Fireman's Fund Insurance Company

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is a Novato, California-based insurance company owned by Allianz AG of Germany. It was founded June 18, 1863 and issued its first policy to Walter Hawxhurst covering one half interest in 1,000 kegs of Boston syrup for a premium of $12. Its name is derived from an early business arrangement to pay 10% of profits to widows and orphans of firefighters. This policy was ended two years later when San Francisco established a paid fire department, although the company still donates to firefighting causes through its Heritage Program.

It was acquired by American Express in 1968, but became independent again in 1985, and was purchased by Allianz in 1991. In 2006, the company had 4,100 employees and assets of more than $12.2 billion.

It was one of the first car insurance providers, and issued the world's first airplane insurance policy. Today it insures diverse operations such as agribusiness and feature film production. It has insured the productions of films such as Top Gun, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Lord of the Rings.

Fireman's Fund has had a long history insuring some of providing coverage after some of the most catastrophic events in American History, including the Great Chicago Fire, the San Francisco earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.