 the transamerica corporation is an american private holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms doing business primarily in the united states. it was acquired by the dutch company aegon in 1999. ==history== transamerica began as a holding company controlled by a. p. giannini, then head of bank of america and founder of its predecessor, the bank of italy in san francisco. giannini acquired occidental life insurance company through transamerica corporation in 1930.  in 1930, transamerica and the theodore gary & company, together with british investors, invested in associated telephone utilities, reshaping it into the general telephone and electric corporation to compete against itt."phone group joined by transamerica", new york times (october 6, 1930) transamerica, which also owned the occidental life insurance company (renamed transamerica occidental life insurance company in the early 1980s), intended to create a nationwide bank. occidental had first opened its doors to customers in 1906. however, in 1956, because of the passage of the bank holding company act, transamerica corporation divested itself of its banking concerns, which were spun off as firstamerica corporation. this left transamerica with life insurance and property and casualty insurance operations. over the next 20 years, transamerica gradually became a diversified conglomerate which included united artists (a major motion picture studio and record company), transamerica airlines, budget rent a car, and a manufacturer of machinery. in 1972, construction of the transamerica pyramid skyscraper in san francisco was completed. the company's headquarters was located in the building for many years, although today it retains only a small presence in the building. nevertheless, the company's logo still depicts the iconic building and the firm continues the pyramid logo on its marketing materials. in the early 1990s, the company briefly entered the uk market.{{cite web|last1=hir
Companies_based_in_Baltimore,_Maryland Companies_based_in_San_Francisco,_California History_of_San_Francisco,_California Holding_companies_of_the_United_States