page_title: Scottish Widows
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Scottish Widows / History
caption_attribution_description: English: 2006. Scottish Widows HQ, at Morrison Street, in Edinburgh's financial district. The building is designed in a horse-shoe shape.
context_page_description: Scottish Widows is a life insurance and pensions company located in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group. Its product range includes life assurance and pensions. The company has been providing financial services to the UK market since 1815. The company sells products through independent financial advisers, direct to customers and through Lloyds Banking Group bank branches. The well-known investment and asset management arm was sold in 2013 to Aberdeen Asset Management.
context_section_description: In March 1812, a number of prominent Scotsmen gathered in the Royal Exchange Coffee Rooms in Edinburgh. They were there to discuss setting up 'a general fund for securing provisions to widows, sisters and other female relatives' of fundholders so that they would not be plunged into poverty on the death of the fundholder during and after the Napoleonic Wars. Scottish Widows' Fund and Life Assurance Society opened in 1815 as Scotland's first mutual life office.
  Its most noteworthy leader was Very Rev James Grant who served as its Director for 50 years (1840-1890).
  In 1999, Lloyds TSB agreed to buy the society for £7 billion. The society demutualised on 3 March 2000 as part of the acquisition. At the time of its takeover, Scottish Widows set up an "additional account" to hold £1.7 billion of the proceeds from the sale. This fund was to be used to enhance terminal bonuses across the company, but was eventually used to compensate guaranteed annuity rate options (GARs) holders.
  In April 2009, Lloyds Banking Group announced that the sales team of Clerical Medical would be merged into that of Scottish Widows, and the Clerical Medical brand would eventually be phased out.
  In November 2013, Lloyds Banking Group sold its asset management division, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) to Aberdeen Asset Management in a £660m deal.
  In 2015, Scottish Widows sold Clerical Medical to international life assurance company RL360°.
caption: Scottish Widows Headquarters, Morrison Street, Edinburgh
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