Prudential Life Insurance

PAC became a limited company in 1881, following the Limited Liability Act (1880). At this time the company was owned by fewer than 100 shareholders, most of whom were related to the directors. Even after registration the number of shareholders remained small - there were 170 in 1893. In 1924 Prudential shares were floated on the London Stock Exchange.

By the 1970s Prudential had made several new acquisitions, including Vanbrugh Life and M&G Reinsurance. It became impractical to manage these diverse units within the Prudential Assurance Company and Prudential Corporation plc was established in 1978 to enable more flexible management of the group.

With effect from 1 October 1999 the name of the corporation was changed from Prudential Corporation plc to Prudential plc. This move has modernised the company name in the UK and simplified it in those countries where Prudential wishes to expand. In June 2000 Prudential shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, to reflect the increasingly international nature of the Group's business and to enable Prudential to widen its shareholder base.

Products available from Prudential:

• Mortgage Protection
• Life Insurance (also know as Life Assurance or Life Cover)
• Critical Illness Insurance (also know as Critical Illness Cove