Continental Assurance Company of North America was founded in
Detroit in 1897. That personal insurance company is now
Encompass Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Allstate. In 2002, CNA exited the life, group and reinsurance business. On January 1, 2004, CNA sold its Group Benefits division to
The Hartford, based in
Hartford, Connecticut. The Hartford merged its new purchase with its own Group Benefits Division. With the sale of this division came the end of CNA's long history as a multi-line insurer. In 2010, the company enters into an agreement with National Indemnity Co. (NICO), a subsidiary of
Berkshire Hathaway, under which all of CNA's legacy asbestos and environmental liabilities are transferred to NICO. (Source: Insurance Journal) In 2011, CNA introduced the Customer Segment strategy, focusing on key customer segments — construction, financial institutions, healthcare, manufacturing, professional services, real estate (2014), technology and small business — and specialized monoline insurance products. CNA expands its digital presence in 2013 and its international footprint beginning in 2014. In 2012, CNA entered the
London market by buying "Hardys Underwriting" and re-branding it to CNA Hardy From 1972 until 2018, CNA's headquarters was located at the
CNA Center. In 2015, CNA made plans to move out of the CNA Center with plans to construct
151 North Franklin as its new headquarters. CNA relocated to 151 North Franklin in June 2018. In February 2020, CNA announced the appointment of Al Miralles as the executive vice-president and chief financial officer. He succeeds James Anderson, who announced his resignation. In March 2021, CNA was the target of a
ransomware cyberattack. CNA paid more than $40 million in late March to regain control of its network after the ransomware attack. The Chicago-based company paid the hackers about two weeks after a trove of company data was stolen, and CNA officials were locked out of their network. In 2022, it was reported to be the largest disclosed ransomware payment at that time. == Corporate affairs ==