In 1810, the directors decided to expand into life assurance but the original deeds only allowed for the acceptance of fire insurance.

By then, Sun Fire was turning its attention to all forms of general insurance but, as was the case with life assurance, it was limited by the terms of its original deeds.

In broad terms the development of overseas business before 1914 was primarily through agencies, although some policies were written from London.

In the 1860s the emphasis was on France, Spain, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, Japan and the Philippines.

In 1907 the Sun set up an accident department, reflecting the growth of mass transport and machines.

This was enlarged by its 1931 acquisition of the Elder's Insurance Company of Liverpool and its 1938 agreement with the Royal Exchange Assurance to operate a joint marine underwriting account.