Our History
The Transamerica companies have been making—and keeping—promises for over a century. In its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, TIME® magazine included Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pablo Picasso, the Wright brothers and A.P. Giannini—the founder of Transamerica.1 Why Giannini? Because he was the first to make banking and financial services available to everyone—not just those who had already achieved wealth.
Giannini founded his first bank in 1904 in San Francisco. When the 1906 earthquake reduced the city to rubble, Giannini reopened on a sidewalk, with a plank set on two barrels. He extended credit on a handshake. His commitment to helping people rebuild their lives led to the transformation of the banking business, and later, the founding of Transamerica, which would eventually focus entirely on insurance and financial services.
Today, Transamerica continues to help people work toward their financial goals with innovative products and a dedication to service.
1 TIME® magazine, Dec. 7, 1998.
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