Seventy-five years ago, Heinrich Faßbender, an attorney and entrepreneur in Düsseldorf, Germany posed an important question, "What good is equality under the law if not everyone can afford to assert their rights?"

While the question could have remained philosophical, Heinrich chose to create a practical answer. He developed an insurance solution that offered people an affordable means to legal protection.

ARAG U.S. Founded Under Similar Principles

Forty years later and several thousand miles away, Faßbender’s question was echoed when Chad Hensley, a Des Moines, Iowa attorney and insurance executive, noticed that he was often asked for legal guidance from employees. He saw how distracting a legal issue could be for his employees and the relief they felt when he could help guide them in the right direction.

Realizing that life issues like divorce, credit problems and property disputes were happening to more people than just his employees, he developed a prepaid legal insurance concept that made access to legal advice affordable and accessible. In 1973, Midwest Mutual Insurance Company was founded to make legal insurance plans available for Americans, largely through employer-provided benefits.

While separated by time and distance, the underlying integrity of these two men eventually brought the companies together. Their ideals were merged when Midwest Mutual was purchased by ARAG in 1989 and became the U.S. subsidiary of ARAG.

ARAG U.S. offers comprehensive legal and financial services focused on:

• Education and Empowerment
• Planning and Prevention
• Resolution and Protection

With operations in 14 countries and nearly $2 billion in worldwide premium base,our global expansion is a testament to the conviction of our founders and the drive ARAG team members have today. As entrepreneurs we look ahead, anticipate change and respond proactively. Every action, innovation and decision is focused on providing outstanding service and meaningful relief for everyday legal issues.

As an independent family enterprise we stand for quality, efficiency and economic responsibility. For more than 75 years, the people of ARAG have been passionate partners empowering people to protect their rights and assets by making quality legal services affordable to all. We invite you to take a moment to hear first-hand what members have to say about ARAG. Their stories are the best last word to our story.

International Strength:

• Operations in 14 countries
• Nearly $2 billion in worldwide premiums
• 3,500 ARAG team members worldwide
• Serving 15.5 million customers worldwide

ARAG: \AHR·ahg\ is the abbreviated name of our German parent company, Allgemeine Rechtsschutz-Versicherungs Aktien Gesellschaft, the name that means “legal protection insurance.”

The German pronunciation of our parent company name is All-guh-mynah Wrecked-shoots fair-Zickehr-oonks Awk-tyehn geh-Zell-shahft (accent on the capitalized syllable of each word).

In the first ARAG logo, a knight in black with sword and shield stands ready to fight for the rights of policyholders. In 1938, the knight was replaced by a round seal with two crossed swords pointed downwards to represent protection. The ARAG logo has remained virtually unchanged to this day.