Connecticut Mutual

Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company was a prominent 19th-century mutual insurer, founded in Hartford in 1846 and known for selling participating whole life policies to a growing American middle class. [1] Like many mutual life insurers, it faced long-run pressures from changing distribution economics and the growing capital demands of modern products. [1][2] Its decisive corporate turning point came in the mid-1990s, when Connecticut Mutual combined with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual). The merger is widely cited as folding Connecticut Mutual into MassMutual and creating a larger mutual insurer with broader scale. [1][2] Strategically, larger balance sheets helped mutual carriers support long-duration guarantees and fund modernization in underwriting and policy administration. For policyholders, the integration aimed to preserve participating policy obligations while shifting administration onto a larger, more diversified platform. Because these were mutual companies, the governance story also included member-policyholder votes and regulatory approvals, typical of mutual-to-mutual combinations. The resulting enterprise could compete more effectively for distribution and investment opportunities while carrying legacy promises forward. Connecticut Mutual no longer operates as a separate active carrier; its legacy business was integrated into MassMutual's enterprise. [1][2]

Sources: [1] Wikipedia - Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. [2] Wikipedia - Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company.