Unipol

This article is about Italian financial services company. For the plastic production technique styled as UNIPOL, see Union Carbide.
Unipol
Native name
 Unipol Gruppo Finanziario S.p.A.
Formerly called
 Unipol Assicurazioni
Traded as BIT: UNI
Industry Financial services
Founded 1963
Headquarters 45 via Stalingrado, Bologna, Italy
Key people
Services Insurance, retail and corporate banking
Revenue Increase €22.254 billion (2014[1])
Profit Increase €192.3 million (2014[1])
Total assets Increase €88.627 billion (2014[1])
Total equity Increase €5.691 billion (2014[1])
Owner
Number of employees
 Decrease 14,223 (2014)
Parent Finsoe S.p.A.
Subsidiaries
Capital ratio 18.5% (Tier 1)[1]
Website www.unipolgf.it

Unipol Gruppo Finanziario is an Italian financial services holding operating in the insurance and banking fields with headquarters in the Unipol Tower, Bologna. As of 2009 it was ranked as the country's fourth-largest insurer.[4]

The company trades under a number of brands, for insurance it uses the brands UnipolSai Assicurazioni, Linear Assicurazioni, Linear Life, UniSalute and Arca Vita; the banks are Unipol Banca.

History

Unipol Assicurazioni was founded in 1962 in Bologna as a cooperative provider of non-life insurance.

The company was partnered with Bank Group Casse Emiliano Romagnole in 1995, which Unipol sold the products through their bank networks, as well as complex deals in ownership. As at 31 December 1995, Unipol owned 3.64% shares of CAER; CAER in turn owned 9.80% shares of Unipol's parent company Finsoe. CAER also owned Banca dell'Economia Cooperativa through 6.99% shares owned by CAER directly, as well as and additional 13% shares of the bank was owned by CAER's subsidiary Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna (Carisbo). Through Carisbo's subsidiary FINCAER, the bank group also purchased a minority ownership from Unipol in UniSalute (9.9%) and in Noricum Assicurazioni (34%), In 1996 FINCAER had a minority ownership in Linear Assicurazioni (20%), as well as the ownership in Noricum had increased to 44%.

Since 1998 Unipol started to build their own bank networks to sell their own product, which gave birth of Unipol Banca. In the same year Unipol found a 50-50 joint venture company Quadrifoglio Vita with Banca Agricola Mantovana. On December 2000 Unipol purchased 51% shares of BNL Vita, a joint venture with Banca Nazionale del Lavoro from Assicurazioni Generali.

In 2001 Unipol bought back the 9.9% shares of UniSalute and 20% of Linear Assicurazioni. Cardine Banca (ex-CAER) also sold all the shares of Unipol Banca and Finsoe to third parties.

2000s

In December 2003 Unipol subscribed the capital increases of Reti Bancarie, a sub-holding company of Banca Popolare Italiana for €173.4 million. In return Aurora Assicurazioni got the rights to sell the product in the bank networks of Reti Bancarie.[5] BPI also involved in a failed takeover of Antonveneta, part of the bancopoli that was exposed in 2005. In early 2006 Unipol's takeover bid of Banca Nazionale del Lavoro was rejected by Banca d'Italia. BNL was acquired by BNP Paribas instead, which the French company also acquired 4.5% shares of Unipol's parent company Finsoe.[6]

After the failed takeover bid [7] Unipol saw its CEO Giovanni Consorte resign in the midst of the bancopoli scandal. Consorte was later convicted for insider trading.[8] Under Consorte's replacements Pierluigi Stefanini and Carlo Salvatori, the company underwent extensive restructuring in 2007.

Under the restructure scheme, Unipol Assicurazioni (also known as Compagnia Assicuratrice Unipol) was renamed into Unipol Gruppo Finanziario, and a new subsidiary Unipol Assicurazioni would be set up.

As at 31 December 2007 the holding company controlled five insurance companies: Unipol Assicurazioni (100%), Aurora Assicurazioni (100%), Linear Assicurazioni (100%), Navale Assicurazioni (99.83%) and UniSalute (98.48%).

In 2008 Quadrifoglio Vita was sold to AXA.

In 2010 60% stake of Arca Vita was bought from Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna (BPER) and Banca Popolare di Sondrio (BPSO); 31.56% minority stake of Arca Assicurazioni was acquired from BPER, BPSO, Banca Popolare di Marostica, Credito Siciliano and Banca Popolare Sant'Angelo.

In 2011 BNP Paribas bought back BNL Vita from Unipol.

In 2014 [new] Unipol Assicurazioni, a subsidiary of Unipol was merged with Milano Assicurazioni, Premafin (a holding company related to Fondiaria-Sai) and Fondiaria-Sai to form UnipolSai.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "2014 Consolidated Financial Statements" (PDF). Unipol Gruppo Finanziario. 14 May 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Azionisti rilevanti di UNIPOL GRUPPO FINANZIARIO SPA". CONSOB. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Azionisti rilevanti di UNIPOLSAI ASSICURAZIONI SPA". CONSOB. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Cinelli, Francesa (24 February 2009). "Italian Stocks: Finmeccanica, Intesa, Mediobanca, Seat, Unipol". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  5. ↑ "2003 CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS" (PDF). Unipol Assicurazioni. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "BNP Paribas announces intent to acquire BNL". BNP Paribas. 4 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  7. ↑ City, Our (6 February 2006). "BNP Paribas move on Roman bank could spark consolidation". The Times. London. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  8. ↑ Clark, Nick (26 October 2006). "Unipol executives jailed for insider trading". Financial News. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
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