90 years of ARAG: Focus on legal insurance more relevant than ever
ARAG Insurance is celebrating its 90th anniversary. On August 24, 1935, Heinrich Faßbender, a notary and entrepreneur from Oberhausen, founded ARAG in Düsseldorf with a revolutionary idea: “Everyone should be able to assert their rights – regardless of their financial situation.” This founding principle was a milestone in the insurance world. Today, 90 years later, equal access to justice is more relevant than ever in constitutional states. Accordingly, the law is also the focus of the 1,700-square-meter anniversary poster on the ARAG Tower in Düsseldorf.
From its beginnings as a six-man operation in a Düsseldorf townhouse directly on the Rhine, ARAG has developed into an international insurance group with over 6,000 employees, around three billion euros in premium income, and more than 13 million customers. Today, ARAG is not only the largest family-owned company in the German insurance industry, but also the world’s largest legal insurer.
Due to his active political involvement as a centrist politician, ARAG founder Heinrich Faßbender soon came under pressure from the Nazi regime. He refused to sell the company and was forced to effectively shut down operations until 1945. In 1948, ARAG received its insurance license from the British occupation authorities. From 1949 onwards, the range of services was expanded beyond pure traffic legal insurance to other areas of life. In 1962, ARAG established its first international unit in the Netherlands, laying the foundation for its current international presence. Other important milestones were the expansion into composite and health insurance in 1962 and 1985, as well as the continuous expansion of international business. While the international focus is on the core business of legal protection – which accounts for almost two-thirds of legal insurance premium income – ARAG is also successfully positioned in the health and composite insurance business in its home market of Germany.
“Only a company that is as adaptable, flexible, and willing to change as ARAG can manage to remain true to itself for 90 years,” emphasizes Dr. Renko Dirksen, Chairman of the Board of Management of ARAG SE. “This impressive development from a small Düsseldorf-based company to today’s leading legal insurance provider worldwide shows that the visionary idea of our company founder Heinrich Faßbender from 1935 is more important today than ever. At a time when legal guidance is increasingly in demand, we create resilience for our customers.”
Recipe for success: independence and innovative strengthAs an independent family-owned company, ARAG can make decisions without having to pay attention to quarterly capital market interests. This independence enables the Group to react quickly to market changes.
Anniversary campaign raises ARAG’s profile nationwideARAG is launching a comprehensive anniversary campaign to mark its 90th birthday. The campaign kicks off with a Germany-wide poster campaign on over 40,000 billboards. Three eye-catching motifs convey the company’s long-standing legal insurance expertise with a touch of humor. The ARAG Tower itself is a particular eye-catcher: Since the anniversary day, the 125-meter-high Düsseldorf landmark is displaying the anniversary motif “We celebrate the law. And 90 years of ARAG” – covering more than 1,700 square meters on its façade. “With this, we present what is probably the largest legal insurance poster in the world,” emphasizes Dr. Renko Dirksen.
In addition, ARAG is presenting videos on its central anniversary website “Moments of Trust” in which customers and business partners from twelve countries tell why they chose ARAG at decisive moments.
AmTrust International buys Legal Insurance Management Group
AmTrust International has purchased Legal Insurance Management Group (LIM) for an undisclosed sum.
LIM was previously privately owned and the deal will see the business work with AmTrust subsidiary Arc Legal Assistance.
Managing director of LIM, Barry Smith, commented: “I am delighted that LIM will be joining the AmTrust group and working alongside Arc Legal. They share our commitment to developing products and services, and we look forward to building on our previous 19 years of successful trading.”
Chief executive of Arc Legal, Frank O’Malley, said: “LIM brings unique capabilities, particularly in the assistance arena, which will complement the existing businesses, enabling AmTrust to build a full service offering across ATE and BTE legal expenses, home emergency and motor breakdown.”
“They have a long-standing reputation for quality and integrity in their products and services, and we look forward to this exciting period of continued growth and expansion.”