Transamerica Corporation

The Transamerica Corporation is an American holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms operating primarily in the United States, offering life and supplemental health insurance, investments, and retirement services. The company has major offices located in Baltimore, Maryland; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Denver, Colorado; Norwood, Massachusetts; Exton, Pennsylvania; Harrison, New York; Johns Creek, Georgia; Plano, Texas; and St. Petersburg, Florida. Additional affiliated offices are located throughout the United States. In 1999, it became a subsidiary of Aegon, a European financial services company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.[1]

Transamerica Corporation
TypePrivate
IndustryInsurance
Investments
Retirement planning
Founded1928 (1928)
FounderAmadeo Giannini
HeadquartersBaltimore, MD, US
Number of locations
Palau (1981-1999)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
A.P. Giannini, founder
Mark W. Mullin, CEO
ProductsLife insurance, Investment & Retirement services
Number of employees
25,000 (2018)
ParentAegon
Websitewww.transamerica.com

Transamerica funds the Transamerica Institute, a nonprofit foundation which comprises the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies and the Transamerica Center for Health Studies.[2]

History
The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco

In October 1904, A.P. Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in San Francisco which later became known as Bank of America.[3][4] In 1928, Giannini put the bank into a holding company he named the Transamerica Corporation. In 1930, the company acquired Occidental Life Insurance Company, founded in 1906, and renamed it Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Company.[5] Gradually, the company became a more diversified conglomerate which included the film distributor United Artists,[6] Transamerica Airlines and Budget Rent a Car.[7]

In 1972, the company completed construction of the Transamerica Pyramid skyscraper in San Francisco which served as its headquarters for many years. Although the company currently retains only a few offices in the building, the pyramid is still depicted in the company's logo and marketing materials.[8]

In the 1980s, Transamerica began to divest and focused exclusively on financial services.[9] It was eventually pared down to three main product divisions: insurance, investments and retirement. In July 1999, Transamerica CEO Frank C. Herringer announced that Aegon, the Netherlands-based insurer, would acquire the company.[10] Transamerica Occidental merged into Transamerica Life Insurance Company on October 1, 2008.

When the film Heaven's Gate distributed by United Artists was released on November 19, 1980, it was a huge critical and box office failure, losing more than $44 million for UA and Transamerica. Because of this financial debacle, Transamerica sold United Artists to its current owner Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $380 million on July 28, 1981.

Products and services

Transamerica primarily offers insurance and financial services. Types of life and health insurance policies offered include term life, whole life, universal life, variable universal life, accidental death,[11] Medicare supplement, and long term care.[12] Transamerica companies also offer a variety of mutual funds and annuities.[13] Transamerica has over 15,000 licensed insurance agents just in the state of California.

Transamerica’s retirement division offers defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution retirement plans,[14] including 401(k) and 403(b), 457, profit sharing, money purchase, cash balance, Taft-Hartley, multiple employer plans, nonqualified deferred compensation, and rollover individual retirement accounts. Other services include plan-level record keeping and administrative services, participant communications and education services, fiduciary risk mitigation services, open investment architecture, and compliance guidance and regulatory support.[15]

Sponsorships

Transamerica works with like-minded academics, organizations, and athletes to promote the important link between Wealth and Health as well as its presence in local communities. Transamerica is a long-time sponsor of Cedar Rapids native and 12-time PGA Tour winner Zach Johnson, who captured the 2015 Open Championship, 2007 Masters Tournament, and represented the U.S. on five Ryder Cup teams. Transamerica also sponsors Kyle Stanley, 2009 Open Championship winner Stewart Cink, and Azahara Munoz, in addition to the American Junior Golf Association and its annual Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America teams.

With a large employee presence in Denver, Transamerica in 2015 became the shirt sponsor of the Colorado Rapids, winners of the 2010 MLS Cup. Transamerica has an additional sponsorship agreement with Rapids and United States national team goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Transamerica currently collaborates with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, as well as the American Heart Association.

Foundations

Transamerica funds two foundations: the Aegon Transamerica Foundation and the Transamerica Institute. It created the Aegon Transamerica Foundation in 1994 to provide financial grants to community non-profit organizations. Transamerica employees also volunteer services to these organizations.[16] The foundation received the Corporate Citizenship Award in 2013 for creating the first urban farm in Iowa.[17]

The Transamerica Institute consists of two divisions: the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies and the Transamerica Center for Health Studies. The Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies researches and provides education on trends, issues, and opportunities related to saving and planning for retirement.[18] The Transamerica Center for Health Studies focuses on identifying, researching, and analyzing health care issues facing consumers and employers.[19] The Transamerica Institute is funded by contributions from Transamerica Life Insurance Company.[20]

See also


References
  1. Tagliabue, John (February 19, 1999). "Big Dutch Insurer to Acquire Transamerica for $9.7 Billion". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  2. "About Transamerica Institute". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  3. "Newcomers". They Made America. June 9, 2004. PBS. WGBH-TV.
  4. "History". Transamerica. October 1, 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  5. "Company Profile: Transamerica Occidental Life Insurance Company". California Department of Insurance. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  6. International Directory of Company Histories. 25. St. James Press. January 1, 1999. pp. 326–330. ISBN 978-1558623675. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  7. "Budget Car Rental Corporate History". Budget Rent A Car.
  8. "Pyramid Facts". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  9. Zonana, Victor F. (January 31, 1986). "Transamerica Plans to Divest Units: Will Sell Air Travel, Auto Rental, Manufacturing Firms". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  10. "Aegon buys Transamerica". CNNMoney. February 18, 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  11. "Products: Life Insurance". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  12. "Products: Medicare Solutiona". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  13. "Individual". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  14. "Aegon acquires Mercer's US defined contribution record-keeping business" (Press release). Aegon. September 21, 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  15. "Retirement Solutions". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  16. "Aegon Transamerica Foundation". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  17. Ford, George (November 21, 2013). "Transamerica wins award for Time Check 'urban farm'". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  18. Gladych, Paula Aven (December 4, 2015). "Few employees aware of retirement transition benefits". Employee Benefit News. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  19. Sammer, Joanne (November 9, 2015). "'Carving Out' Spousal Benefits: Cost-Cutting, with Repercussions". Society for Human Resource Management. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. "About Transamerica Institute". Transamerica. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
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