zurich insurance group ltd

 

  • [6] Type: Aktiengesellschaft; Traded as: SIX: ZURN; Industry: Financial services; Founded: 1872; 151 years ago; Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland; Key people: Michel Liès,
    Chairman, Mario Greco, CEO; Products: Life and non-life insurance, pensions, investments; Revenue: US$ 69.87 billion (2021)[1] ; Total assets: US$435.826 billion (2021)[1] ; Total equity: US$39.170 billion (2021)[1] ; Number of employees:
    56,000 (2021)[1] Company history Zurich Insurance Company (1872–1998)[edit] The company was founded in 1872 as a reinsurance company under the name of “Versicherungs-Verein” and at the request of the “Schweiz” transport insurance company (which
    was founded in 1869 on the initiative of the “Schweizerischen Kreditanstalt”), a subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Company.

  • ZIP is an Irish insurance company originally incorporated in 1950 and is Zurich Insurance Group’s main legal entity for writing non-life insurance business in Europe.

  • [15][16] Zurich Insurance Group (since 2012)[edit] In April 2012, Zurich Financial Services Ltd changed back to its original name, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd.

  • [4] Zurich is a global insurance company which is organized into three core business segments: General Insurance, Global Life and Farmers.

  • [46] In 2015, small business owners and property developers in Britain complained that Zurich’s British subsidiary, Dunbar Bank, had treated them unfairly by calling in loans
    quickly in order to wind down its loan book after the parent company pulled out of the specialist UK property market in 2010.

  • In May 2007, Zurich Capital Markets, a subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, paid $16.8 million to settle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for
    helping four hedge funds disguise their identities to avoid detection when making frequent trades in mutual fund shares.

  • The “Zurich Fire Insurance Company of New York” was founded in 1929, the reinsurance company Turegum in 1938 and the “American Guarantee and Liability Company in New York”
    in 1939.

  • In addition, a branch was established in the United Kingdom (the first foreign insurance company to do so).

  • [48] In 2019, the local branch of Zurich Insurance Group was one of four insurance companies fined by Portugal’s competition authority AdC for “cartel practices” regarding
    workplace accident, health and auto insurance.

  • All old shares were replaced by new shares in the newly formed “Zurich Financial Services” (ZFS) with a first listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich and a second listing
    in London.

  • [36] Over the next five years, more than 1,000 Zurich employees, customers, brokers, and distributors volunteered with SBP to rebuild homes in New Orleans, Staten Island and
    Joplin, until in April 2014, the company announced that its Z Zurich Foundation would give SBP a $3 million grant over three years.

  • [13] Zurich Financial Services (1998–2012)[edit] In September 1998, Zurich and the financial division of British American Tobacco merged to form “Zurich Financial Services”.

  • In 1994, “Zürich” took over the Zurich private bank “Rüd, Blass & Cie.” Due to refocusing on the insurance business, the private bank was sold again in 2003.

  • As part of a new brand strategy, “Vita” became “Zurich” Life Insurance Company in 1993, operating in the market under the name “Zürich Leben”.

  • Zurich also owns the Farmers RE business which includes reinsurance assumed from the Farmers Exchange by the Group.

  • [33] Zurich was one of the first recipients of the Community Mark from Business in the Community which it has successfully retained for three years.

  • Zurich’s Farmers Insurance Group is the third largest insurance group in the United States.

  • As a result, it focuses on promoting and sponsoring sporting events such as the Orbea Monegros, and the Orbea Klasika in Bilbao[21] In November 2021, Zurich signed an acquisition
    agreement with Texas-based Special Insurance Services.

  • It was founded by people who were also board members of the “Schweiz” transport insurance company.

  • [22] On 3 January 2022, Zurich Insurance Group announced that its Italian subsidiary, Zurich Investments Life S.p.A. had agreed to sell its life and pension back book to the
    Portuguese insurer and wealth management platform GamaLife – Companhia de Seguros de Vida, S.A. (GamaLife), for an undisclosed sum.

  • [37] In March 2012, Zurich reinforced its commitment to the Z Zurich foundation by making a substantial investment of $100 million.

  • “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.

  • Due to legal settlements in the area of workers’ compensation, it took a risk and entered the North American market in 1912, starting in the states of New York, Illinois,
    New Jersey, and Massachusetts in the US.

  • Following the September 11 attacks, on September 24, 2001, Zurich Financial announced it would sell Zurich Scudder, which then had US$370 billion in assets under management,
    to Deutsche Bank for US$2.5 billion (US$1.2 billion in cash and the rest in assets).

  • [32] According to its website, Zurich Community Trust has donated over £60 million since 1972, with the goal of addressing key social issues.

  • The purchase, combined with a 10-year cooperation agreement between Farmers and MetLife is financed by Zurich group with US$2.43 billion while the remaining US$1.51 billion
    is contributed by Farmers.

  • [5] The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

  • [19] Zurich Spain launched Klinc in 2018, a Spanish digital company that offers online insurance plans for cars, life, home, devices, and micromobility led by Stefano de Liguoro,
    Head of Digital at Zurich Seguros.

  • In 2000, the structure was reorganized under a single holding company under Swiss company law.

  • ZIP writes non-life insurance business across the European Union through its Irish head office and network of branches.

  • Global Life[edit] Zurich’s Global Life business offers life insurance,[26] savings, investment and pension products.

  • In 1880 Zurich abandoned the marine business following a significant loss.

  • [9] In 1925, Zurich became the official insurer of all new Ford vehicles in Great Britain.

  • [23][24] Core business segments General Insurance[edit] Zurich’s General Insurance business serves individuals, small and medium-sized businesses and major multinational corporations
    with motor, home, and commercial products and services.

 

Works Cited

[‘1. “Annual Report 2021”. Zurich.
2. ^ “Zurich Says Board Will Propose Ackermann as Chairman”, Bloomberg.com, 13 March 2012; accessed 27 April 2014.
3. ^ “The World’s Biggest Public Companies” Forbes.com; retrieved 7 March 2020.
4. ^ “Best Global
Brands 2011” Archived 26 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Interbrand; retrieved 25 April 2012.
5. ^ [1] “About us” Archived 21 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Zurich.com; retrieved 25 April 2012. Employees and countries served updated 2020
https://www.zurich.com/en/about-us/a-global-insurer
6. ^ Jump up to:a b ZIG profile Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, zurich.com; accessed 27 April 2014.
7. ^ “Aktuelle Zahlen und Daten”. Zurich Insurance Group. Retrieved 12 March
2020.
8. ^ Jump up to:a b c d “History and heritage: Zurich milestones”. Zurich Insurance Group. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
9. ^ “Krankenversicherungen in Spanien”. Super Spanisch. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
10. ^ Jump up to:a b
“Meilensteine der Zürich-Geschichte” (PDF). Zurich Insurance Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
11. ^ “3. Zurich Financial Services”. Insurance Times. 1999. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
12. ^ Sorkin,
Suzanne Kapner With Andrew Ross (24 September 2001). “Deutsche Bank To Buy Scudder In Deal Worth $2.5 Billion”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
13. ^ “Zurich Scudder Investments”. www.sec.gov. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
14. ^
“Zurich Allied AG”. Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
15. ^ “Zurich Financial Buys Majority Stake in Santander Insurance Unit”. DealB%k. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
16. ^ “Zurich in $1.67 Billion Deal with Santander for Latin
American Distribution”. Insurance Journal. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
17. ^ “Zurich name change completed”, InsuranceDaily.co.uk, 4 April 2012; accessed 27 April 2014.
18. ^ JeffVogeli, Jan-Henrik Foerster JanFoe Jeffrey Voegeli.
“Zurich Insurance CEO Senn Steps Down After Recent ‘Setbacks'”. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
19. ^ Arosio, Paola (24 January 2013). “Zurich Insurance poaches Generali chief Mario Greco”. Reuters. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
20. ^ Ben-Hutta,
Avi (18 July 2018). “Zurich Launches Klinc”. Coverager – Insurance news and insights. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
21. ^ “Marktpuls”. www.marktpuls.ch (in German). Retrieved 28 November 2022.
22. ^ “Zurich acquires Special Insurance Services in
Texas – Reinsurance News”. ReinsuranceNe.ws. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
23. ^ “Zurich to sell its Italian life and pensions back book to GamaLife”. www.zurich.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
24. ^ Angeloni, Cristian (4 January
2022). “Zurich sells Italian life and pension business”. International Adviser. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
25. ^ Lucy, Burton (26 March 2022). “Zurich Insurance axes ‘Z’ logo across social media as letter becomes Putin symbol”. The Telegraph.
26. ^
“Investors’ Day – Focus on Execution” (PDF). Zurich.com. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
27. ^ Zurich in North America – History. Zurichna.com (7 May 2013). Retrieved on 4 September 2013.
28. ^
“About Farmers.” Farmers.com. Retrieved 25 April 2012
29. ^ “Milliarden-Deal der Zurich in den USA” (in German). Basler Zeitung (Wirtschaft). Retrieved 11 December 2020.
30. ^ “About Us | Zurich Ireland”. www.zurich.ie. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
31. ^
“2009: The Winners” Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Charity Times.com; accessed 27 April 2014.
32. ^ Charity Times Hall of Fame Archived 20 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 27 April 2014.
33. ^ “Zurich Community Trust”
Archived 11 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 27 April 2014.
34. ^ “Business in the Community, Zurich Financial Services Ltd, the insurance-based financial services provider, has successfully retained the CommunityMark for a further three
years”, bitc.org.uk; retrieved 25 April 2012.
35. ^ “Zurich North America Honors 2012 K.A.M.P. Award Winners”. 3BL Media. 9 November 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
36. ^ Jump up to:a b c “Zurich and St. Bernard Project Use Lessons Learned Post
Hurricane Katrina To Help Communities Across America”. Insurance Broadcasting: 1. 25 April 2014.
37. ^ “Fear factor holding back community volunteering”, TheGuardian.co.uk; retrieved 25 April 2012.
38. ^ “Zurich invests USD 100 million into the
Z Zurich Foundation and provides further evidence for the increasing social and economic role of insurance”, 4-traders.com, 22 March 2012; accessed 27 April 2014.
39. ^ IFRC Archived 18 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine; zurich.com; accessed 27
April 2014.
40. ^ Jump up to:a b “Shareholders information” Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Zurich.com; accessed 27 April 2014.
41. ^ Zurich, 9 States Settle Bid-Rigging Case for $171 Million: “Texas and eight other states have reached
a $171 million settlement with Zurich American Insurance Co. relating to bid-rigging and price-fixing in the commercial insurance market.”
42. ^ Zurich American Implements Reforms, Pays Consumers Millions Archived 23 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
43. ^
Insurance Brokerage Antitrust Litigation Zurich Settlement Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine: “This website provides general information on the Zurich class action settlement .”
44. ^ Zurich Settles Bid-Rigging Probe Archived 10
December 2006 at the Wayback Machine: “Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and State Insurance Department Superintendent Howard Mills today announced an agreement with one of the world’s largest insurance companies to resolve allegations of bid-rigging
and improper “finite reinsurance” transactions.”
45. ^ Zurich Financial Settles US Market Timing Case: “In order to buy, exchange and redeem shares in these mutual funds, these hedge funds employed deceptive techniques designed to avoid detection
by these mutual funds. ZCM came to learn that the hedge funds were utilizing deceptive practices to market-time mutual funds, and nonetheless ZCM provided financing to them and took administrative steps that substantially assisted them”, the SEC said.
46. ^
Zurich Financial Pays $16.8 Million in SEC Fund Probe: “Zurich Capital Markets, a U.S. subsidiary, helped four hedge funds disguise their identities to avoid detection when making frequent trades in mutual-fund shares, a practice called market timing,
the SEC said in statement today.”
47. ^ Hurley, James (30 March 2015). “Dunbar faces challenge over ‘bankruptcy’ policy”. The Times. London. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
48. ^ “Done over by Dunbar”. Private Eye. London. 15 May 2015. p. 31.
49. ^
Catarina Demony (1 August 2019), Portugal competition watchdog fines insurers over cartel practices Reuters.
50. ^ “Zurich Insurance removes Z symbol after letter used to show support for Ukraine war”. Reuters. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/proflowers/15255964454/’]