AXA's origins date back to Ancienne Mutuelle, which was one of the few insurers that remained after the creation of the French security system. With the threat of nationalization, a merger took place between three insurance groups: The Drouot Group, AXA (still known as Mutuelles Unies in 1982), and Presence Group. Ten years later, AXA acquired North American life insurer Equitable Holdings. This was a time of expansion as AXA also bought UAP, a French insurer. Yet, as markets crashed at the turn of the millennium, AXA decided to refocus its business and exited its stake in US investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. A few years later the firm expanded again with the acquisition of Swiss insurer Winterthur. About five years ago, AXA started to reshape its portfolio to technical risks.