A Few Facts from the Insurance History
As a service in various its appearances insurance exists a long while ago. Having acknowledged its dependence from ‘occurrence’, humanity engages in the invention of different protective means. It is known for certain that the Babylonians had invented and successfully applied the borrowing system for marine risk ventures as yearly as 3000 before Christ. In XV – XVI centuries of the Middle Ages, in the period of active sea travels Europeans had joint the notion ‘general fund’ and ‘risk’. It was the time that the ship and freight proprietors entered a notion of general risk distribution. Then a first in the whole world history an insurance policy ensured a floating cargo protection as far back as in 1584, in Barcelona.
Already in 17 years, in 1601, in England the Act of Parliament was written. It was a first state document, which had regulated the insurance tools. It was called ‘The Act concerning the insurance cases among traders’. A little later, in 1688, in London a coffee house was opened; where insurers had been met together in order to discuss their professional problems. This coffee house became a prototype of insurance market, and Mr. Edward Lloyd, its owner, is considered as an ancestor of all insurance companies. Apropos, his name was eternalized in the title of the largest insurance company in the world – ‘London Lloyd’.
About Our History
The date of birth of the ‘Alcona’ insurance company is the 20 th of August, 1992. For Ukrainian insurance market 15 years is a whole history, and ‘Alcona’ is a part of this history.
The first license issued by the Insurance Supervision Committee on the base of the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine ‘On Insurance’ dated the 10 th of May, 1993, allowed ‘Alcona’ to execute insurance activity for 14 categories. Applying the experience accumulated by the classic insurance and having the great potential capabilities, already in two years the Company entered to the list of the five largest insurance organizations of Ukraine. In May, 1994 the Company had become a member of the Insurance Companies League of Ukraine.
The list of the rendering insurance services is being widened. The first affiliates have been opened in Energodar, Yuzhnoukrainsk, Kuznetsovsk. Based on the rating compiled by independent experts and the results of opinion poll conducted by ‘Business’ weekly newspaper, the Company was honored a title ‘A best insurance company of Ukraine’ in 1997.
In 1999 IC ‘Alcona’ was a first company in Ukraine, which implemented the ‘Insurance Company’ information system – a new elaboration made by the ‘Ukrainskie Strakhovye Informatsionnye Sistemy‘ (‘Ukrainian Insurance Information System’) National Company.
Following the results ‘2001 Financial Rating’ conducted by ‘Business’ weekly the Company was awarded a III-rd Place in the ‘Most Professional Insurance Company’ category. Under the ‘Results of 2003 Tourist Season’ conducted by the National Tourist Organization of Ukraine, the Company possessed the honorary III-rd Place at ‘The Best Insurance Company’ category. IC ‘Alcona’ is the National Club of Insurance Premium member beginning from 2002 (a year of the rating foundation).
The Company is an active player in the financial market of Ukraine. On the purpose of rendering fuller the highly qualified insurance services to its customers, the Company is taking a part in the working process of many professional associations. IC ‘Alcona’ is the member of several unions such as: Insurance Companies League of Ukraine, Motor (transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine, Marine Insurance Bureau of Ukraine, Ukrainian Agro Pool, association ‘Ukrainian Medical Insurance Bureau’ and ‘Nuclear Insurance Pool of Ukraine’.
Being aware of the necessity in the further improvement of the main business process and enhancement of quality services for customers, since 2000 the Company launched a preparatory stage for certification under the ISO 9001 International standard. This work was successfully completed in April, 2005.
‘Alcona’ today
‘Alcona’ is a universal insurance company rendering its services for 68 insurance categories, which are being demanded by both physical and legal entities.
Twenty affiliates have been established and are in operation in the following towns: Belaya Tserkov, Vinnitsa, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Krivoy Rog, Kuznetsovsk, Lvov, Mariupol, Odessa, Poltava, Simferopol, Sumy, Kharkov, Khmelnitskiy, Cherkassy, Chernigov, Chernovtsy, Uzhgorod, Energodar, Uzhnoukrainsk.
IC ‘Alcona’ ranks among the leaders of insurance market of Ukraine and this fact had been proven by the data of ‘Insurance TOP’ rating. In particular, by the results of 2005 the company possessed the second place on the voluntary medical insurance market and the fourth place in ‘Personal insurance and re-insurance (except for life-insurance)’ classification. IC ‘Alcona’ entered to the five best companies in TOP ‘Business Activity’ on effectiveness in usage of the resources being at Company’s disposal. The data of ‘Insurance TOP’ rating confirmed a correctness of the chosen strategy of IC ‘Alcona’ development, which was directed to the achievement of retail business priority at the Company’s insurance portfolio.
The Company is strongly performing the obligations against its customers. IC ‘Alcona’ has been recognized a winner of ‘National Club of Insurance Premium’ in 2002, 2003 and 2004 at the ‘Personal Insurance’. Three consecutive years the company was also awarded at the ‘Liability Insurance’. IC ‘Alcona’ had entered into ‘TOP-100’ of the best companies operating in the financial sector of Ukraine under its financial indicators in 2004. For quality advance in services for customers was opened the telephone ‘hot line’.
A high level of employees provides the stable working and successful company’s development. IC ‘Alcona’ personnel consists of highly qualified specialists, professional insurers, actuaries, lawyers, medical workers, economists, which are striving to create and implement in their work those complex insurance programmes, which are the most comfortable for customer. ‘Alcona’ is one of the first insurance companies having proven a high professional level for its employees by the quality certificate according to ISO 9001:2000 International standard.
Insurance is our business. And we want that it to be successful. It is why the Company puts the new targets, the achievement of which it is necessary to find, the new tasks, which demand the proper solutions, the new picks which it is necessary to reach...
