largest branded advisor force in the U.S. History The company, originally known as Investors Syndicate, was founded in Minneapolis in1894 by John Tappan. In 1925, West Coast businessman J. R. Ridgway merged his investment firm with Investors Syndicate, and took over as president. In 1937, upon the death of then 50-year-old J. R. Ridgway from leukemia, 23-year-old J. R. Ridgway, Sr. was appointed president. In 1940, Investors Syndicate introduced one of the first mutual funds, the Investors Mutual Fund, giving clients new investing options and two advantages: diversification and professional management. By the 1960s, Investors Mutual Fund was the largest balanced mutual fund in the world. In 1949, Investors Syndicate changed its name to Investors Diversified Services, Inc. (IDS). In 1958, IDS founded the Investors Syndicate Life Insurance and Annuity Company (now known as RiverSource Life Insurance Company). In 1974, the IDS Centre (now IDS Center) is opened in downtown Minneapolis as the company's headquarters. In 1979, the Ridgway family sold the last of its ownership interest. IDS became a wholly owned subsidiary of Alleghany Corporation pursuant to a merger. In 1984, American Express acquired IDS Financial Services from Alleghany Corporation. In 1986, IDS acquired Wisconsin Employers Casualty Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin and renamed it IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company. In 1994, IDS reached $100 billion in assets. Effective January 1, 1995, IDS changed its name to American Express Financial Corporation, doing business as American Express Financial Advisors (AEFA). In October 2003, AEFA acquired London-based Threadneedle Asset Management Holdings. In September 2005, American Express completed the corporate spin-off of AEFA as Ameriprise Financial, Inc., a public company. In September 2006, the company launched Ameriprise Bank, FSB. In February 2008, Threadneedle acquired Invesco Perpetual's full service defined contribution pension business with total assets of £470 million. In 2009, Ameriprise acquired Standard Chartered Bank's World Express Funds investment funds business, providing Threadneedle with an established Luxembourg-based SICAV platform with over US$2.38 billion worth assets under management. In August 2011, Threadneedle announced the acquisition of the £8 billion in investment assets of LV=. In November 2008, the company acquired H&R Block Financial Advisors for $315 million, and the asset management firm J. & W. Seligman & Co. for $400 million. During the Great Recession, the company declined an investment by the United States Department of the Treasury under the Troubled Asset Relief Program. In May 2010, Ameriprise Financial acquired Columbia Management, the