Eagle Star Insurance
The Eagle Star Insurance Company plc was a leading British insurance business. It underwrote the full range of risks including liability, fire, accident, marine, motor, life, contingency and Pluvius insurance. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
History
The Eagle Insurance Company was founded by Sir William Rawlins in 1807. In 1858 it acquired Albion Life Insurance Company, which had been founded in 1805.The British Dominions Marine Insurance Company was founded by Edward Mountain in 1904, which operated as a marine insurance office in the five principal overseas dominions.
It started writing fire and accident policies in 1911 and life assurance policies in 1916.
It expanded rapidly in its early years acquiring the Eagle Insurance Company in 1916 and both the Sceptre Insurance Company and Star Assurance Society in 1917. It was renamed the Eagle Star and British Dominions in 1917 and Eagle Star in 1937.
For many years its head office was at the prestigious address 1 Threadneedle Street, London EC2. However, a new administrative head office and computer centre was opened in Cheltenham in October 1968.
In 1981 it fought off a takeover bid from Allianz, the German insurance Group.
It was acquired by BAT Industries for £968m in 1984. It continued to trade, under the Eagle Star name, until acquisition by Zurich Financial Services in 1999.
In the 1980s, the company supported the Nature Conservatory and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the successful reintroduction of sea eagles to Scotland.