When you choose a life insurance company the first consideration should be the life insurance company rating – the financial strength of that company, even before competitiveness and pricing. Obviously, if the company is unable to pay the benefits promised in the life insurance policy, then every other consideration was unimportant. So, choose your company by price, benefits and design but always do a life insurance comparison of the company’s financial strength before you buy.
You can do this by checking the financial strength rating online. Life insurance companies are ranked by independent services according to the financial strength of the company. This is done by a rating system. These life insurance company ratings are determined by independent analysts that are paid to review a company’s financial strength. In this section we’ve provided a chart of the different financial ratings from the leading life insurance company rating services.
Your Intramark Insurance representative will be glad to review the financial ratings of any life insurance company with you.
The chart below shows the different rating categories from the leading rating services. These include A.M. Best and Company, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Service and Fitch. There is another rating service not shown on the chart, Street.com which rates companies similar to school grades from A+ to A to A- to B+, B, B- etc.
When you get a term life quote or a return of premium life quote on LifeInsure.com’s quote engines, the A.M. Best rating shows up next to the insurance company quoted.
Life Insurance Company Rating Categories
| Rank Number |
A.M. Best |
Standard & Poor’s |
Moody’s |
Fitch |
|
Financial Strength |
Financial Strength |
Financial Strength |
Financial Strength |
| 1 |
A++
Secure / Superior |
AAA
Extremely Strong |
Aaa
Exceptional |
AAA
Secure / Highest |
| 2 |
A+
Secure / Superior |
AA+
Very Strong |
Aa1, Aa2, Aa3
Excellent |
AA+
Secure / Very High |
| 3 |
A
Secure / Excellent |
AA
Very Strong |
A1, A2, A3
Good |
AA
Secure / Very High |
| 4 |
A-
Secure / Excellent |
AA-
Very Strong |
Baa1, Baa2, Baa3
Adequate |
AA-
Secure / Very High |
| 5 |
B++
Secure / Very Good |
A+
Strong |
Ba1, Ba2, Ba3
Questionable |
A+
Secure / High |
| 6 |
B+
Secure / Good |
A
Strong |
B1, B2, B3
Poor |
A
Secure / High |
| 7 |
B
Vulnerable / Fair |
A-
Strong |
Caa
Very Poor |
A-
Secure / High |
| 8 |
B-
Vulnerable / Fair |
BBB+
Good |
Ca
Extremely Poor |
BBB+
Secure / Adequate |
| 9 |
C++
Vulnerable / Marginal |
BBB
Good |
C
Lowest |
BBB
Secure / Adequate |
| 10 |
C+
Vulnerable / Marginal |
BBB-
Good |
|
BBB-
Secure / Adequate |
| 11 |
C
Vulnerable / Weak |
BB+
Marginal |
|
BB+
Uncertain |
| 12 |
C-
Vulnerable / Weak |
BB
Marginal |
|
BB
Uncertain |
| 13 |
D
Vulnerable / Poor |
BB-
Marginal |
|
BB-
Uncertain |
| 14 |
E
Vulnerable / Under State Supervision |
B+
Weak |
|
B+
Possessing Risk |
| 15 |
F
Vulnerable / In Liquidation |
B
Weak |
|
B
Possessing Risk |
| 16 |
S
Rating Suspended |
B-
Weak |
|
B-
Possessing Risk |
| 17 |
|
CCC+
Very Weak |
|
CCC
Substantial
Risk |
| 18 |
|
CCC
Very Weak |
|
DD
Liquidating |
| 19 |
|
CCC-
Very Weak |
|
SR
Suspended Rating |
| 20 |
|
CC
Extremely Weak |
|
|
| 21 |
|
R
Regulatory Action |
|
|
|
Based on public information only. |
|
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