Kemper Corporation
American insurance company serving individuals, families, and businesses through property and casualty, life, and health insurance operations.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Kemper Corporation is a United States insurance company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company provides insurance products to individuals, families, and businesses, with its principal activities organized around property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance. Its property and casualty operations include personal automobile insurance, homeowners insurance, and related products, while its life and health businesses include coverage distributed through several affiliated insurance companies. The company was established in April 1990 under the name Unitrin, Inc. after being spun off from Teledyne, the conglomerate associated with Henry Singleton. At formation, Unitrin grouped its activities into life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, and consumer finance. The finance activities included automobile and industrial lending, giving the newly independent company a broader financial-services profile than a pure insurance carrier. Kemper’s later identity was shaped by its connection with the older Kemper Insurance name. In 2002, Unitrin acquired renewal rights for Kemper Insurance’s homeowners and automobile books of business. The transaction gave Unitrin access to an established insurance name and customer relationships. In 2010, Unitrin acquired the rights to use the Kemper name. The company adopted Kemper Corporation as its operating name on August 25, 2011, while its shares continued to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the KMPR symbol. During the 2010s and early 2020s, Kemper concentrated increasingly on insurance growth and expansion in automobile coverage. It acquired Alliance United Insurance Company in 2015, adding a California-focused auto insurer. In 2018, it completed the acquisition of Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. Infinity strengthened Kemper’s position in specialty and nonstandard automobile insurance, particularly for customers who may not fit conventional preferred-driver underwriting categories. In 2021, Kemper completed the purchase of American Access Casualty Company and its related captive agency group, expanding its specialty private-passenger auto presence in several states and adding a business with a stated focus on Hispanic customers. Kemper’s operating portfolio includes national and regional automobile businesses, standard and preferred personal insurance, specialty and nonstandard auto insurance, and life and health coverage. Its named insurance affiliates include businesses operating under the Kemper, Infinity, Unitrin, Alliance United, Reserve National, United Insurance, and related brands. The company refreshed and unified its brand in October 2018, reflecting the effort to present its multiple businesses under a more coherent corporate identity. The Kemper brand has also had a connection to professional golf through the Kemper Open, a PGA Tour event held from 1968 through 2002. That sporting association predates the modern corporate identity and is historically connected to the broader Kemper insurance name. Kemper remains an active publicly traded American insurer, although detailed current information about its leadership, website, ownership structure, and present business mix requires verification from current company and regulatory sources.
History
Kemper Corporation traces its corporate history to Unitrin, Inc., which was formed in April 1990 through a spin-off from Teledyne. The new company was created as a separate public business and initially operated across three broad areas: life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, and consumer finance. Its finance operations included products such as automobile and industrial loans, while its insurance operations supplied the foundation for the company’s later development. The company’s early structure reflected the diversified financial-services approach inherited from its Teledyne origins. After the spin-off, Unitrin traded on NASDAQ. Henry Singleton, who had led Teledyne, remained chairman after the separation. The corporate strategy was influenced by the success of an earlier insurance-related spin-off associated with Teledyne, although Unitrin developed its own operating portfolio over time. A major step in the company’s transition toward the Kemper identity came in 2002. Unitrin purchased renewal rights for Kemper Insurance’s homeowners and automobile lines. Kemper Insurance was a long-established Chicago insurance and financial-services name, and the renewal-rights transaction connected Unitrin with an established customer and distribution franchise. The deal did not immediately change Unitrin’s corporate name, but it gave the company an important basis for using Kemper as a consumer-facing insurance identity. In 2010, Unitrin acquired all rights to the Kemper name. On August 25, 2011, the company began operating as Kemper Corporation. Its shares continued to be publicly traded, with the New York Stock Exchange ticker KMPR. The change marked the formal consolidation of the company’s corporate identity around the Kemper name while retaining a portfolio of insurance subsidiaries and operating brands. The company expanded its automobile insurance capabilities during the 2010s. In April 2015, Kemper acquired Alliance United Insurance Company, a rapidly growing California automobile insurer. In July 2018, it acquired Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation in a transaction involving cash and stock and reported at approximately $1.4 billion. Infinity specialized in the nonstandard automobile market, making the acquisition strategically important to Kemper’s effort to grow in specialty personal auto insurance. In October 2018, Kemper also refreshed and unified its brand, seeking to present its different businesses more consistently. Kemper continued its acquisition strategy in the early 2020s. In November 2020, it announced an agreement to purchase American Access Casualty Company and Newins Insurance Agency Holdings and their subsidiaries. The proposed cash consideration was approximately $370 million. The transaction closed on April 1, 2021. American Access specialized in private-passenger automobile insurance and operated in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, and Texas; its business also had a stated orientation toward Hispanic customers. Kemper’s insurance activities are organized primarily around property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance. Its property and casualty portfolio includes Kemper Auto, Infinity, and Kemper Personal Insurance, with offerings spanning nonstandard auto, standard or preferred personal insurance, and homeowners coverage. Its life and health operations include Kemper Life and affiliated carriers such as Reserve National Insurance Company, The Reliable Life Insurance Company, United Insurance Company of America, and related entities. The Kemper name has a longer public history beyond the current corporation. The Kemper Open was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour that ran for 35 years, from 1968 through 2002. The event provided a prominent sporting association for the Kemper insurance name before the present corporate structure adopted the brand. In 2020, Fortune included Kemper among its 100 fastest-growing companies. Kemper remains an active American insurance group, but current leadership, operating statistics, and corporate ownership details should be checked against up-to-date company filings and official disclosures.
- 2021
American Access acquisition completed
[1]Kemper completed its acquisition of American Access Casualty Company and related agency businesses.
- 2018
Infinity acquisition and brand refresh
[1]Kemper acquired Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation and later that year unified and refreshed its corporate brand.
- 2015
Alliance United acquisition
[1]Kemper acquired Alliance United Insurance Company, a California-focused automobile insurer.
- 2011
Company begins operating as Kemper Corporation
[1]On August 25, 2011, Unitrin began operations under the Kemper Corporation name and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under KMPR.
- 2010
Unitrin acquires rights to the Kemper name
[1]The company acquired all rights to the Kemper name.
- 2002
Unitrin acquires Kemper renewal rights
[1]Unitrin acquired renewal rights for Kemper Insurance homeowners and automobile business, creating a stronger connection to the Kemper name.
- 1990
Unitrin is spun off from Teledyne
[1]Unitrin, Inc. was established in April 1990 as a publicly traded company separated from Teledyne, with insurance and consumer-finance operations.
Products and positioning
A diversified American insurance group with particular strength in personal automobile insurance, including specialty and nonstandard coverage, complemented by homeowners, property and casualty, life, and health insurance businesses.
Automobile insurance
Kemper Auto
Kemper Auto is the company’s national automobile insurance business. It has a particular concentration in nonstandard auto insurance, serving drivers and households whose risk characteristics may not fit preferred or standard underwriting categories. The business forms part of Kemper’s principal property and casualty operations.
Specialty automobile insurance
Infinity
Infinity is an automobile insurance business acquired by Kemper in 2018 through the purchase of Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation. It is associated with specialty and nonstandard personal auto insurance and has been described as having a particular presence in California within Kemper’s operating structure.
Personal property and casualty insurance
Kemper Personal Insurance
Kemper Personal Insurance serves the company’s preferred and standard personal-lines book of business. Its offerings include personal automobile and homeowners insurance, placing it alongside Kemper’s specialty and nonstandard auto activities within the property and casualty segment.
Life insurance
Kemper Life
Kemper Life represents the company’s life-insurance operations. The life business is supported by a group of affiliated insurance companies operating under names including Mutual Savings Life, Reserve National, The Reliable Life, Union National, and United Insurance.
Health insurance
Kemper Health
Kemper’s health-related activities form part of its life and health insurance segment. The available reference material identifies the segment and affiliated carriers but does not provide a detailed current catalog of individual health products.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Kemper brand unification and refresh
United States
Kemper unified and refreshed its brand in October 2018 as it brought together a portfolio containing Kemper, Infinity, Unitrin, and other affiliated insurance businesses.
Outcome. The refresh strengthened the use of Kemper as the group-level identity, while the company continued operating several specialized and legacy insurance brands.
Brand decisions
2020
Agreement to acquire American Access Casualty CompanyM&ABackground
Kemper sought to expand its specialty private-passenger auto-insurance business and related distribution capabilities.
Action taken
Kemper entered into a definitive agreement to acquire American Access Casualty Company and Newins Insurance Agency Holdings and their subsidiaries for cash.
Aftermath
The acquisition closed on April 1, 2021, adding operations in five states and a business serving a significant Hispanic customer segment.
Transaction value. $370 million (Announced November 23, 2020)
2018
Acquisition of Infinity Property and CasualtyM&ABackground
Kemper was increasing its exposure to specialty and nonstandard personal automobile insurance.
Action taken
Kemper acquired Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion.
Aftermath
Infinity became a significant part of Kemper’s specialty automobile insurance portfolio.
Transaction value. Approximately $1.4 billion (2018 acquisition announcement and completion)
2015
Acquisition of Alliance United Insurance CompanyM&ABackground
Kemper pursued expansion in automobile insurance, including regional and specialty markets.
Action taken
Kemper acquired Alliance United Insurance Company, a California automobile insurance provider.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded Kemper’s California auto-insurance operations.
2010
Adoption of the Kemper nameStrategyBackground
After acquiring renewal rights in 2002, Unitrin pursued full rights to the established Kemper insurance name.
Action taken
Unitrin acquired all rights to the Kemper name and subsequently began operating as Kemper Corporation in 2011.
Aftermath
The change created the company’s current corporate identity while preserving its multi-brand insurance structure.
2002
Purchase of Kemper Insurance renewal rightsM&ABackground
Unitrin sought to expand its personal-lines insurance position through the established Kemper Insurance business.
Action taken
Unitrin purchased renewal rights for Kemper Insurance homeowners and automobile lines.
Aftermath
The transaction helped establish the commercial and brand connection that later supported Unitrin’s acquisition of the Kemper name.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kemper-corporation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled