Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Bank of China Group Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
BC Reinsurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
Berkley Insurance Company	United States	General
Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
BOC Group Life Assurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
British Marine Luxembourg S.A.	Luxembourg	General
BUPA (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	General
CAF International Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
California Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
Canada Life Limited	United Kingdom	Long Term
Canadian Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Chevalier Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
China BOCOM Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
China International Reinsurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited	China	Long Term
China Merchants Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
China Overseas Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
China Pacific Insurance Co., (H.K.) Limited	Hong Kong	General
China Ping An Insurance (Hong Kong) Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Chong Hing Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
CIGNA Worldwide General Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
CIGNA Worldwide Life Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Clerical Medical Investment Group Limited	United Kingdom	Long Term
CMI Insurance Company Limited	Isle of Man	Long Term
CNOOC Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
Compagnie Francaise D'Assurance Pour Le Commerce Exterieur	France	General
Concord Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Continental Insurance Company	United States	General
Cosmic Insurance Corporation Limited	Singapore	General
Cosmos Fire Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Crown Life Insurance Company	Canada	Long Term
Dah Sing General Insurance Company Limited	Bermuda	General
Dah Sing Life Assurance Company Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
Dao Heng Insurance Co., Limited	Hong Kong	General
Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company	Canada	Long Term
East Point Reinsurance Company of Hong Kong Limited	Hong Kong	General
Euler Hermes Kreditversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft	Germany	General
FAI First Pacific Insurance Company Limited (in provisional liquidation)	Hong Kong	General
Falcon Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Federal Insurance Company	United States	General
First American Title Insurance Company	United States	General
FM Insurance Company Limited	United Kingdom	General
INSA Insurance Corporation (publ)	Sweden	General
Fortis Insurance Company (Asia) Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
Friends Provident International Limited	Isle of Man	Long Term
GAN Assurances IARD Compagnie Francaise D'Assurances Et De Reassurances Incendie, Accidents Et Risques Divers	France	General
Generali International Limited	Guernsey	Long Term
Gerling-Konzern Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft	Germany	General
Groupama Transport	France	General
GT Insurance (H.K.) Co., Limited	Hong Kong	General
Hang Seng General Insurance (Hong Kong) Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Hang Seng Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
Hang Seng Life Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Hannover Ruckversicherung AG	Germany	Composite
HDI-Gerling Industrie Versicherung AG	Germany	General
HIH Casualty and General Insurance (Asia) Limited (in provisional liquidation)	Hong Kong	General
HIH Insurance (Asia) Limited (in provisional liquidation)	Hong Kong	General
HKC Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Hong Kong Life Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited	Hong Kong	General
Hong Kong Printers Association	Hong Kong	General
Hong Kong Reinsurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
HSBC Insurance (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
HSBC Life (International) Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
ING General Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
ING Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
International Health Insurance Denmark Forsikringsaktieselskab	Denmark	General
Kolnische Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG (Cologne Reinsurance Company Plc)	Germany	Composite
Kono Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
La Genevoise, Compagnie d'Assurances sur la Vie (Geneva, Life Insurance Company)	Switzerland	Long Term
Liberty International Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe Limited	United Kingdom	General
Lloyd's Underwriters	United Kingdom	Composite
London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association Limited	United Kingdom	General
Malayan Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Malayan International Insurance Corporation Limited	Bahama Islands	General
Manufacturers Life Insurance Company	Canada	Long Term
Manulife (International) Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company	United States	Long Term
MassMutual Asia Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
MetLife Fubon Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company of Hong Kong Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Min Xin Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Min Xin Insurance Company (China) Limited	China	General
Ming An Insurance Company (China) Limited	China	General
Ming An Insurance Company (Hong Kong), Limited	Hong Kong	General
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company (Hong Kong), Limited	Hong Kong	General
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited	Japan	General
MSIG Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Munchener Ruckversicherungs - Gesellschaft (Munich Reinsurance Company)	Germany	Composite
National Insurance Company, Limited	India	General
National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA.	United States	General
New Hampshire Insurance Company	United States	General
New India Assurance Company, Limited	India	General
New York Life Insurance Worldwide Ltd.	Bermuda	Long Term
Nipponkoa Insurance Company (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Nissay Dowa General Insurance Co., Ltd.	Japan	General
Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (South Africa) Limited	South Africa	Long Term
Overseas Union Insurance, Limited	Singapore	General
Pacific Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
Pacific Life Assurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Pacific Prime Insurance Brokers	Hong Kong	Composite
Paofoong Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Partner Reinsurance Company Ltd.	Bermuda	General
People's Insurance Company of China (Hong Kong), Limited	Hong Kong	General
Phoenix & London Assurance Limited	United Kingdom	Long Term
Phoenix Life Limited	United Kingdom	Long Term
Pioneer Insurance and Surety Corporation	Philippines	General
PMI Mortgage Insurance Co.	United States	General
Principal Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Prudential Assurance Company Limited	United Kingdom	Composite
Prudential Insurance Company of America	United States	Long Term
QBE Hongkong & Shanghai Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	Composite
Radian Insurance Inc.	United States	General
RGA Reinsurance Company	United States	Long Term
Royal Skandia Life Assurance Limited	Isle of Man	Long Term
Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance plc	United Kingdom	General
Schweizerische Ruckversicherungs-Gesellschaft (Swiss Reinsurance Company)	Switzerland	Composite
SCOR Reinsurance Company (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Scottish Mutual International Limited	Ireland	Long Term
Scottish Provident International Life Assurance Limited	Isle of Man	Long Term
Shipowners' Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association (Luxembourg)	Luxembourg	General
Sincere Insurance & Investment Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
Sincere Life Assurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.	Japan	General
Sompo Japan Reinsurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Standard Life (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	Long Term
Summit Insurance (Asia) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Sun Alliance and London Insurance plc	United Kingdom	General
Sun Hung Kai Properties Insurance Limited	Hong Kong	General
Sun Life Hong Kong Limited	Bermuda	Long Term
Swiss Re Denmark Reinsurance A/S	Denmark	General
Symbol Underwriters Limited	Hong Kong	General
Target Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
Toa Reinsurance Company, Limited, The	Japan	General
Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.	Japan	General
Tokio Marine and Fire Insurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited	Hong Kong	General
Transamerica Life (Bermuda) Ltd	Bermuda	Long Term
Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Company	United States	Long Term
Transatlantic Reinsurance Company	United States	General
Trans-Ocean Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Trinity General Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
TT Club Mutual Insurance Limited	United Kingdom	General
Tugu Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
United Builders Insurance Company, Limited	Hong Kong	General
United Guaranty Mortgage Indemnity Company	United States	General
United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association (Bermuda) Limited	Bermuda	General
UOB Insurance (H.K.) Limited	Hong Kong	General
West of England Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Association (Luxembourg)	Luxembourg	General
William S.T. Lee Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Wing Hang Zurich Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Wing Lung Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
Wing On Fire & Marine Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
World-Wide Marine and Fire Insurance Company Limited	Hong Kong	General
XL Insurance Company Limited	United Kingdom	General
Zurich Assurance Ltd	United Kingdom	Long Term
Zurich Insurance Company	Switzerland	General
Zurich International Life Limited	Isle of Man	Long Term
"Zurich" Lebensversicherungs - Gesellschaft (Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd)	Switzerland	Long Term

Kansas City Life Insurance Company

Kansas City Life Insurance Company
Type	Public (NASDAQ: KCLI)
Founded	1895
Headquarters	Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Key people	R. Philip Bixby, President & CEO
Industry	Insurance & Finance
Employees	500
Website	www.KCLife.com

Kansas City Life Insurance Company is a public insurance company established in 1895 and located in Kansas City, Missouri. The company's 1,400 agents market individual life, annuity and group products through agencies located in 48 US states and the District of Columbia. Variable life, variable annuities, mutual funds and other investment options are offered through a subsidiary, Sunset Financial Services.

The Kansas City Life Group of Companies:

• Kansas City Life Insurance Company
• Old American Insurance Company
• Sunset Life Insurance Company of America
• Sunset Financial Services Inc.

China Life Insurance Company

This article is about China Life Insurance Company in Mainland China . For China Life Insurance Company in Taiwan, see China Life Insurance Company (Taiwan).

China Life Insurance Company Limited 中国人寿保险股份有限公司
Type	State-owned enterprise
Founded	2003
Headquarters	Beijing, China
Area served	People's Republic of China
Key people	Chairman: Mr. Yang Chao
Industry	Life insurance
Parent	China Life Insurance Group
Website	www.chinalife.com.cn

The China Life Insurance Company Limited SEHK: 2628, NYSE: LFC, SSE: 601628) (short China Life, Hanyu Pinyin: ZhongGuo RenShou BaoXian) is a Beijing-based China-incorporated company that provides life insurance and annuity products. It became a public-listed company on December 18, 2003, with a market capitalization of USD$5,756 million as of August 31, 2005. ¥832.5Billion was frozen during the IPO. The domestic listing, the first by an insurer in China, drew bids for about 49 times the stock on offer. The gains allow China Life to pass ING Group NV, Allianz SE and Axa to become the world's no. 2 insurer with a market value of $129 billion, behind American International Group's $186 billion. China Life is also listed in China since Jan of 2007.

There is no business relationship between China Life Insurance Company in Mainland China and that in Taiwan.

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Image:Nationwide.jpg
Type	Mutual
Founded	1926
Headquarters	Columbus, Ohio
Key people	W.G.Jurgensen, CEO
Industry	Financial services
Products	Insurance
Revenue	▲$21.832 billion USD
Website	www.nationwide.com

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company & Affiliated Companies is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Beginnings as Farm Bureau Mutual 1.2 Expansion 1.3 Helping Columbus become a major league city 1.4 Nationwide Children's Hospital 2 Competition 3 CEOs 4 The Companies 5 Diversity 6 References 7 External links 7.1 General

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

Nationwide sign outside of One Nationwide Plaza.

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 35,000 employees, and is ranked #98 in the most recent Fortune 100. [1]

Helping Columbus become a major league city

By 1997, the city of Columbus had grown to become the 15th largest city in the United States. However, Columbus by this time was the largest American city without what would be considered a major professional sports franchise; that is, one competing in the leagues of Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, or the National Hockey League. After plans to move the Hartford Whalers to Columbus failed when voters rejected a tax levy, the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company announced that it would build an arena adjacent to One Nationwide Plaza in an effort to bring an NHL franchise to Columbus.

This second effort was successful, and the Columbus Blue Jackets began play at Nationwide Arena in late 2000. Nationwide Arena, named for the company, is the centerpiece of the Arena District, an area of entertainment venues, restaurants, and hotels linking downtown Columbus with The Short North neighborhood.

Nationwide Children's Hospital

On September 24, 2007 Columbus Children's Hospital was rededicated as Nationwide Children's Hospital. This was done in response to a $50 million donation to the hospital by Nationwide. ^[1]

One Nationwide Plaza, the headquarters in Columbus.

Competition

In an industry with little product differentiation, Nationwide's major competitors include State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, GEICO, and USAA.

CEOs

CEO	Years Served
Murray Lincoln	1925 - 1964
Bowman Doss	1964 - 1969
George Dunlap	1969 - 1972
Dean Jeffers	1972 - 1981
John Fisher	1981 - 1992
Dimon McPherson	1992 - 2000
Jerry Jurgensen	2000 - Present

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.

The Nationwide family includes:

Property and Casualty

• Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company
• Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• Nationwide General Insurance Company
• Nationwide Insurance Company of America
• Nationwide Affinity Insurance Company of America
• Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida
• Nationwide Lloyds
• Colonial County Mutual Insurance Company
• Nationwide Assurance Company
• Insurance Intermediaries, Inc.
• Allied Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• AMCO Insurance Company
• Depositors Insurance Company
• Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance/Farmland Mutual Insurance Company
• THI Holdings (Delaware), Inc.

Titan Indemnity Company, Titan Insurance Company, Victoria Fire & Casualty Company, Victoria Select Insurance Company, Victoria Automobile Insurance Company, Victoria National Insurance Company, Victoria Specialty Insurance Company,

• Scottsdale Insurance Company

National Casualty Company, Scottsdale Indemnity Company, Scottsdale Surplus Lines Insurance, Company Western Heritage Insurance Company.

Mortgage

• Nationwide Advantage Mortgage

Life Insurance and Retirement Savings

• Nationwide Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: NFS)
• National Deferred Compensation, Inc.
• Nationwide Trust Company, FSB
• NFS Distributors, Inc.
• Pension Associates, Inc.
• Nationwide Financial Institution Distributors Agency, Inc.
• Nationwide Financial Services (Bermuda), Ltd.
• Financial Horizons Distributors Agency of Alabama, Inc.
• Financial Horizons Distributors Agency of Ohio, Inc.
• Financial Horizons Distributors Agency of Oklahoma, Inc.
• Financial Horizons Distributors Agency of Texas, Inc.
• Nationwide Financial Institution
• Distributors Insurance Agency, Inc. of Mass.
• Nationwide Financial Institution
• Distributors Agency, Inc. of New Mexico
• Nationwide Financial Network
• 1717 Capital Management
• Nationwide Securities, Inc.
• Nationwide Life and Annuity Insurance Company
• Nationwide Life Insurance Company
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Alabama
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Arizona
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Arkansas
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Montana
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Nevada
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of New Mexico
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Ohio
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Oklahoma
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of So. Dakota
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Texas
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. of Wyoming
• Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Ins. Agency, Inc.
• The 401(k) Company (Sold lately)

401(k) Investment Services, Inc., 401(k) Investment Advisors, Inc., Riverview Agency, Inc.

• Financial Settlement Services Agency, Inc.
• Nationwide Investment Services Corporation
• TBG Financial

Asset Management

• Gartmore Group

Coda Capital Management LLC, Gartmore Distribution Services, Inc., Corviant Corporation, Gartmore Global Asset Management Trust, Gartmore Global Partners, Gartmore Investors Services, Inc., Gartmore Morley capital Management, Inc., Gartmore Mutual Fund Capital Trust, Gartmore Mutual Funds, Gartmore Mutual Funds II, Inc., Gartmore SA Capital Trust, Gartmore Separate Accounts, LLC, Gartmore Trust Company, Gartmore Variable Insurance Trust, NorthPoint Capital, LLC.

Strategic Investments

• GatesMcDonald & Company

GatesMcDonald HealthPlus, Inc., MedProSolutions, Inc.

• Nationwide Advantage Mortgage Company

Nationwide Health Plans, Nationwide Management Systems, Nationwide Life Insurance Company (Employee Group Life & Health), Nationwide Mutual (Group Health), National Casualty (Group Health),

• Nationwide Global Holdings
• Nationwide Mutual Capital

In Texas, products are supported by:

• Allied Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• Colonial County Mutual Insurance Company
• Depositors Insurance Company
• Farmland Mutual Insurance Company
• National Casualty Company
• Nationwide Affinity Insurance Company of America
• Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance Company
• Nationwide General Insurance Company
• Nationwide Insurance Company of America
• Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company
• Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• Scottsdale Indemnity Company
• Nationwide Assurance Company
• Nationwide Securities, Inc.
• Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.
• Nationwide Lloyds
• NASCAR Nationwide Series

Additionally, Nationwide Communications, a broadcasting company that owned radio station WNCI, was once owned by Nationwide.

New York Life Insurance Company

New York Life Insurance Company
Type	Mutual
Founded	1845
Headquarters	New York, New York, USA
Key people	Ted Mathas, CEO
Industry	Insurance: Life & Health
Revenue	▲$28.3651 Billion[1] USD (2006)
Net income	▲$2.3 Billion.[2] USD (2006)
Employees	12,650 (2005)
Website	www.newyorklife.com

The New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the largest mutual life-insurance company in the United States, and one of the largest life insurers in the world.^[3] Other New York Life affiliates provide an array of securities products and services, as well as institutional and retail mutual funds. The company is listed as #82 in the 2008 Fortune 100.^[4] In 2007, Standard and Poor's upgraded New York Life Insurance Company's insurance financial strength rating to AAA, the highest rating Standard and Poor's assigns. The company is now one of only three life insurers to hold the highest possible rating from all four major rating agencies.^[5]

Contents 1 History 2 Business scope 3 References 4 External links

History

NYL Insurance Building

The company was founded in 1845 as the Nautilus 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.^[6]

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.^[7] 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 Sternberg himself argued strongly in favor of the bill,^[8] 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.

According to their Report to Policyholders 2007, in early 2007 the company's managers became concerned about the state of credit markets, so in February 2007 "based on our belief that the markets were acting irrationally" New York Life decided to move much of its cash flow into safer investments such as US Treasury bonds. "By August 2007, the credit market problems we had feared were front page news," the Report notes.

Business scope

Both NYL (its primary American insurance subsidiary, New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corporation) are licensed to do business in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.^[9][10] The company also sells annuities and long-term care insurance; mutual funds through its subsidiary NYLIFE Securities, a registered broker-dealer; and provides institutional asset-management and retirement-plan services from subsidiary New York Life Investment Management (NYLIM)