Timeline
1863 — Ship captain William Holdredge founded Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company in San Francisco. Its first policy was one-half interest in 1,000 kegs of Boston syrup. The premium was $12 cash in advance.
1871 — The company paid all of its claims from the Great Chicago Fire – about a half million dollars worth – within 60 days, nearly wiping out all of the company’s capital.
1905 — The company had roughly 6,000 independent agents.
1906 — Fireman’s Fund was the first company to provide nationwide auto insurance.
1906 — San Francisco earthquake destroyed Fireman’s Fund’s headquarters and all records, but it was able to pay all policyholder claims with a combination of cash and stock. Claims were taken “on their word” as all insurance documents were destroyed.
1920s — Insured the first movies with sound. Since then, the company has insured movies ranging from “Top Gun” to “Lord of the Rings” and is currently the largest insurer of Hollywood films.
1927 — Insured Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.
1936 — The company grew to 1,500 employees and about 10,000 independent agents.
1953 — Moved its headquarters to a modern facility in San Francisco’s Laurel Heights neighborhood.
1957 — Premium income topped $300 million.
1968 — American Express acquired Fireman’s Fund.
Early 1980s — Outgrew its space in San Francisco and moved the headquarters north to Novato, Calif.
1984 — Insured the ABC telecast of the 1984 Olympics.
1985 — Fireman’s Fund was sold off by American Express and became an independent company.
1991 — Allianz AG acquired Fireman’s Fund.
2001 — All of the company’s 109 New York employees located in the south tower of the World Trade Center survived the terrorist attack.
2004 — Fireman’s Fund launched the Heritage Program, a recommitment of its founding philanthropic mission to support the fire service. Grants are given to local fire departments to help purchase new equipment, tools and training.
2006 — Created the first green insurance products in the United States.
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