If Insurance - 154 years of insurance experience in Estonia

Since 2002 If Eesti Kindlustus

Since 2 January 2002 If kindlustus belongs to the largest Nordic non-life insurance group - If P&C Insurance Holding Ltd. Sampo OY transferred the shares of its subsidiary companies which were involved in non-life insurance (including AS Sampo Eesti Varakindlustus) to the Swedish non-life insurance company, If P&C Insurance Holding Ltd, at the same time acquiring majority holding (38.05%) in this company.

Since 23 January 2002 the new business name of Sampo Eesti Varakindlustus has been AS If kindlustus. As per the contract between Sampo and If, If kindlustus used the Sampo trademark in 2002. Since 1 January 2003, we have been using the If kindlustus (If) trademark. The name If refers to the Swedish parent company and the history of the public limited company, Eesti Kindlustus.

1999-2001 AS Sampo Eesti Varakindlustus

In May 1999, Yritys-Sampo bought the non-life insurance or the subsidiary of Eesti Kindlustus – AS Eesti Varakindlustus. In November 1999, Eesti Kindlustus took over the portfolio of insurance contracts for Polaris-Vara. In December of the same year, the new business name, AS Sampo Eesti Varakindlustus, for the merged undertakings (Eesti Kindlustus, Polaris-Vara and Sampo Kindlustus) was entered into the commercial register.

By the end of 1999, the market share of Eesti Varakindlustus was 25%, Polaris-Vara 2% and Sampo Kindlustus 10.5%, making the market share of the merged company 37.5% in total. At the end of 2000, the market share of Sampo Eesti Varakindlustus was 38 percent.

1996-1999 AS Eesti Kindlustus

RAS Eesti Kindlustus was privatised to be a public limited company: AS Eesti Kindlustus. The statutes of the company were approved on 13 August 1996 and this date is regarded to be the date of privatisation for RAS Eesti Kindlustus. The Estonian Savings Bank (Hoiupank) became the main owner. In September 1997, AS Eesti Kindlustus bought the majority stock of the company Narva Kalju.

On 12 July 1998 Hansapank and Hoiupank merged and Hansapank became the main owner of Eesti Kindlustus.

1991-1996 Eesti Kindlustus state-owned public limited company

In 1991 the Central Administration of the ESSR State Insurance was reorganised on the basis of a Government regulation into a state-owned company called Eesti Kindlustus. The undertaking operated as a life and non-life insurance undertaking until 1995 when Eesti Varakindlustus AS was established, followed by the establishment of Eesti Elukindlustuse AS in 1996. Both companies operated until 1999. In October 1995, Yritys-Sampo subsidiary AS Sampo Kindlustus was established in Estonia.

1977-1991 Central Administration of the ESSR State Insurance

The Central Administration of the ESSR State Insurance was founded on 20 June 1977.

1958-1977 ESSR State Insurance (Administration)

ESSR State Insurance (Administration) was founded on 18 November 1958.

1944-1958 Administration of the ESSR State Insurance

The Administration of the ESSR State Insurance was founded on 12 February 1944.

1941-1944 Estonian Insurance Administration

During the German occupation (from September 1941 to autumn 1944) the insurance institutions in Estonia, which were headed by the Estonian Insurance Administration, operated similarly to the time of the 1958 State Insurance administration.

1940-1941 State Insurance Division

The insurance companies were nationalised and the State Insurance Division was established on 23 August 1940, while on 23 June 1941 the State Insurance Administration was formed.

1937-1940 EEKS-MAJA Co-operative Insurance Company

According to the requirements of the Law of Insurance Institutions of 1936, a new business name was brought into use.

1932-1936 First Estonian Insurance Company Maja (EEKS-MAJA)

In November 1932, two insurance companies, the First Estonian Insurance Company EEKS and the "Maja" Insurance Company at the Tallinn House Owners' Bank, were merged, as the clientele was essentially the same. EEKS started offering life insurance as early as 1923, but after the merger, the EEKS-MAJA started to advocate life insurance in particular.

1923-1932 First Estonian Insurance Company (EEKS)

Although in 1923 the terms "assurance and assure" were replaced with the words "insurance and insure", the old terminology was used for years through force of habit.

1919-1922 First Estonian Assurance Company (EEKS)

After Estonia gained independence in 1918, the area of activity for the company was extended across the whole country and in 1919 the company received a new name -the First Estonian Assurance Company (EEKS). In 1923, new statutes were adopted by which "new insurance areas" were established. In addition to fire assurance, life, glass, domestic animal and burglary assurances were also allowed.

1912-1919 Second Mutual Fire Assurance Company

In 1912, new statutes were adopted in which the company's operating sphere was extended across the whole city of Tallinn due to which fact the company received a new business name: the Second Mutual Fire Assurance Company. The first one was regarded as being the Mutual Fire Assurance (for Buildings) Company of Tallinn, established in 1864 by the Baltic Germans.

1866-1912 Mutual Fire Assurance Company of the Boroughs of Tallinn

The statutes established the boroughs of Tallinn (Kalaranna, Kopli, Kelmiküla, Tõnismäe, Uus Maailm, Kitseküla, Juhkentali, etc.) as the company's operating territory, but a decision which was reached in the general meeting of 1869 allowed assurances to also be accepted from other cities (the first of these were Lihula, Paide and Haapsalu). Buildings were assured against fire (the word "assurance" was used until 1923, and then "insurance" was introduced to replace it).