Standard Insurance Company
Standard Insurance Company, marketed as The Standard, is a Portland-based American insurer serving employers and individuals with disability, life, dental, retirement, and annuity products.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Standard Insurance Company, commonly branded as The Standard, is an American insurance and financial-services company headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Its business is centered on insurance and financial products distributed through employers as well as selected individual offerings. The company provides group and individual disability insurance, group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, dental insurance, retirement-plan products and services, and individual annuities. The business traces its origins to February 24, 1906, when German immigrant Leo Samuel founded the Oregon Life Insurance Company. The company adopted the name Standard Insurance Company in 1946. Its later identity became closely associated with the consumer-facing brand The Standard, while the legal company remained part of the broader StanCorp organization. Standard's Portland headquarters are located in the Standard Insurance Center, and the company has also maintained offices in Standard Plaza; the company owns both buildings. Historically, Standard operated as a large employer-focused insurer in the United States. Reference material reports that, as of June 30, 2008, its coverage reached approximately 8.5 million people through and outside more than 30,000 employers. The company was licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia, with New York business written through Standard Life Insurance Company of New York. Its employer-oriented model made it a provider of workplace benefits rather than primarily a retail insurer selling directly to households. Standard's product portfolio combines protection products with longer-term workplace and individual financial services. Disability insurance is a central line, covering income protection for employees and individuals. Group life and accidental-death coverage address employer-sponsored survivor and supplemental-benefit needs, while dental insurance extends the company's workplace benefits offering. Retirement-plan services and individual annuities broaden the relationship from risk protection into savings and retirement income planning. The company has also emphasized financial stability and institutional continuity. Reference material states that Standard Insurance Company maintained an A rating or higher from A.M. Best from 1928 onward. Historical financial and workforce figures published in reference material place the company at 3,400 employees in 2008 and report assets of $14.56 billion as of March 31, 2009; these figures describe historical periods and are not presented as current indicators. In 2006, during its centennial year, Standard launched The Standard Charitable Foundation. The foundation focused on assisting individuals and families facing a major disability, the death of a loved one, or another significant loss or setback. This initiative complemented the company's core business by associating the brand with practical support for people experiencing disruptions in income, health, family security, or financial independence. A major ownership change occurred in 2015–2016. On July 23, 2015, Meiji Yasuda, a Japanese mutual insurance group, offered to acquire StanCorp Financial Group, the parent organization associated with Standard Insurance Company, for $5 billion. The transaction was completed in the first quarter of 2016. Standard therefore continued as an operating insurance brand within a Japanese-owned insurance group rather than as an independently traded public company. Its historical identity remains rooted in Oregon, while its ownership and group context became international.
History
Standard Insurance Company began in Oregon in 1906 as the Oregon Life Insurance Company, founded by Leo Samuel on February 24 of that year. The business was established as a life-insurance company and later developed into a broader insurer serving both institutions and individuals. In 1946, four decades after its creation, it adopted the name Standard Insurance Company. Over time, Standard developed a strong employer-benefits orientation. Rather than relying solely on individual retail policies, it built a substantial business around employers and workplace programs. Its offerings expanded to include group and individual disability insurance, group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment coverage, dental insurance, retirement-plan products and services, and individual annuities. This combination allowed the company to address employee protection, survivor benefits, income replacement, and longer-term retirement needs. The company remained closely identified with Portland, where its headquarters occupy the Standard Insurance Center. It also maintained offices in Standard Plaza and owned both properties. Its Oregon base became an important part of its institutional identity even as its insurance operations expanded across the United States. In New York, the company's business was conducted through Standard Life Insurance Company of New York. By the late 2000s, reference material described Standard as serving millions of people through tens of thousands of employers. The company was licensed in 49 states and Washington, DC, and had a workforce reported at 3,400 employees in 2008. Historical disclosures also described a long record of financial-strength ratings, including an A rating or higher from A.M. Best beginning in 1928. These details illustrate the scale and continuity of the business during that period, although they are not current operating figures. Standard marked its centennial in 2006 by establishing The Standard Charitable Foundation. The foundation's stated emphasis was helping individuals and families who had experienced a major disability, the loss of a loved one, or another serious loss or setback. The initiative reflected a connection between the company's insurance mission and social support for people coping with financial and personal disruption. The company's corporate ownership changed materially in the middle of the 2010s. On July 23, 2015, Meiji Yasuda announced an offer to acquire StanCorp Financial Group for $5 billion. Completion took place in the first quarter of 2016. Standard Insurance Company consequently became part of a Japanese-owned insurance group through its relationship with StanCorp, while continuing to operate under its established American insurance identity and The Standard brand. The company has also faced litigation associated with insurance claims administration. In 2016, it settled a federal class action involving Standard Insurance, New Mexico's General Services Division, and denied claims following the death of a covered employee. The settlement created payments for public employees who had paid for life insurance through their state employment. The case is a documented legal event, but the available reference material does not establish that it constituted a broader corporate scandal. Today, the documented profile of Standard Insurance Company is that of an active American insurer with roots in Oregon, a broad workplace-benefits portfolio, and ownership within Meiji Yasuda's international insurance group. Public reference material supplied for this entry does not identify current executives, a current standalone website, or current financial statements, so those fields remain unfilled.
- 2016
Acquisition completed
[1]The acquisition of StanCorp Financial Group by Meiji Yasuda was completed in the first quarter of 2016.
- 2015
Meiji Yasuda announces acquisition offer
[1]Meiji Yasuda announced an offer to acquire StanCorp Financial Group, the parent organization associated with Standard Insurance Company.
- 2006
The Standard Charitable Foundation launched
[1]During its centennial observance, the company established a charitable foundation focused on people and families affected by disability, bereavement, or other major setbacks.
- 1946
Company renamed Standard Insurance Company
[1]The Oregon Life Insurance Company changed its name to Standard Insurance Company.
- 1928
Long-term A.M. Best rating record begins
[1]Reference material states that the company maintained an A rating or higher from A.M. Best from 1928 onward.
- 1906
Oregon Life Insurance Company founded
[1]Leo Samuel founded the Oregon Life Insurance Company in Oregon on February 24, establishing the business that later became Standard Insurance Company.
Products and positioning
An employer-focused American insurer combining workplace protection benefits, income-replacement coverage, life and dental insurance, and selected retirement and annuity services. The brand's positioning is associated with long-term institutional stability, benefits administration, and support for people facing disability, death, or other financial setbacks.
Employee benefits
Group disability insurance
Employer-sponsored disability coverage designed to provide income protection when an employee cannot work because of a disabling condition. Group disability insurance is one of Standard's central workplace-benefits lines and reflects the company's focus on helping employers provide financial protection alongside other employee benefits.
Individual insurance
Individual disability insurance
Disability insurance offered to individuals rather than exclusively through an employer plan. The product addresses the financial consequences of an individual's inability to work and extends Standard's income-protection expertise beyond its group-benefits business.
Employee benefits
Group life and AD&D insurance
Employer-sponsored life insurance together with accidental death and dismemberment coverage. These products provide survivor protection and supplemental benefits within workplace programs, helping employers offer financial support to employees and their beneficiaries after death or qualifying accidental injuries.
Employee benefits
Dental insurance
Dental coverage included in Standard's employer-oriented insurance portfolio. It complements the company's disability and life products by giving employers an additional workplace benefit and allowing the insurer to participate in broader employee-benefits programs.
Retirement services
Retirement plans and services
Retirement-plan products and related services for employer-sponsored arrangements. This business broadens Standard's role from insurance protection into workplace savings and retirement administration, creating a longer-term financial-services relationship with employers and plan participants.
Retirement products
Individual annuities
Annuity products for individuals, supporting long-term savings and retirement-income planning. The available reference material identifies individual annuities as part of Standard's portfolio but does not provide product-level launch dates or detailed contract features.
Marketing campaigns
- 2006The Standard Charitable Foundation
United States
As part of its centennial activities, Standard launched The Standard Charitable Foundation to support individuals and families affected by major disability, the death of a loved one, or another significant loss or setback.
Outcome. The foundation became the documented philanthropic expression of the company's centennial initiative. The supplied reference material does not provide later grant totals or outcome measurements.
Brand decisions
2015
Accept acquisition offer from Meiji YasudaM&ABackground
Meiji Yasuda sought to purchase StanCorp Financial Group, the parent organization associated with Standard Insurance Company, as part of its expansion into the American insurance market.
Action taken
Meiji Yasuda announced a $5 billion offer on July 23, 2015; the transaction was completed in the first quarter of 2016.
Aftermath
Standard became part of Meiji Yasuda's insurance group while retaining its established American operating identity and brand.
Acquisition offer value. $5 billion offer (Announced July 23, 2015; transaction completed in the first quarter of 2016)
Recent events
Hino Motors Philippines and Standard Insurance partner to offer Hino Insure[2]
Hino Motors Philippines partnered with Standard Insurance to offer Hino Insure, an insurance product for Hino customers.
Sources2 sources
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