Metlife

The National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company was chartered in 1863 to insure Union soldiers during the American Civil War; undoubtedly this was a bad time to make this investment as the Civil War was the bloodiest war in United States history. Consequently, the company suffered significant losses and lost several of its original partners over time. After quite a few reorganizations, National Union Life and Limb Insurance Company evolved into National Traveler's Insurance Company, and then again when the name was changed to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

After the Civil War, when the economy was booming and the Industrial Revolution was taking off, the need for life insurance became increasingly more visible to everyday people. This potential new market was not untapped by Metropolitan, and at the end of 1869 they written policies totaling nearly $5 million. This success was limited because of an economic depression in 1873 that caused many insurance companies to fail and sharply decreased public confidence in life insurance companies.

In the later 1800s Metropolitan Life Insurance began to focus its business efforts on industrial insurance as per the advice of Joseph F. Knapp, the acting president of the company. Metropolitan's entry into the industrial insurance market proved to be a wise decision, only six years after the start of the policy the company had over $100 million of industrial insurance in force. Using this to their advantage, Metropolitan put hundreds more agents in the field, rapidly expanding across the western and southern United States, and focusing their business on the "working man".

MetLife continued to operate under the circumstances of widespread success and continued growth through the 1900s, and even during the Great Depression. After a legislation-related hiccup regarding insurance company regulation, Metropolitan Life Insurance restructured its business and policy models, increased their investments, and continued their restructuring trend by diversifying through investing in technology and land.

Currently, Metropolitan Life Insurance retains more than $3 trillion in life insurance in force and is the largest life insurance provider in the United States, providing 90 percent of Fortune 100 companies with insurance.