List of Mergers and Acquisitions
A number of insurance companies make up Aviva. Highlighted below are the key UK mergers and acquisitions.
Friends Life
Formed in 2011 following the amalgamation of Friends Provident, the majority of AXA's UK Life business, and Bupa Health Assurance. The business was acquired by Aviva in April 2015.
Friends’ Provident Life Office
Friends’ Provident Life Office became part of the Friends Life Group in 2011, which was acquired by Aviva in 2015.
CGU
Formed by the merger of General Accident and Commercial Union in February 1998. Merged with Norwich Union in May 2000 to form CGNU, which changed its name to Aviva in 2002.
Norwich Union
Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society (est. 1797) and Norwich Union Life Insurance Society (est. 1808), merged with CGU in May 2000 to form CGNU. This remained the name of the brand in the UK until it was rebranded as Aviva on 1 June 2009.
Hibernian
Commercial Union held the majority shareholding in Hibernian Insurance in the 1960s, but it did not properly become part of the Aviva Group until January 2000, when its remaining shares were acquired by CGU.
London & Edinburgh Insurance Group
Acquired by Norwich Union in November 1998.
London and Manchester Assurance Company
In November 1998, the business was acquired by Friends’ Provident, which became part of Friends Life in 2011.
Commercial Union
Commercial Union Assurance Company merged with General Accident in February 1998 to form CGU.
General Accident
General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation merged with Commercial Union in February 1998 to form CGU.
Sun Life Assurance
Sun Life Assurance was acquired by the AXA Group in 1997; AXA's UK life business subsequently became part of the Friends Life Group in 2011, which was acquired by Aviva in 2015.
Provident Mutual
A merger between Provident Mutual Life Assurance and General Accident was announced in September 1995.
United Kingdom Provident Institution
UK Provident, as it came to be known, merged with Friends' Provident in 1986.
English Insurance Company
English Insurance Company became a subsidiary of General Accident in 1923. During 1982, General Accident acquired the remaining 47.7% of the company's ordinary share capital from Hill Samuel, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Yorkshire Insurance Company
In 1967, the majority of Yorkshire Insurance Company's share capital was acquired by General Accident, which acquired the remaining amount the following year.
Northern and Employers Assurance Company
A holding company established in 1960 to effect the merger of the Northern Assurance Company and Employers’ Liability Assurance Company. The group was acquired by Commercial Union in 1968.
North British & Mercantile Insurance Company
Merged with Commercial Union in 1959.
Scottish Union and National Insurance Company
Acquired by Norwich Union in 1959.