ALL-STATE LEGAL history

Personal liability insurance was introduced in 1952.

Allstate became an international company in 1953 when its first Canadian office opened.

In 1954, Allstate began offering residential fire insurance.

In 1958, personal health and commercial liability insurance were added to the Allstate line.

In 1963, the Allstate Life Insurance subsidiary passed the $1 billion mark in insurance in force, after only six years of operation.

Two new subsidiaries formed in 1964 to manage Allstate's Canadian interests: Allstate Insurance Company of Canada and Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada.

Allstate headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, 1967

In 1972 Allstate entered the mortgage banking business by acquiring National First Corporation.

For 1973, Allstate generated earnings of $203 million, nearly 30 percent of parent company Sears's total.

In 1975 Allstate expanded globally, opening Seibu Allstate Life Insurance Company, Ltd., a joint venture in Japan with The Saison Group.

Allstate also formed Tech-Cor,Inc., an auto-body research and reclamation business, in 1976.

"Allstate's activities in the area of corporate social responsibility and change must be intensified," Chairman of the Board Arch Boe said in 1977.

An African-American, Haysbert had acted in numerous films and television shows since getting his break in 1979, when he first appeared on the television series The White Shadow.

Allstate was the sixth largest insurance group in the United States by 1980.

Donald F. Craib, Jr., was named chairman of the board at Allstate in 1982.

By the end of 1983, Allstate's claim staff consisted of 12,500 employees, the largest force in the industry.

In 1985, Allstate rolled out its Neighborhood Office Agent (NOA) program.

For 1986, the company reported income of over $750 million on revenue of $12.64 billion.

A number of business insurance developments took place at Allstate in 1987.

A new board chairman and chief executive officer, Wayne E. Hedien, was named in 1989.

A new, aggressive advertising campaign launched using the motto, "Leave It to the Good Hands People." The company's rapid growth finally caught up to earnings, and in 1990 the company posted a decreased net income, barely surpassing $700 million.

Allstate also divested itself of several smaller subsidiaries and finished selling off its real estate holdings, a move which had been started in 1991.

On November 9, 1993, the Florida Legislature approved a catastrophe fund bill designed to protect insurance consumers and the insurance industry from the financial devastation caused by severe hurricanes.

However, in 1994 a major earthquake in California cost the company much of its profits as insurance claims surpassed $1 billion.

The remaining 80 percent of Allstate became publicly owned in 1995, when Sears spun the rest of the company off to its shareholders.

In January 1999, a new CEO was installed, Edward M. Liddy.

Allstate's net income for 2001 was $1.2 billion on revenues of $28.9 billion.

By 2002 almost half of Allstate's 13,000 agents held securities licenses.

Kirk, Jim. "Allstate's New Campaign Takes Stand on Old Values." Chicago Tribune, November 11, 2003.

"Allstate Addresses Latino Marketplace." Adweek (midwest ed.), May 18, 2004.

Yerak, Becky. "Allstate's Ads Push Agenda." Chicago Tribune, November 24, 2005.

Haysbert's contract was extended through 2006, however, indicating that the company was pleased with the campaign's effectiveness.