The story of a.s.r.

In the story of a.s.r. the strengths of the organisation and culture of a.s.r. and Aegon Nederland together form the strategic priorities, vision and core values of our new organisation.

We are a.s.r., the Dutch insurance company for all insurance products. a.s.r.’s raison d’être is to help people. If we can do that well, we will have a healthy future. a.s.r. is one of the largest insurers in the Netherlands. Our customers are mainly private individuals, self-employed persons and small and medium enterprises.

Our mission is to help customers insure risks that they are unwilling or unable to bear themselves, whether this involves damage to a car, home or home contents, medical expenses, funeral costs or an income when someone is temporarily unable to work. We also offer mortgages and banking services. In addition, a.s.r. provides services for people wanting to build up assets for later or for retirement, or who require asset management.

a.s.r. helps with services and products that are not only good for now, but also for the long term, with future generations in mind. We make a difference by offering as many sustainable choices as possible. a.s.r. does it - for now, later and always.

Strategy

At the heart of our strategy is long-term value creation for our key stakeholders: customers, employees, society and shareholders.

We are ambitious: we want to become the pensions player in the Netherlands, a leading mortgage lender and a leader in sustainability. We also see opportunities to strengthen our position and grow further in property & casualty, disability and asset management in the coming years, based on value over volume. In health, life and funeral, we want to maintain our current position. We want to expand our role in the chain with our distribution and service companies.

We are cost-efficient and financially sound. We handle the money that customers entrust to us with care. a.s.r. must be financially strong in order to meet our obligations and ensure our continuity for our customers and employees. We offer shareholders the prospect of a fair return.

a.s.r. does it

a.s.r. wants to be the best financial services provider for customers and advisors. We offer customers simple and transparent products and services that meet their sustainability needs. We work closely with advisors who know our customers’ personal situations well and can give them the best advice. We also offer customers the possibility of arranging matters for themselves in our digital environment, quickly and easily, with personal contact if needed. We are not satisfied until customers and advisors rate our products and services as above average.

a.s.r.'s rich history begins in 1720 with the start of the N.V. Maatschappij van Assurantie, Discontering en Beleening der Stad Rotterdam. But the foundation of our current organisation was laid in 2000 with the merger of Fortis AMEV and ASR Group (consisting of De Amersfoortse, Stad Rotterdam Verzekeringen and Woudsend Verzekeringen).

Establishment of N.V. Maatschappij van Assurantie, Discontering en Beleening der Stad Rotterdam anno 1720

Stad Rotterdam, the oldest insurance company on the European continent, was a household name in the insurance world for nearly three centuries. Traditionally , Stad Rotterdam specialized in insuring ocean-going vessels – not a surprising choice in a port city such as Rotterdam.

Other activities undertaken by Stad Rotterdam included pledging and discounting money and – to a lesser extent – providing fire insurance coverage.
In 1816, the Onderlinge Brandwaarborg-maatschappij Woudsend U.A. set up. The principle of the mutual insurance company was something new at that time. The insured parties stood surety for each other in the event of damage. In 1950, the name Woudsend changed to N.V. Insurance Company Holland-Woudsend. Results deteriorated in the late 1960s. Woudsend ended up in the red and started looking for a partner. It was found in the city of Rotterdam.
There was hardly greater shame for people in the nineteenth century than having to be buried like a pauper.

With this in mind, D. Stolwerk and W.P. Ingenegeren established Let op Uw Einde, a funeral expenses fund, in Utrecht on 6 December 1847. In exchange for a small fee, members of the fund were guaranteed a decent burial. After just 25 years, Let op Uw Einde had become the largest funeral expenses insurer in the Netherlands.
In 1883, the Board of Let op Uw Einde established Levensverzekering Maatschappij Utrecht. De Utrecht, as it was known, focused mostly on newly created endowment insurance and annuities, which were calculated using complex actuarial principles. Let op Uw Einde was dissolved in 1894, at which time the insurance portfolio was transferred to De Utrecht.
The origins of Europeesche Verzekeringen can be traced back to Hungary. Timber merchant Max von Engel established Europäische Reisegepäck-Versicherungs A.G. in Budapest in 1907. Von Engel exclusively offered travel insurance. His aim was to create a network of branches throughout Europe, which he succeeded in doing. By 1928, he had no fewer than 22 branches in all major European cities.

The Dutch branch by the name of ‘Europeesche’ was established on 25 May 1920 in partnership with Müncher Rück and Dutch Railways.
De Amersfoortse was originally a Protestant non-profit initiative. Het Wit-Blauwe Kruis, a foundation whose aim was to promote the construction of Protestant hospitals in the Netherlands, was established in 1938. Insurance policies were sold as a way of raising funds for this purpose.

The foundation was converted into a public company by the name of N.V. Amersfoortse Algemene Verzekeringsmaatschappij – De Amersfoortse for short – in 1964.
Ardanta started out under the name Algemene Nederlandse Begrafenisverzekering en Verzorgingsmaatschappij (ANBV) in 1965. AMEV acquired Ardanta in 1982.
Falcon Life created from Mercator Life
AMEV and VSB Group were the first bancassurance groups to merge. Until 1990, the two-tier regime prevented insurance companies and banks from being members of the same group.

Merger between ASR Group and Fortis AMEV

The merger between Belgian-based AG Group and AMEV/VSB was the first cross-border merger in the financial sector. The merger took place on the initiative of the CEOs of the two companies, i.e. Hans Bartelds and Maurice Lippens.
Merger between ASR Group and Fortis AMEV, Fortis's Dutch insurance operations.
2005 Integration of insurance operations of Stad Rotterdam, AMEV, Woudsend Verzekeringen into Fortis ASR.
The State of the Netherlands has been a.s.r.’s only shareholder since October 2008. Until 2008, a.s.r. was a division of Fortis and operated under the name Fortis Verzekeringen Nederland. The State’s participation in a.s.r. is the direct result of the nationalization of the Dutch divisions of Fortis, which collapsed in 2008.
Finance Minister Dijsselbloem sent a letter to the Lower House of Dutch Parliament informing the Members that the Cabinet had decided to initiate the selling process for a.s.r. The Minister plans to ask NLFI and a.s.r. to start preparing for an IPO, so that privatization will become an option from the first half of 2016.
10 June at 9:00 AM. From that moment on ASR Nederland N.V. is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. NL Financial Investments (NLFI) currently holds approximately 63,7% of the shares. Eventually all shares will be placed on het market in trances.
On the 14th of September, NLFI sells the last 20.5% stake in a.s.r. The Dutch State has completed the full divestment of a.s.r.and brings all the shares of a.s.r. back to the private market since October 2008.
a.s.r. acquires Generali Netherlands, including the insurance policies of 200,000 customers. Generali Netherlands serves the market with a wide range of property and life insurance products.
a.s.r. acquires Loyalis from pension administrator APG. With this acquisition, a.s.r. expands and strengthens its market position in the field of disability insurance and reinforces its leading position in providing comprehensive sustainable employability solutions for employers. The insurer based in Heerlen has approximately 450,000 policyholders.
a.s.r. acquires full ownership of Brand New Day PPI from Brand New Day. a.s.r. previously held a 50% stake in the company, which offers pension arrangements and has approximately 5,800 employers and 145,000 participants on its books.
De Amersfoortse will continue under the name a.s.r. a.s.r. says farewell to the brand De Amersfoortse. The income and health insurances for entrepreneurs and employers from now on will be offered under the a.s.r. brand. With this step, a.s.r. aims to further strengthen its brand. The name change has no impact on De Amersfoortse's customers. They will retain the products and service they are accustomed to, but will receive information about their insurance under the name of a.s.r.
On October 27, 2022, a.s.r. announces its intention to acquire the Dutch operations of Aegon. Following the merger, which will be finalized on July 4, 2023, a.s.r. becomes the second-largest insurer in the Netherlands with 6.5 million customers and over 9,500 employees. a.s.r. will retain its brand name, but the Aegon name will continue to be used for pensions and mortgages for a maximum of three more years. However, Bank Knab and pension administrator TKP will keep their respective names.
Discontinuation of brands De Europeesche, Ditzo and Ardanta
To strengthen the a.s.r. brand, the brands Ditzo, De Europeesche, and Ardanta will be discontinued. Ditzo sold various insurance types online, including health, car, home, and travel insurance. De Europeesche specialized in travel and recreation insurance. a.s.r. is also parting ways with the Ardanta brand and funeral insurances will now be offered under the name a.s.r. These changes in branding will not affect customers. They will retain the products and services they are accustomed to, only now receiving information about their insurances under the a.s.r. name.

a.s.r. gets the green light for combination with Aegon Nederland

ASR Nederland N.V. (a.s.r.) meets all the conditions set for the transaction to combine business activities of a.s.r. and Aegon Nederland. The Consumer & Market Authority has approved the new combination and the Dutch Central Bank and the European Central Bank have also issued a statement of no objection. The works councils of a.s.r. and Aegon N.V. (Aegon) had previously issued a positive opinion. Now that the transaction has been finalised, a.s.r. will start combining operations.

The story of a.s.r.

Establishment of N.V. Maatschappij van Assurantie, Discontering en Beleening der Stad Rotterdam anno 1720

Merger between ASR Group and Fortis AMEV