The origins of Transamerica date back to 1904, when founder Amadeo Giannini established the Bank of Italy in a refurbished San Francisco saloon. In the wake of the devastating California earthquake of 1906, Giannini helped San Francisco residents rebuild by offering handshake loans on a makeshift bank desk on the city’s docks. 

After acquiring the Occidental Life Insurance Company in 1930, the Bank of Italy consolidated into the newly formed Transamerica holding company and began issuing life insurance policies with a focus on helping ordinary people achieve solid financial security. When the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 forced Transamerica to choose between investment banking and insurance provision, Transamerica surprised the financial industry by abandoning its banking roots. 

The modern Transamerica provides a wide range of term life, whole life, and index universal life insurance. To help people cover their own end-of-life costs without burdening their loved ones, it also offers unique Final Expense Solutions life insurance. Beyond its extensive line of products for US citizens, Transamerica issues specialized life insurance policies for foreign nationals who regularly visit, own property, or do business in America.