StanCorp Financial Group
A Portland-based U.S. insurance and financial-services holding company whose principal operating subsidiary was Standard Insurance Company.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was a Portland, Oregon-based insurance and financial-services holding company built around Standard Insurance Company. Its origins dated to 1906, when Leo Samuel founded the Oregon Life Insurance Company. The operating company later adopted the name Standard Insurance Company, and ultimately offered insurance, retirement-plan administration, investment-related services, and associated employee-benefit products in the United States. The business developed from a regional life insurer into a diversified financial-services group. A major structural change came in 1998, when StanCorp Financial Group was established as the holding company for the organization's business divisions. StanCorp then became a public company in 1999, with its shares trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The holding-company structure allowed the Standard businesses to operate across insurance and retirement-services activities while retaining Standard Insurance Company as the principal subsidiary. Its insurance activities included life and disability coverage, including group-oriented products. In 2002, Standard Insurance purchased part of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association group life and disability portfolio for $75 million, expanding its presence in those lines. The company also developed a retirement-services platform. In 2006, it acquired investment-services firm Invesmart for $85 million, and in 2007 it purchased several retirement-plan administrators to add scale and capabilities to its Retirement Services division. StanCorp expanded its physical and organizational presence in Portland during the twentieth century. It moved into the newly constructed Standard Plaza building in 1962 and acquired the Georgia-Pacific Building in 1982 after Georgia-Pacific relocated its headquarters to Atlanta. By 2007, the group reportedly employed approximately 3,280 people across roughly 90 offices in the United States. It was also recognized in business rankings, including the Fortune 1000 and Forbes Platinum 400 during the 2000s. The company's public-market period ended after Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company announced an agreement to acquire StanCorp in July 2015. The transaction was completed in March 2016 for approximately $5 billion, bringing the formerly listed group under Japanese ownership and ending its independent status as a public company. The acquisition is the principal reason StanCorp Financial Group is treated as a historical corporate subject rather than an active standalone listed brand. Standard Insurance Company was the group's best-known operating identity.
History
StanCorp Financial Group traced its history to Oregon Life Insurance Company, founded in Oregon in 1906 by Leo Samuel. The company changed its name to Standard Insurance Company in 1946, establishing the operating identity that remained central to the group for decades. Its early development was closely associated with Portland. In 1962, the company moved into the newly built Standard Plaza building. In 1982, it acquired the Georgia-Pacific Building after Georgia-Pacific transferred its headquarters to Atlanta. The modern holding-company structure was created in 1998, when StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was organized to hold the company's business divisions. The following year, StanCorp became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. During its public-company period, the group operated as a U.S. insurance and financial-services organization with activities spanning life and disability insurance, retirement services, investment services, and retirement-plan administration. Expansion during the early 2000s was pursued through both portfolio acquisitions and new capabilities. In 2002, Standard Insurance acquired part of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association group life and disability portfolio for $75 million. The transaction supported growth in group insurance. In 2004, Ron Timpe was succeeded by Eric Parsons as chief executive officer and chairman of the board, according to the company's historical account. StanCorp broadened its financial-services platform in 2006 through the $85 million acquisition of Invesmart, an investment-services firm. The company also received business recognition during this period, including inclusion in the Forbes Platinum 400 for a fourth consecutive year in 2006 and a position on the Fortune 1000 in 2007. In July 2007, it acquired several retirement-plan administrators, adding capacity to its Retirement Services division. By that year, the group reportedly employed about 3,280 people in approximately 90 offices across the United States and maintained its headquarters in Portland's Standard Insurance Center and Standard Plaza buildings. StanCorp's independent corporate life ended with its sale to Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company. Meiji Yasuda announced the proposed $5 billion acquisition in July 2015, and the transaction closed in March 2016. The deal removed StanCorp from the New York Stock Exchange and placed the organization within Meiji Yasuda's insurance group. Consequently, StanCorp Financial Group is best understood as a former U.S. public insurance holding company, while Standard Insurance Company represents its principal operating heritage.
- 2016
Acquisition completed
[1]Meiji Yasuda completed its acquisition of StanCorp in March, ending StanCorp's independent public-company status.
- 2015
Meiji Yasuda announces acquisition
[1]Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company announced an agreement to purchase StanCorp for approximately $5 billion.
- 2007
Retirement Services expansion
[1]The company purchased several retirement-plan administrators to expand its Retirement Services division.
- 2006
Invesmart acquisition
[1]StanCorp acquired investment-services firm Invesmart for $85 million.
- 2002
TIAA portfolio acquisition
[1]Standard Insurance purchased part of TIAA's group life and disability portfolio for $75 million.
- 1999
Public listing begins
[1]StanCorp became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1998
StanCorp Financial Group is created
[1]StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was formed as the holding company for the organization's business divisions.
- 1982
Acquisition of the Georgia-Pacific Building
[1]Standard Insurance acquired the Georgia-Pacific Building after Georgia-Pacific moved its headquarters to Atlanta.
- 1962
Move to Standard Plaza
[1]The company moved its headquarters into the newly constructed Standard Plaza building in Portland.
- 1946
Company adopts the Standard Insurance name
[1]The Oregon Life Insurance Company changed its name to Standard Insurance Company.
Products and positioning
A U.S.-focused insurance and retirement-services group combining employer-oriented insurance products with retirement-plan and investment administration capabilities.
Insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance was one of the company's foundational offerings, inherited from its origins as Oregon Life Insurance Company and later delivered primarily through Standard Insurance Company. The business included group-oriented life coverage and expanded through the 2002 purchase of part of TIAA's group life portfolio.
Insurance
Disability insurance
Disability insurance formed a major part of Standard Insurance Company's employee-benefit and group-insurance activities. StanCorp's 2002 acquisition of part of TIAA's group disability portfolio expanded its position in this category.
Retirement services
Retirement Services
The Retirement Services division supported retirement-plan administration and related employer and participant services. StanCorp expanded this business through the acquisition of Invesmart in 2006 and several retirement-plan administrators in 2007.
Investment services · 2006
Investment services
Investment-related services complemented the insurance and retirement businesses. The acquisition of Invesmart in 2006 was intended to strengthen StanCorp's investment-services capabilities within its broader financial-services platform.
Brand decisions
2015
Agree to sale to Meiji YasudaM&ABackground
After more than a decade as a publicly traded insurance and financial-services group, StanCorp entered into an acquisition agreement with Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company.
Action taken
Meiji Yasuda announced an agreement to purchase StanCorp for approximately $5 billion.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in March 2016 and ended StanCorp's independent public-company existence.
Transaction value. Approximately $5 billion (Announced July 2015; completed March 2016)
2007
Expand retirement-plan administrationM&ABackground
StanCorp aimed to add scale and capabilities to its Retirement Services division.
Action taken
The company purchased several retirement-plan administrators.
Aftermath
The acquisitions increased the scope of StanCorp's retirement-plan administration activities in the United States.
2006
Acquire InvesmartM&ABackground
StanCorp was broadening beyond traditional insurance into investment and retirement-related services.
Action taken
The company acquired investment-services firm Invesmart for $85 million.
Aftermath
Invesmart became part of StanCorp's broader investment-services and retirement-services platform.
Purchase price. $85 million (2006)
2002
Purchase of part of TIAA's group insurance portfolioM&ABackground
StanCorp sought to expand its group life and disability insurance operations.
Action taken
Standard Insurance acquired part of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association group life and disability portfolio for $75 million.
Aftermath
The transaction added group insurance business to Standard's existing platform.
Purchase price. $75 million (2002)
1998
Create a holding-company structureStrategyBackground
The company had developed several insurance and financial-services divisions and reorganized them under a new holding company.
Action taken
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was established to hold the business divisions, with Standard Insurance Company as the principal operating subsidiary.
Aftermath
The structure preceded StanCorp's 1999 New York Stock Exchange listing and its later expansion into investment and retirement services.
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