Liberty National Life Insurance Company - History

History

Liberty National traces its origin back to August 27, 1900, when its predecessor was founded as the Heralds of Liberty, a fraternal organization. The goal of the society was to extend practical beliefs and relief to its living members, and subordinate benefits and relief to the widows, orphans, and other dependents of its members. It was founded on the principles of respect for the law, observance of cardinal Christian virtues, loyalty to Government, and practical exemplification of brotherhood. Later in June 1921, the name was changed to Liberty Life Assurance Company by Deputy Insurance Commissioner Robert Davison and Frank Samford. In 1929, LNL was incorporated as a stock company and its name was changed to Liberty National Life Insurance Company. In the 1930s, LNL reached $30 million of life insurance in force. In 1944, the acquisition of Brown-Service, a successful marketer of home service insurance with customers and agents all across Alabama was perhaps the most significant single event in the company's history. The company expanded to serve the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

In the 1950s, LNL reached $500 million of insurance in force. In the 1960s, the company's products branched out to include a more diversified product portfolio. Most notable was the introduction of an affordable and quite popular cancer policy. Also, the financial services for customers expanded dramatically. In the 1970s, the company reached $5 billion in insurance force. The Liberty National Holding Company was created in 1979. The Liberty National Holding Company then expanded by acquiring United American, along with several other companies, including Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company and American Income Life. In the 1980s, the Liberty National Insurance Holding Company became Torchmark Corporation, the parent company of Liberty National and a major listing on the New York Stock Exchange. By the 1990s, LNL had reached $35 billion of insurance in force. Today, the company offers life insurance and supplemental health products for individuals, including Medicare Supplements. In addition, LNL continues its presence in the worksite arena.

For more than 35 consecutive years, Liberty National has earned A+ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating from A.M. Best Company (as of June 2012). LNL is also rated AA- “Very Strong” for Financial Strength by Standard & Poor’s (as of May 2011), A1 for Insurer Financial Strength by Moody’s (as of March 2011), and A+ “Strong” for Insurer Financial Strength by Fitch (as of June 2012). Every year since 1995, Liberty National has been named to the Ward’s 50 Life-Health List. The Ward Group is a consulting and analytical firm specializing in the insurance industry. The Ward’s 50 analysis is based on financial performance over a five-year period. More than 800 insurance companies were included in the 2009 analysis. A Ward’s top 50 performer must be an insurance company with at least five consecutive years of operating history and pass all safety and performance measurement screens. The Ward Group looks for companies that outperform the industry in key factors including: Financial Stability, Revenue Growth, Capital/Surplus Position, Underwriting Results, and Financial Returns. Ward’s 50 companies were able to grow their businesses profitably last year in changing market conditions. Top performers understand that efficient operations result in pricing advantages passed on to the customers. They keep the customer at the center of every business decision.