Sanlam Limited company has been expanding its investment business through segments including Sanlam Investment Management, its Octane hedge fund of funds, and its SIM Emerging Markets, which focuses on African economies. Charlize Theron may have run away to Hollywood, but the Sanlam Group keeps its star power at home in South Africa. Targeting middle-market and affluent clients, the company provides insurance and wealth management services. Major segments are life insurance (including annuities and other investment products) and short-term insurance (property and casualty coverage sold through majority-owned Santam).

Assurity Life, formed when Woodmen Accident, Assurity Life, and Lincoln Direct merged in 2003, provides group and individual life insurance, disability income protection, and annuity products, serving some 420,000 customer accounts nationwide. It also offers various critical-illness policies (which provide lump-sum payouts for a variety of conditions and diseases). A network of independent brokers as well as affiliated sales representatives (worksite distributors) market Assurity Life's products. With roots going back to 1890, Assurity Life is the primary subsidiary of Assurity Security Group.

Lincoln National Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in multiple insurance and retirement businesses in the United States. It sells a range of wealth protection, accumulation, and retirement income products and solutions. These products include fixed and indexed annuities, variable annuities, universal life insurance (UL), variable universal life insurance (VUL), linked-benefit UL, term life insurance, mutual funds, and group life insurance. Lincoln National Corporation also provides employer-sponsored fixed and variable annuities, and mutual fund-based programs; single and survivorship versions of UL and VUL, including corporate-owned UL and VUL, and bank-owned UL and VUL products to small and mid-sized banks and large-sized corporations; and group non-medical insurance products, principally term life, disability, and dental. Lincoln National Corporation distributes its products through a range of intermediaries, including financial advisors, consultants, brokers, banks, wirehouses, planners, third party administrators, and other intermediaries. Lincoln National Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance is the southern arm of a northern parent. The company, a subsidiary of Canada's Great-West Lifeco and a member of the Power Financial family, represents the Great-West group's primary US operations. It offers life insurance and annuities to individuals and employer groups. Under the Great-West Retirement Services brand, it administers employer-sponsored retirement products including defined-benefit pension and 401(k) plans. Additional Great-West services include investment consulting and fund management. Great-West Life & Annuity markets products through its sales representatives and regional offices, as well as independent brokers.

Crum & Forster looks out for the best interests of employers. Through its subsidiaries, the company offers an array of property/casualty insurance products to businesses, including general liability, automobile, property, and workers' compensation coverage. Crum & Forster also offers The Defender, a broad commercial umbrella policy. The company's specialty policies include management protection, crime insurance; it also offers personal auto and homeowners policies. In addition, Crum & Forster provides risk management services. The company's products are sold through some 1,500 independent brokers across the US. Crum & Forster is a subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings.

Standard Insurance is the largest member of StanCorp Financial Group's insurance division, which insures more than 7 million employees through some 30,000 employer group policies. It is licensed in 49 states and Washington, DC; sister firm Standard Life Insurance Company of New York covers the New York territory. Standard Insurance hopes to set the standard for life and disability insurance providers everywhere. Standard Insurance underwrites group and individual insurance products (branded as The Standard), including short-term and long-term disability, life, and accident insurance. Standard Insurance company also offers dental and vision benefits, retirement plans, and annuities, as well as benefits management services.

Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides group and individual disability insurance products primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom. Unum Group also provides a portfolio of other insurance products, including long-term care insurance, life insurance, employer and employee-paid group benefits, and related services. Its products include group long-term and short-term disability; group life and accidental death, and dismemberment; individual disability; group and individual long-term care; brokerage voluntary benefits; group life; accident, sickness, and disability; and cancer and critical illness insurance products. The company also provides individual life and corporate-owned life insurance, reinsurance pools and management operations, group pension, health insurance, and individual annuities. It markets its products primarily to employers interested in providing benefits to their employees. Unum Group was founded in 1848 and is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

One of the largest surety companies in the US, CNA Surety offers contract and commercial surety bonds, which guarantee fulfillment of contracts. The company's Western Surety unit handles fidelity, commercial, and contract bonds and international surety and credit insurance; Surety Bonding, another subsidiary, specializes in commercial and contract bonds to small businesses. Contract surety (for construction contractors) accounts for nearly two-thirds of CNA Surety's premiums. CNA Surety sells its products in all 50 states through a network of independent agents and brokers. CNA Financial owns 62% of CNA Surety and has offered to acquire the balance.

Since our founding in 1866, Hartford Steam Boiler has had a culture that values technical expertise. Our engineering knowledge and experience enables us to understand the causes for loss. We then recommend risk management and loss prevention solutions that help our customers reduce their losses and improve their underwriting results.Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) is headquartered in Hartford, Conn. We serve businesses, industries and institutions worldwide.Review HSB At-a-Glance for an overview of Hartford Steam Boiler's capabilities. HSB Group, Inc., the parent company of The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, was acquired by Munich Re on April 1, 2009.

At Brown & Brown (B&B®), we know that we must be as agile as the cheetah in order to thrive in the currently very competitive insurance environment. Our unique culture has enabled us to quickly chase down new opportunities, adapt our products and services to best meet market demands, and satisfy our many and varied clients.

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