Show beg nning of lloyds two centuries ago a man who had a cargo to send to the mediterranean contrived to get rid of some of the risk by inducing a friend to take an interest with him it was necessary to write out a statement of contract to which the guarantors subscribed this was the first underwriting these two men happened to be frequenters of lloyd s coffee house in london which was a favorite place for the merchants chants of the town to gather to discuss business or to gossip athers immediately saw the advantage of the scheme which their colleagues had de and on the next voyage the risk was parceled out among a larger num ber of the patrons of the coffee house out of this small beginning has grown the great european maritime agency still bearing the name of the humble coffee house |