Manuscripts Collection
Investors Diversified Services (IDS) was a financial services company offering personal financial planning, life insurance, mutual fund shares, investment certificates, annuities, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), limited partnerships, unit trusts, and management and fiduciary services for pension and employee benefit plans.
The company was established in Minneapolis in 1894 as Investors Syndicate. The name was changed to Investors Diversified Services, Inc. (IDS), on March 30, 1949. IDS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alleghany Corporation in May 1979. American Express Company, New York, acquired IDS from Alleghany in January 1984 and the corporate name became IDS/American Express Inc. The name was subsequently changed to IDS Financial Services Inc.
In the late 1980s IDS Financial Corporation managed, and its subsidiary IDS Financial Services distributed, 26 publicly offered mutual funds of the IDS Mutual Fund Group. Other IDS Financial Corporation subsidiaries at that time included IDS Life Insurance Company, IDS Life Insurance Company of New York, IDS Certificate Company, IDS Advisory Group Inc., and Advisory Bank & Trust Company.
The bulk of the collection consists of mutual fund annual reports that were originally individually cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society book collection, but were added to the company records in June 2001. Other material of particular interest includes several narratives outling major events in the history of the company, and transcripts of oral history interviews that were conducted by IDS personnel with former employees.
Annual reports of Investors Syndicate and Investors Diversified Services are in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.
An extensive run of the
Consult the catalog for the locations of other printed material relating to the company.
Accession number: 15,615
Processed by: David B. Peterson, June 2001
Catalog ID number: 09-00322582
Three Investors Diversified Services, inc., certificates marked "specimen."
Lack: 1979-1981.
Lack: 1980-1982.
Lack: 1976 and 1979.
Lack: 1980 and 1982.
Include Investors Diversified Services, Inc., IDS American Express, and I/S.